Pet Advice

Most operations or procedures will involve a full general anaesthetic or sometimes a profound sedative, depending on the case. The preparations for both of these are very similar. If your pet is being admitted for an operation or procedure please ensure that it is clean, as this will reduce the time your pet spends under anaesthesia. Some dogs may require bathing a couple of days before coming in.

Do not give your pet anything to eat from 8.00 pm the evening before, or in the morning before coming in.

Remember to pick up all food bowls and feed any other pets separately. Water (not milk) can be left down until you bring your pet in. Please tell the reception staff if you think your pet may have eaten anything overnight. Take your dog for a short walk in the morning to allow it to go to the toilet before coming in – don’t let cats out!

Please bring your pet to the Reception Desk between 8.05 am and 8.30 am on the morning of your appointment. You may be asked to bring in your pet at a certain time, to enable us to admit each animal in turn.

A nurse will go through the Consent Form with you, which we will ask you to sign before your pet is admitted. Our staff will be pleased to discuss any concerns you may have. Please tell our staff if you think your pet is unwell or if it has been receiving any medication.

Your pet will then be weighed, and taken through into the Prep. Room to receive a premed. It will then be placed on a vet bed in an individual kennel until it is ready to go to Theatre.

Please telephone between 3.00pm and 4.00pm in the afternoon to find out when your pet will be ready to go home. As we operate all day, we may have to ask you to telephone again if your pet has been one of the later ones on our surgical list. Occasionally, it may be necessary to keep some patients in overnight.

We would like to inform all clients that payment is due at the time of collection of their pet. We accept most credit cards, cheques with a banker’s card or cash. If this is likely to cause any problems, please inform Reception before leaving your pet. Estimates of costs can be obtained on request. .

The Pet Travel Scheme enables you to take your dog or cat abroad, without the need for quarantine upon your return to the UK. To qualify for the Pet Travel Scheme your dog or cat needs to be issued with their own passport.

To obtain a Pet Passport, your pet must be identichipped, be vaccinated against rabies and pass a blood test 3-4 weeks after the rabies injection.

The minimum age for a rabies vaccination is 3 calendar months.

Once your pet has been identichipped and vaccinated against rabies, we will ask you to bring your pet back to the practice approximately 21 days after the rabies vaccination has been carried out so that we can take a blood sample from your pet. This blood sample is checked by a government approved laboratory to ensure that your pet is protected against rabies. The test results may take up to 2 weeks to come back. Once we have the test results back and as long as they show that your pet is immune from rabies we can issue a Pet Passport and your pet can go abroad.

However, to avoid quarantine upon your return to the UK, a 6 month period must have elapsed between the date of the blood sample and the date of your return to the UK. Once this initial 6 month period has elapsed your pet is able to travel backwards and forwards from the UK to all countries participating in the Pet Travel Scheme.

It will be necessary however that you arrange for a vet to certify that your dog has been treated for worms and other parasites 24-48 hours before your return to the UK.

It is vitally important that you observe the “valid until” date in your Pet Passport vaccination section and ensure that rabies boosters are given before this date – if you miss a booster date you will need to start the passport application process again.

It is important to allow plenty of time to organise your Pet Passport before you plan to travel. Pet Passports must be issued by an Official Veterinarian (OV). The small animal vets at Mount Vets are qualified as OV’s and will be happy to help with your pet’s travel requirements.

We are also experienced at organising exports to other destinations not covered by The Pet Travel Scheme – please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Bandages are used to cover wounds, provide support or prevent further damage to an area. They need to be changed at regular intervals depending on each case. We will make an appointment for you to revisit the surgery when this is necessary. In some cases, your pet may need to be sedated to allow us to change the bandage.

It is very important that bandages are kept dry, or the skin underneath may become sore. Try to avoid taking your pet out in the rain. Cats must be kept indoors – you will need to provide a litter tray.

If walking on wet ground is unavoidable, protect the bandage with a plastic bag. We have heavy plastic bags at Reception. Do not leave a plastic bag on all the time however, as this will cause sweating beneath the bandage.

Discourage your pet from licking or chewing at the bandage. A light cover, such as a sock, will often be enough to discourage licking. In some cases, an Elizabethan collar may be required. If your pet persists in trying to chew the bandage then contact the surgery for advice – it may be that the bandage is uncomfortable for your pet.

Do not remove a bandage yourself without first contacting us for advice. Removing a bandage may leave a delicate wound unprotected.

If the bandage becomes wet or damaged, if it slips or starts to smell, then please arrange an appointment as soon as possible for a bandage change.

If you are concerned about your pet’s well being in any way then please telephone us for advice.

Plaque, a combination of food debris, salivary proteins and bacteria, builds up on your dog’s teeth every time it eats. The physical removal of plaque is very important in maintaining a healthy mouth – just imagine what your mouth would feel like if you never cleaned your teeth! Plaque should be removed every day to prevent deterioration in your dog’s oral health.

Twice weekly cleaning will still slow the development of oral disease but cleaning less frequently than this will give no benefit to your pet.

It takes time, patience and gentleness to get your dog used to having its teeth cleaned, but hopefully these practical tips should make it easier.

With a young dog start handling its mouth as early in its life as possible. Dental homecare from an early age will go a long way towards preventing or reducing dental disease later in life. Middle-aged or older animals are likely to be more accepting of dental homecare if it is introduced as part of a pre-existing routine, such as an evening meal, walk or grooming. If your dog will not let you handle its mouth at all then you will need to work on this first. Do not continue however, if your dog becomes snappy or aggressive.

Make your dog comfortable and approach from the side, not from the front. Small dogs may be cuddled on your lap to reduce their apprehension. Start by cleaning just a few teeth at the front using the enzymatic pet toothpaste (not human toothpaste!). Use a piece of gauze or a finger brush. At this point do not try and open the mouth. It is mainly the outside surfaces of the teeth, where the gum and tooth meet, that need cleaning. These can be reached by simply lifting the lip. Aim to do a little more at each session but go at your dog’s pace.

It may take you up to four weeks for your dog to allow you to work round all of its teeth. Gradually increase the number of teeth cleaned until the whole mouth can be cleaned in a single session. This should last a maximum of one minute. Once your dog is comfortable with the finger brush move on to the dental brush.

You may now try to open your dog’s mouth by holding its head back with one hand and cleaning the inside surfaces of the teeth with the toothbrush. If your pet does not accept this please continue to clean the outside surfaces – tongue movement will help to clean the inside of the teeth.

Finally, don’t forget to offer a reward at the end of the procedure, such as a game or a treat (a rawhide strip rather than a chocolate biscuit!).

Vaccination is important throughout your pet’s life to maintain adequate immunity against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. At every vaccination consultation, we offer a full clinical examination and health check and will be pleased to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your pet’s health.

Canine Vaccination

There are a number of serious infectious diseases that can affect your puppy’s health. Treatment is possible, but can be expensive and is not always successful. It is much better to prevent these diseases by vaccination.

Very young puppies will have some protection provided by their mother’s milk. Unfortunately, this protection will start to decline from 6-8 weeks of age and your puppy will become susceptible to infection. We therefore recommend that we give your puppy its first health check and vaccination at 8 weeks old. This is a good time to examine your new pup and ensure that it is healthy. We can also answer any questions you may have about feeding, worming and so on.

The second puppy vaccination is given at 10 weeks of age. By this time your puppy should have settled in with you and be gaining confidence. Many people choose to have an identichip placed at the same time as the second vaccination.

In most cases it takes about one week for full immunity to develop following the second injection.

As many of these diseases can be picked up from unvaccinated dogs it is therefore important that you do not allow your puppy to mix with unvaccinated dogs or walk where unvaccinated dogs have been until it is fully protected - one week following the second injection.

Booster injections are needed every year to maintain adequate protection from these diseases throughout your dog’s life. Leptospirosis and Kennel Cough require annual vaccination whereas Canine Parvovirus, Canine Distemper and Infectious Hepatitis vaccinations are less frequent.

Each time we vaccinate your dog, we always give a complete health check aimed at helping your dog stay healthy at all stages of its life.

Canine Distemper Virus

Canine Distemper Virus is a highly contagious disease that is spread by respiratory secretions. Symptoms include high fever, listlessness, coughing, vomiting, diarrhoea and in the later stages fits and seizures.

Canine Parvo Virus

Canine Parvo Virus is a contagious disease that is spread by infected faeces. Symptoms include high fever, listlessness, and foul, often blood-tinged diarrhoea. Unfortunately puppies infected with this disease will often die.

Infectious Canine Hepatitis

Infectious Canine Hepatitis is a disease that is transmitted through infected saliva, urine or faeces. Symptoms include high fever, listlessness, coughing, vomiting and diarrhoea progressing to liver failure, eye and respiratory disease.

Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a disease that is transmitted via infected urine and urine infected water. Symptoms include fever, listlessness, vomiting, kidney problems and jaundice (yellow tinge to the gums). Fatalities are uncommon; however damage to the liver and kidneys can cause disease long term. Leptospirosis can infect humans.

Infectious Canine Tracheobronchitis (Kennel Cough Syndrome)

Kennel Cough is a highly contagious upper respiratory tract disease caused by various airborne viruses and bacteria. Kennel Cough produces a dry, hacking cough lasting for 1-2 weeks. Infected dogs can shed the disease for up to 3 weeks. Despite the name, dogs do not have to go into kennels to catch Kennel Cough.

There are a number of infectious diseases that can affect your kitten’s health. Although treatment is possible it is much better to prevent these diseases by vaccination.

Very young kittens will have some protection provided by their mother’s milk. Unfortunately, this protection will start to decline from 6-8 weeks of age and your kitten will become susceptible to infection. We therefore recommend that we give your kitten its first health check and vaccination at 9 weeks old. This is a good time to examine your new kitten and ensure that it is healthy. We can also answer any questions you may have about feeding, worming and so on.

The second kitten vaccination is given at 12 weeks of age. By this time your kitten will have made itself at home with you and be getting into all sorts of mischief!

In most cases it takes about one week for full immunity to develop following the second injection.

Annual booster injections are needed throughout your cat’s life to maintain adequate protection from these diseases. Each time we vaccinate your cat, we always give a complete health check aimed at helping your cat stay healthy at all stages of its life.

Cat Flu

Cat Flu is a highly infectious upper respiratory disease that is spread through cat to cat contact and sneezing. Cat flu can be fatal in very young kittens or elderly cats. Viruses and bacteria are involved in the cat flu syndrome and all produce similar symptoms such as runny nose, runny eyes, high temperatures and extreme lethargy. Once infected, a cat may become a chronic carrier and can have repeated bouts of symptoms periodically throughout their life.

Vaccination can help reduce the severity of disease in chronic carriers.

Infectious Enteritis

Infectious Enteritis is a contagious viral infection that is often fatal. Infectious enteritis affects the bone marrow, leading to immunosuppression and damages the lining of the gut, leading to severe diarrhoea.

Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV)

FeLV is transmitted by cat to cat contact such as grooming or fighting. The disease can take months to develop after infection but will eventually suppress the immune system leading to secondary infections, tumours and death. There is no specific treatment and vaccination is the only effective method of preventing disease.

Chlamydophila felis

This is a common cause of conjunctivitis in young cats and multi-cat households. Treatment is possible but it is necessary to treat all the cats within the household.

All rabbits, including house rabbits, can be infected by Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD). Both these diseases are invariably fatal. Fortunately, vaccinations are available and these are the only effective methods of protection. At Mount Vets, each time we vaccinate your rabbit, we always give a complete health check and will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

Myxomatosis vaccine can be given from 6 weeks of age and requires booster injections every 6 months to maintain adequate protection.

VHD vaccine can be given from 10 weeks of age and protection lasts for up to one year. An interval of 2 weeks between Myxomatosis and VHD vaccinations is required.

Myxomatosis vaccines need to be administered every 6 months and VHD vaccines are given annually.

Myxomatosis

Myxomatosis is a viral infection that is spread by fleas, mites and mosquitoes. House rabbits, although at lesser risk than outdoor rabbits, may still have exposure to fleas and mites bought indoors with bedding material or other pets. Fleas and mites can survive for many months in hay. Myxomatosis causes runny eyes, swollen genitalia, high fever and lumps on the skin and body. If an unvaccinated rabbit catches myxomatosis, death usually occurs within 1-2 weeks.

Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD)

Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) is a virus that is highly infectious and causes sudden death, often with few or no clinical signs. VHD is well established in the wild rabbit population in the UK. VHD is transmitted through food, clothing or footwear contaminated with infected wild rabbit droppings. It can also be transmitted by birds and insects or even on the wind. This highly resistant virus can survive in the environment for many months.