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Patient of the Month

Those who deserve a special mention

August 2021 - Milo

Milo the Cat

Our August Patient of the Month is a very special boy as he belongs to our Receptionist Charlotte. Milo was unfortunately involved in a road traffic accident at the end of July and suffered multiple fractures to his left hind leg and pelvis. Due to the nature of his injuries the decision was made to amputate his left hind leg.

After nearly 7 weeks of cage rest and trips into work with Charlotte, Milo is now moving about in the house and up to his usual mischief again!

He has been such a brave boy throughout his journey and really is a true fighter, and that is why we have made him our patient of the month.

JULY 2021 - PEACHES AND HER KITTENS

PeachesKittensKitten collection

Peaches visited us on April 30th for an emergency c-section after a kitten was found breach. Our team were all hands-on deck whilst six kittens were retrieved and removed from their birthing sacs.

We are happy to report that Peaches and all six of her kittens recovered well from the surgery and are happy and healthy. A huge well done to Peaches for being the perfect mother to her babies!

We are delighted to be able to share our collection of photos from just after they were born to their second vaccinations with us last week.

JUNE 2021 - SPIKE

Spike

Spike presented to us in June as an RSPCA foster dog. We were advised that he had a long history of skin issues and on presentation has more than half of his hair missing in conjunction with chronically itchy thickened skin. We covered him with an anti-flea/anti-parasite treatment and started him off on pain relief, anti-itch medication, antibiotics for secondary skin infection and a course of ear drops for a chronic ear infection.

The kind nurses and vet student gave him a 15-minute bath to remove all the dead skin and grease and he immediately felt better.

We saw him back for his re-check and his fosterer was really pleased. His ear infection had improved, the skin was settling (we even had patches of hair regrown!) Our vet student Annie gave him another bath and he has gone off to have this continued three times weekly at home. We were so impressed by his little character and bravery through such a sore skin issue. We have started him on a hypoallergenic food in case it started as food intolerance and also anti-itch medication in case it’s a severe allergy flare.

MAY 2021 - MOJO

Mojo

Mojo has visited our practice on several occasions over the past few months. In April he had a splenectomy, and then during May he came in for multiple bandage changes to his left paw. He has been the perfect patient throughout his visits and our staff have loved seeing him and spoiling him with treats and cuddles. A huge well done to Mojo on his multiple recoveries

April 2021 - Mabel

Mabel

The lovely Mabel was presented to us with a history of reduced appetite and occasional vomiting. On examination she was found to have mild abdominal discomfort and was looking a bit under the weather.  

Blood analysis indicated azotaemia associated with kidney disease. Mabel was put onto intravenous fluids to help flush out the toxins and was given medications to support her condition.

Despite being very unwell for several days, Mabel loved the attention from our nursing team and by the time she was fit to go home had become a favourite of many of us.

Well done Mabel.

March 2021 - Max

Max was diagnosed with liver disease a few years ago; he then spent the most recent New Year with us very poorly with pancreatitis, and has now unfortunately been diagnosed with diabetes! Despite this, Max always has a waggy tail and a positive attitude and it's always a pleasure to see him and his lovely family! He is a very worthy Patient of the Month we all think!

February 2021 - Morgan

Meet Morgan who is a very big fan of bouncy balls and decided to swallow one whole! Luckily his owners spotted and immediately bought him into us.

This is potentially a very serious problem as it could have caused a blockage in his guts making him very unwell. Our Vet, Dan, was able to perform a surgery to remove it from his stomach, and he has recovered very well, and is back to bouncing around at home!

September 2020 - Orlando

Orlando was hit by a car and sustained multiple fractures to his pelvis, left hip and right hind leg.  This meant he had to undergo two major orthopaedic procedures at the same time, and then he had to stay with us in the hospital for nearly two weeks afterwards.

He was always very friendly and carried on asking for a fuss in the hospital, and since going home and continuing his rehabilitation, he has progressed well and is now back to enjoying life to the fullest. Well done Orlando!

April 2020 - Hula

This is the lovely Hula.. she had a bit of an altercation with a muntjac and sustained significant injuries to her right fore leg and right hind. She underwent a general anaesthetic to thoroughly clean the wounds and repair the deeply torn muscle layer. She returned to us every 2-3 days for bandage changes where she showed her true stoic character. After a month of bandaging Hula has made a remarkable recovery and her true bravery throughout is why we have made her Patient of the Month.

March 2020 - Barney

Poor Barney hasn’t had a lot of luck over the last 6 months. He was treated at Davies Veterinary Specialists in September last year for elbow dysplasia. In December he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism (low circulating thyroid hormone) characterised by weight gain despite efforts to slim and hair loss over the tail tip. At the end of December he caught his tail, it was very irritating and slow to heal given his hypothyroid status and the fact he’d only just started on supplementation. He had to wear a buster collar and had the tail bandaged for several weeks to try and heal the wound. He managed to have the bandage off for a couple of weeks after it appeared to heal but then split open again and so the decision was taken to amputate the tail tip. This also didn’t heal properly and in the end he had to go back to Davies, this time for a much higher tail amputation.


During every single one of his numerous visits he was a perfect gent! He lay patiently for every bandage change and exam and loved a belly tickle. He is genuinely one of the kindest dogs we’ve met!

January 2020 - Ruby

A huge congratulations to our Patient of the Month for January 2020... Ruby. In 2018 Ruby was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition but with medication we are delighted that her condition is under control. She has had some set backs; most recently being diagnosed with Pancreatitis but has always been so brave and a happy face to see in the Practice. Well done Ruby

September 2019 - Mabel

This beautiful girl is Mabel, a 3 year old rescue Greyhound. Her owner brought her in as her tail had been bleeding without any noticeable cause. On examination the end was inflamed and had several small bleeding cuts. She had a particular long and particularly waggy tail for the breed & despite our efforts to heal the wounds through conservative dressings we weren’t making any progress. On discussion with the owner we agreed that amputation of the tail tip would be the right course of action. 

Well Mabel was an absolute dream of a patient, from the day of surgery to each of her dressing changes. She preferred to “cuddle” the nurses for her dressing changes & was so relaxed, something that we don’t always see with Greyhounds.

We’re pleased to report that she is back to her waggy-tailed best!

April 2019 - Rory evans

Rory

This is beautiful Rory!  He is a retired guide dog and has been with his current owners for nearly 3 years.  Before retirement he was diagnosed with vasovagal syndrome, whereby he 

can faint out of the blue.

He had developed a large tumour over his right stifle (knee joint) and it was starting to impede his movement.  We carefully considered the pros and cons of GA and removal

and sought specialist anaesthetist advice regarding the anaesthetic.

In the end the owners decided to proceed as we'd sampled the lump 6 months ago as cancerous and it had suddenly increased in size.

The anaesthetic and surgery went well-but the thing we were most impressed with was the exuberant and cheerful demeanor of this lovely boy.  From recovery through to post op check ups he's been an absolute star and a joy to treat!

January 2019 - Flo

Flo


Flo presented to us back in December with bumblefoot which is an infection of the foot pad caused by bacteria.

She was treated with antibiotic injections and had surgery on her foot to remove the infected tissue. She was very good for this and happily stood for her surgery whilst our lovely nurse Louisa gave her a cuddle.

She has been in to see us multiple times over the course of her treatment and has become a firm favorite among the team here at Berry House due to her wonderfully charming yet endearingly cheeky character.

December 2018 - Aziki & Alfie

Aziki Samuels

This little beauty had a wound on his neck that he kept irritating. He was so nervous that his owners struggled to even get him into his pet carrier to come see us!

In the end, he boarded with us for nearly a week so that we could keep an eye on the wound. During that time, we saw a total transformation in his character, he changed from being really timid to absolutely loving cuddles and fuss from vets and nurses alike! 

Such a little star that touched all of us!
 

Alfie Richards

Alfie is a chihuahua, who has been coming to see us regularly for a number of years.

He unfortunately determined at a young age that he was not a fan of visiting the vets, mostly because he was very nervous. With some brilliant work from his owner with 'happy' visits to us involving lots of fuss and his favorite treats, Alfie is now much more relaxed when he comes in. This means that he is now able to have a full examination, even if it is painful, without becoming too worried, making it a much nicer experience for him.

Well done to Alfie and his Mum!

November 2018 - Nobby

nobby the bird

This is Nobby, we have been seeing him since 2012, he comes to see us every 6 weeks for nail clip and beak trim as his beak grows abnormally. Nobby is always pleased to come in and chirps the whole time he is with us.

June 2018 - Stripey Baker & Maisy Start

This month we have two amazing pets that deserve to be recognised: the first is Stripey Baker.

Stripey was brought into our care following a suspected road traffic collision, which appeared to result in him being dragged along the road by a car. Emergency treatment included intravenous fluids for shock and a general anaesthetic to thoroughly flush and clean his multiple injuries down the left side of his body,
including to his face, neck, legs and toes, some having to be stitched.

Stripey had to come in numerous times over the last month for bandaging and for us to monitor the healing process. He has been an outstanding patient boy enjoying cuddles with the nurses while his wounds have been examined, cleaned and redressed. He has maintained his beautiful personality throughout all of this and fortunately is well on the path to recovery.

Way to go Stripey.

Maisy Start had a litter of 9 beautiful puppies at the end of April. When the pups were about 9 days old Maisy presented to the surgery with a high temperature and the early signs of mastitis (mammary gland infection.) 

We started her on antibiotics but the mastitis was aggressive and over the subsequent couple of days, she developed abscesses along her mammary strip. She was becoming systemically ill and had to be admitted for intravenous fluids, intravenous antibiotics, painkillers as well as topical management and flushing of the wounds.

It took virtually the full month and 10 vet visits to get the wounds to heal. Maisie was an absolute star during each and every visit, each time lying down and patiently waiting while we examined, flushed or cleaned the wounds. She was always cheerful and maintained a waggy tail throughout her treatment.

The owners had an extremely hard time during that month too! As well as constantly worrying about Maisy, they endured countless sleepless nights feeding the pups but the hours of hard work paid off and they have a healthy bundle of well grown puppies to show for it!