An end to the sneezes for Florence

Welcome to our
Summer newsletter
Willows Welcomes
Georgina to the Primary
Care Team!
An end to the sneezes
for Florence...
Florence, a lovely little cat belonging to one of our receptionists
Alyson, had a throat problem and came to see Sam, one of our
primary clinicians.
Three year old Florence had been sneezing a
lot, coughing and retching like she was trying
to bring something up, and was suffering from
bad breath. Although she was still eating and
drinking, she was not feeling herself.
Clinical signs indicated that a foreign body was
stuck in her upper respiratory tract, so Florence
was anaesthetised to allow examination of her
throat and upper airway. Luckily for Florence,
a grass blade was found stuck in the back of
her throat, which Sam was able to remove quite
easily with some forceps. Florence was given
some anti-inflammatory medication to reduce
the inflammation in her throat, and she made a
very good recovery.
Cats and dogs will sometimes eat grass when
they are feeling nauseous to make themselves
vomit, and occasionally this will lead to the
grass becoming stuck in the back of the nasal
passages or throat. Most of the time this can
be retrieved with the patient under general
anaesthesia, although sometimes requires use
of an endoscope to guide removal.
Willows offer a reduced price mid-year health check,
6 months after the annual booster vaccination, so
we can check your pet is in tip-top condition and
discuss any concerns you might have.
Call us on 0121 712 7070 to book an appointment.
If you would like to receive this newsletter and other
information from Willows by email, please subscribe
to our mailing list at: www.willows.uk.net/signup
Georgina graduated from the
Royal Veterinary College in 2012.
Before joining Willows primary
care team, she spent 2 years in a
rural companion animal practice
followed by a further 2 years in an
extremely busy small animal clinic
in the Midlands.
Georgina enjoys the variety that
general practice has to offer, but
some of her favourite aspects
include; working with nervous
dogs, working up complex
medical cases, and meeting a
wide variety of animals and their
owners. She is currently working
towards an RCVS Certificate in
Small Animal Medicine (RCVS
CertAVP(SAM)) and hopes to
push the boundaries of her
knowledge and experience by
joining the Willows team and
working alongside some of the top
Specialists in the country.
In her spare time Georgina shows
and breeds Donskoys (a Russian
breed of hairless cat), she enjoys
show jumping with her rescue pony
Joey, and has recently taken up
agility with her Italian greyhound.
Allergy season is here!
Willows have again started to see our usual annual upswing in the number of animals
being presented with skin complaints. During the spring/summertime it is common
for allergic skin conditions to manifest, and for those animals that have year round
problems it can get noticeably worse during this period.
Owners of dogs with allergies
will be only too familiar with the
thump-thumping of a hind leg on
the floor, or the sound of constant
head shaking or foot chewing. The
impact on the animals concerned can
range from mild itchiness to severe
discomfort, which can have a real
impact on their general wellbeing.
Allergic dogs and cats do not always
present with classic ‘scratching’ –
it is important to also watch out
for chewing of feet, rubbing of
faces, recurrent ear infections and
(especially in cats) more time spent
grooming than is usual.
The reason for the seasonality which
is often seen in this type of condition
varies between individuals, depending
on what triggers their skin problems.
Sometimes there is a very clear
allergy to, for example, grass or tree
pollens, but in other cases it will not
be quite so straightforward.
In dermatology it is often useful
to think of an itchiness ‘threshold’
above which an animal will start
to show clinical signs; a number of
different factors can bring an animal
over this threshold. For example, a
seasonal grass allergy could combine
with a sensitivity to fleas, and if
a dog subsequently develops an
overgrowth of yeasts in the skin, this
might be the trigger for the start of
clinical signs.
Treatment therefore ideally needs to
be tailored to the individual and aims
to address their specific needs. The
best way of doing this is usually by
investigating different factors which
may be playing a part, although
it is also often possible to treat
more symptomatically.
as hopefully allowing avoidance
strategies to minimise exposure to
these things, can also be used to
formulate a type of ‘vaccine’ which
aims to desensitise the animal to the
allergens over a period of time.
One of the first things we generally
need to do is to treat any bacterial
or yeast infections, and also make
sure that broad-spectrum parasite
treatment is up-to-date to exclude
this as a factor. Depending on the
case we will sometimes then also do
skin scrapes or other tests to look for
specific mites and organisms.
Treatment of some allergic dogs may
only be needed during certain seasons,
but in others has to be year-round. The
options we now have available range
from omega-3 and -6 supplements
to reinforce the skin’s barrier against
allergens, through antihistamines and
other anti-itch medications, all the
way up to immunotherapy vaccines,
which are given by injection over
several months and are continued
at intervals lifelong if they seem to
be effective.
An exclusion food trial is the most
reliable way of excluding any dietary
allergens, which are another common
trigger for skin issues. The diets we
use for this are either ‘hydrolysed’,
which means the proteins are treated
in such a way that they should not
be able to trigger a reaction, or
‘novel protein source’, which means
finding a protein and carbohydrate
combination which the animal
should not have been exposed
to before.
Specific allergy testing can also be
considered, if desired. This is done
either using serology (a blood test) or
intradermal testing (injecting small
amounts of allergens into the skin
and monitoring the development
of little bumps, which indicate a
reaction). This will generally give a
very accurate picture of the things
the animal is allergic to and, as well
We are always happy to
discuss different management
options with you if you think
your dog may be affected 0121 712 7070
Hannah Jones BSc(Hons) RVN
Veterinary Nurse
This year saw the 10th anniversary of the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund’s RAW campaign. Rabbit
Awareness Week (RAW) occurs annually during the month of June and is supported by leading animal
organisations including the RSPCA, Wood Green Animal Shelters, Burgess Pet Care, Panacur Rabbit, Blue Cross
and PDSA.
Rabbits are the third most popular pet
in the UK, however research has shown
them to be the countries most neglected
pet with over 67,000 entering rehoming
centres every year. Although rabbit owners
love their pets, the huge amount of
misconceptions regarding rabbit care
can mean that despite a loving owner’s
best intentions, welfare can be
inadvertently compromised.
Thanks to the fantastic work of charities
and the nationwide campaign of
‘Rabbit Awareness Week’, knowledge
and understanding of the true needs of
rabbits has grown amongst the general
public by getting up-to-date and accurate
information out to rabbit owners, therefore
allowing their bunnies to live a long, healthy
and happy life!
The theme of this year’s campaign was
#buddiesforbunnies – in the past, it has
been deemed acceptable for rabbits to
be kept alone in a small hutch at the
bottom of the garden, but we now know
that this is inadequate on many levels and
causes suffering. Rabbits are highly social
animals who, in the wild, live in groups. It
is therefore recommended that they are
kept in neutered pairs or groups in spacious
accommodation so that they can run and
play together.
As 57% of UK rabbits live alone, the Buddies
for Bunnies campaign aims to encourage
more owners to find suitable companions
for their furry friends.
Rabbits are known to be picky when it
comes to selecting a partner, and so both
should be vaccinated and neutered before
they meet to give them the best possible
chance at making friends! They then have to
go through a period of ‘bonding’ with a new
rabbit before they live together to make
sure they will get along, but once bonded
they tend to be friends for life! Many
rescue centres are very knowledgeable on
the bonding process and may be able to
provide bonding sessions so you can be sure
that your newly adopted rabbit will be a
welcome addition to your home.
For more information on bonding rabbits
and other rabbit care tips such as ideal diet,
housing and healthcare visit:
www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk
Willows currently has a number
of RWAF’s ‘Hop to it’ booklets
available FREE to our clients*.
The booklets are a full guide
to keeping rabbits and contain
information on everything
‘bunny’ from diet (including free
treats you can pick from your
garden) to housing, and health to
behaviour. Just ask at reception
or your primary vet if you are
interested in a copy.
*Subject to availability
Hot Tip
for Summer!
As the weather starts to warm
up it becomes a popular time
for adder bites! The snakes are
present all over the UK, with
the South-East of England
being a particular hot spot.
The adder is the only venomous
snake native to the UK. The adder
has a black-brown zig-zag pattern
and a V or X shaped marking on the
head. They can be confused with the
non-venomous grass snake. One
distinguishing feature is that adders
have a ‘slit like’ pupil whereas grass
snakes have a round shaped pupil
(you will have come pretty close to
see this, of course!).
Double trouble for Billy!
Billy was brought to see Will, one of the primary care clinicians,
as his owners were concerned that he had a large mass behind
his left shoulder which had been slowly getting worse.
This had already been previously diagnosed Billy had both surgeries performed, the first
as a benign fatty lump known as a lipoma. via his abdomen to remove the spleen and
Normally these fatty lumps don’t need to be then he had the large fatty lump removed via
removed, however due to the location of the a separate incision. He was kept in overnight
lump, it was felt that removing it gave Billy for monitoring and to ensure he had enough
a good chance of feeling more comfortable analgesia and subsequently has made a great
and would allow him to move more freely. recovery. After the laboratory had evaluated
Will suspected the lump was underneath a the mass on his spleen, it was confirmed
large muscle and as it was a very large mass, that it was benign and that surgery should
Billy had a CT scan performed to evaluate be curative. This was great news for everyone
whether it could be removed and what would – especially Billy, who despite his old age, is
back to feeling more lively these days.
be the best approach.
Completely by chance the CT scan also
picked up a mass on his spleen which was not
palpable on examination of Billy’s abdomen.
Without evidence that it had bled, there was
a 50:50 chance that it would be benign or
malignant. Sampling techniques can often
be unrewarding when dealing with the spleen
and considering most dogs can cope very well
without a spleen, it was decided that it should
be removed and sent to the lab for analysis.
Adders are actually very timid
and non-aggressive, usually only
biting when they are provoked, and
preferring to stay hidden. For this
reason bites are most common on
the face or limbs.
If you suspect your pet has been
bitten by an adder, you should phone
your vet and arrange to take it to
them immediately. In some cases a
drip or antivenom may be required,
depending on the severity of the bite.
Avoid bites by keeping dogs on
leads during the warmer months in
adder hotspots!
Find us on Facebook
facebook.com/willowsvets
Follow us on Twitter
@willowsvets
Billy is a great example of how well an old
dog can cope with quite considerable surgical
procedures despite his age and come through
to make a full recovery.
If you have a senior dog, you
may be interested in reading
our series of information
sheets on Looking after your
Dog - there are lots of useful
tips and information relating
to the different life stages:
www.willows.uk.net/pets
Above:
Billy before surgery - the arrow
indicates the benign fatty lump
Right:
Billy showing his shaved back
and scar recovering at home
Willows Veterinary Centre
& Referral Service
Highlands Road Shirley Solihull
West Midlands B90 4NH
Telephone: 0121 712 7070
www.willows.uk.net