Newsletter May-August 2016 reduced

MAY
-
AUG UST
2 0 16
N E WSL E T T E R
Ashlea Veterinary Centre
Getting to the root of the problem…
large
ch has a ft eye
t
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below his
swelling der anaesthetic
(he is un is picture).
in th
Last autumn Ashlea Vet Centre invested in a new digital
dental x-ray system. Dental radiographs are one of the
most important diagnostic tools available to a veterinary
dentist. They allow the internal anatomy of the teeth, the
roots and the bone that surrounds the roots, to be
examined. Without an x-ray we can only look at the
crown of the tooth - which is only half of the tooth!
Our new system allows us to take x-rays of dogs,
cats and rabbits teeth, and allows our vets to
make decisions about the correct treatment for
a diseased tooth. These pictures are of 12 year
old Jack Russell, Patch - x-rays helped vet
Morag decide on the best treatment for him.
Tooth root abscesses most commonly affect the
upper carnassial tooth, the largest tooth in a
dog's mouth. As dogs age, they are at risk of
fracturing this tooth, often from trauma such
as biting on something extremely firm
(bones, stones, cage bars, fences, too-hard
treats). The golden rule for chews and toys
is don’t give your dog anything to chew
that you cannot dent with a thumbnail
The swelling was sitting
or which would not bend or break in
abo ve his carnassial tooth. the mouth when in contact with teeth,
unless it softens very quickly (like
rawhide chews).
This X-rays r
rke
ow
sh s the dancy
ce
lu
area of
ot
aroun d the roh
ot
to
of the
(circle d). This
in dicates an
abscess an d is
dh
Patch nee de e d.
ov
m
to oth re
Since April 2016 it has been
law for all dogs in Englan d and
Wales to be microchipped and
registered on a microchip
database.
This magnification
shows a microchip
compared to the
size of a grain of
rice
The new law means it is a criminal
offence if your dog does not have
a microchip or if the details
registered on the microchip
database are incorrect.
All ready to go
ho m
later that day. e
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t
rem have b he
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gum e d t een
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During
nee ds to remo val the gu m
b
us access e lifte d up to help
t
the to oth he large ro ots of
must be r . All three ro ots
emo ve d c
arefully.
Don’t forget to microchip your
cats and rabbits too, for while it
is not a legal requirement they
are much more likely to go
missing so we think it’s just as
important!
Ash being scanned for his chip.
At Ashlea Vets microchipping
starts from £9.60 so please
contact us for more information
or to make an appointment.
Abby’s Scabs’ Viewpoint…
Cat
Friendly
Clinic
I hope you’re all doing ok since my last
update, I’m looking amazing and
continuing to adapt well to not being
able to hear and having to eat nothing
except my y/d food for my
hyperthyroidism. I’ve started popping out
to sit on reception more often, as now I
can’t hear, the noise of the dogs doesn’t
bother me. It also means I can keep an
Me sitting at reception
eye on ‘front of house’ and make sure
everything’s running as it should.
l
Gold Leve
Student nurse Lauren has completed her Nursing Progress Log, which is a huge achievement and after her final
exams in May will be able to register as a qualified veterinary nurse at her graduation in July. We have no doubts
she’ll fly though the final exams! She’s hoping to do an honours year next year which will further her knowledge and
she’ll have a dissertation to write, all while continuing to work part time for us. I can already
see what an amazing nurse she is and am proud to have been able to train her with a little
help from Rowena and some of the other humans.
Many of you know that last year we were officially awarded the internationally recognised
Cat Friendly Clinic Gold Level. We’re the only Gold Level Clinic in Cumbria but as I’ve been
doing my observations at reception I’ve realised you don’t all know about our cat only waiting
room and cat only clinics that were part of the changes we made. Make sure you ask about
these on the phone or at reception if you think they would help you and your feline friends!
There’s been a few changes here - yet another baby has been born - Paisley Hollie Smith,
she couldn’t wait to see the world so was born early at 3lbs 4oz back in December. She’s
done amazingly well and was welcomed home by nurse Lauren and her husband Ryan as
well as big brothers Aidan and Kelum (who chose her middle name
for her), after having spent 6 weeks in hospital orge
Marie with son, Ge y.
nn
an d their dog, Pe
The a
dorable Pais
Laura is on maternity leave now and her baby is due in April ley
we’ll let you know on Facebook when he or she makes an
appearance! Katy will be back from her maternity leave in June so we’re really looking
forward to welcoming her back. We also welcomed nurse Marie in December to join the
team, she’s fitted in so well and I think she should stay as she always gives me a stroke
but unfortunately the other humans have told her about my ‘strict diet’ before I could
persuade her to give me some dreamies or tuna. So although staff have changed a bit I’ll
make sure the standards that you’re all used to stay the same and I’ll even continue to let
the non-cat animals in….apparently I can’t win that one!
Be aware of flystrike in your rabbit this summer…
Rabbits are very vulnerable to developing a condition called fly strike during the summer
season.
Flystrike happens when flies, attracted by damp faecal matter, lay eggs on the rabbits fur
- usually around their tail and back-end. These eggs hatch into maggots in only 24 hours.
The maggots then feed on the muscle and skin of the rabbit. Amazingly rabbits will often
behave normally and continue to eat despite infestations, this partly due to the fact that
the maggots release a local anaesthetic when they attach and feed. This can happen
overnight so it is important to check your rabbit daily for any signs of fly strike.
Bunnies that have ‘sticky-bums’ and are kept outside are particularly
vulnerable. Fly strike often indicates there is a chronic underlying health
problem that needs addressing. These include arthritis in older rabbits who
are too sore to keep themselves clean. If rabbits are obese, they simply
can’t reach round far enough to clean themselves. Rabbits with teeth
problems can have difficulty eating their caecotrophs (soft poos) directly
from their anus, and those fed a poor diet can develop a diarrhoea which
can lead to faecal matting of their coat which which attracts flies.
There are various products such as Rearguard which can be applied to the fur before the summer
season to repel the flies from laying eggs. Please speak to our nurses for advice on how to
prevent strike this summer, especially if your rabbit has been affected in the past or has an
underlying condition making them more vulnerable. If you do think your rabbit has got fly strike
please contact that surgery immediately as the sooner we treat your rabbit the more chance
there is of us being able to save them, as fly strike will quickly kill rabbits if untreated.
What do you think of Ashlea Vets?
Over the summer Ashlea Vets commissioned a client survey from an independent company, OnSwitch. Clients visiting
the practice were invited to fill in an anonymous questionnaire, with online links posted on our Facebook page
widening participation, together with some market research carried out in the centre of town. Our intention was to
find out what clients like about us and to see in which areas we could improve.
Overall we had very positive feedback and would like to thank everyone who took the time to fill the
questionnaire. This ‘word-cloud’ illustrates the words used most commonly by our clients in the survey
However we recognise that the main concern expressed was when our appointments run late - sadly there have been
times when this is a problem and we are looking at ways to prevent this. Mondays are always hectic - so perhaps
not the best day for booking routine vaccinations and nail clips. We will always try to book follow up appointments
to see the same vet, and if you wish to see a particular vet please let us
know. It would help enormously if when making an appointment you can let
What do clients value about us?
our receptionists know if you are bringing more than one pet so our
receptionists can book you a double appointment. But there will
unavoidably be times when emergencies intrude - we appreciate how
Convenient
patient clients have been at such times. Be assured we are not hiding
out back drinking coffee!
(5%) Other
5%
A couple of comments suggested that we could make more use
5% (5%)
of email and of text reminders - we have looked into this but
Local Relationship
26%with
7%
unfortunately we don’t always have peoples current e-mail
(7%)
vet (26%)
addresses and mobile numbers so it would be a great help if
clients can update us with these should they change.
However we feel that a postcard remains the most certain
way of reminding you that a vaccination/health check is
Relationship with
due…and we hope you enjoy reading our newsletters.
19%
practice
team (19%)
Range of services
The OnSwitch survey shows that our clients value the
7%
(7%)
relationship they have with our vets, nurses and support
staff, and recognise that the Centre has a strong, petPractice
5%
centred, professional ethos. We are delighted to learn that a
Ethos massive 64% of clients said that they initially came to Ashlea
Pet dedicated
(5%)
Vets having being told about us by family and friends. We live by
26%
(26%)
reputation and recommendation - if you do tell friends about us
then remember to make use of our ‘Recommend a friend’ voucher
available on our web-site or in the practice. It gives you and your friend
a £5 credit off your next purchase of £15 or more . You deserve it!
Ashlea Vet Centre Ltd
Unit 2b
Port Road Business Park
Carlisle CA2 7AF
Tel: 01228 549177
www.ashleavets.co.uk
www.facebook.com/ashleavets
Surgery Times
Mon, Tues & Thurs
9am - 6.30pm
Wed & Fri
9- 6pm
Saturday
9am - 3pm
Consultation by appointment only
For emergency advice or attention
beyond these hours phone the
practice on 01228 549177 and
listen to the message for the duty
vets number
Veterinary Surgeons
Chris Barker MRCVS
Kirsty Barker MRCVS
Morag Liddon MRCVS
Laura Askew MRCVS
Kathryne Hodgson MRCVS
Receptionists
Christine Coulthard
Natalie Murphy
Alex Jennings
Nurses
Rowena Batey RVN
Katy Clarke RVN
Lauren Smith RVN
Rebecca Campbell RVN
Marie Coleman RVN
Student Nurses
Lauren Bowe
Jess Taylor
Practice cat
‘Scabs’
Fundraising
As this newsletter was printed we have
raised £355 this year which takes our
running grand total to £15,617.22.
We normally have our annual quiz at the
beginning of the year but this year we are
going to have it at the end - more details
later! By the time you read this we will
have held our April cake bake so we
hope you called in to buy some of the yummy
cakes!
April C
ake Ba
was th ke…it really
is go o d
!
The autumn sale of chutney and jams, home grown and made
by Kirsty, was once again very popular and we have our
charity box at the front desk which we are always delighted
to empty and add up as it continues to show your ongoing
generosity.
In 2016 we will continue to sponsor Yang Tang Long in
China through International China Concern, which exists to
bring love, hope and opportunity to China’s abandoned and
disabled children. We’ve sponsored her for a few years now
and it’s so lovely to get updates about her progress and see
her picture on our staff room fridge www.chinaconcern.org
We are also planning to
support Mission Rabies which
is a relatively new charity.
In September 2013, they vaccinated 60,000 dogs
in 30 days in India, the rabies hotspot of the world.
Over 99% of cases of human rabies are caused by an infected dog
bite. Once
symptoms of the disease develop, it is always fatal. Every year, millions of healthy
dogs are inhumanely killed for fear of this deadly disease. However, this doesn't
halt the spread of rabies, which causes the deaths of around 61,000 people a year
– the majority of which are children under 15. Vaccinating dogs against rabies has
been proven to stop the spread of the disease to people and saves the lives of
humans and dogs. Their aim is to eliminate rabies from the world by 2030. They
launched their programme in India where a third of all deaths are reported to
occur, but that was just the beginning - in 2015 they expanded their proven dog
vaccination programme to other high rabies-risk countries in Asia and Africa,
wiping out rabies at the source and saving lives www.missionrabies.com
child,
Our sponsore d
ng
Lo
ng
Yang Ta
We also are going to donate to Watchtree Wheelers who
simply say they get people on bikes! They aim to make it possible for all people to ride
- no matter what obstacles might stand in their way. They have a fleet of adapted
bikes, a glorious nature reserve for riders to explore and a wealth of knowledge in
their experienced instructors. They specialise in riding for disabled and disadvantaged
people - www.watchtreewheelers.co.uk
We need suggestions for other charities we can support so let us know if you have
any ideas. Feel free to suggest fundraising ideas too; there’s usually at least some of
the staff willing to have a go at most things!
RECOMMEND A FRIEND AND WE’LL GIVE YOU BOTH £5 OFF!
Once your friend has registered with us we’ll give you a £5 credit towards your next visit, while your
‘friend will get £5 off their first transaction of £15 or more. This credit can be used for such things as neutering, vaccination, flea and worm treatment. Full terms and conditions can
be read on our website. To claim your £5 credit fill in your details on a card available from reception then pass the card
onto your friend. All they have to do is bring the completed card with them when they visit us to register. There is no
limit to the number of friends you can recommend but each friend may redeem only one voucher.
AS H LE A V ET C E NT R E