This week Lily, a 5 year old liver and white springer spaniel came in to our surgery struggling to deliver her puppies. She had been in labour for a while and had only managed to deliver one puppy. Our vet Natalie Cole examined and scanned Lily which showed some of the puppies inside Lily had high heart rates. It was decided the safest thing would be to do an emergency caesarian section.
10 puppies born by caesarian section
Lily had 10 puppies. This is the order they were born from right (being the 1st) to left. Mum was stitched up and the puppies were all given a chance to feed from her. Afterwards they were put in a box for Lily’s owners to take home and start feeding whilst she recovered.
Meeting the pups!
I took the opportunity to meet the puppies before they left! They were making a lot of noise and were very cute!
Unfortunately mum was not looking so well and it quickly became apparent she needed some further emergency surgery to save her. Lily would need a blood transfusion because she had lost so much blood. Receptionist Sally bought her Labrador Holly in to the surgery to act as a donor.
Holly after giving life saving blood
This is not the 1st time Holly has given life saving blood although it will be her last as she will shortly be six years old.
Lily stayed in overnight and recovered well. The next morning the pups were brought back in to us at Clent Hills to see how mum would cope and she responded brilliantly to them and allowed them all to feed so she was allowed home. A check the next day showed Lily is doing really well as are all the pups!
I will keep you up to date with all their progress and will hopefully be able to get pictures of them again soon!
This months offer of the month is rather a delicate matter for me to discuss, being a lady of the feline variety.
This is certainly NOT what a lady wants to see!
….10% discount off routine cat castrations!
This is definitely not what a lady wants to meet when out and about! Un-neutered male cats can be a real nuisance to us ladies and as well as increasing the number of unwanted kittens not being castrated can lead to other issues.
An un-castrated cat is more likely to…
- Roam-therefore be involved in road traffic accidents
- Catch disease
- Fight and therefore potentially require veterinary treatment
- Get flea infestations
- Spray urine and mark territory
- Smell strongly of urine
- Live up to half the life span of a neutered male
Castration is a simple procedure under a short general anaesthetic with the lucky cat going home the same day. Call my lovely receptionists for an appointment.
Well it says cat waiting!
It says cat waiting……so I’m waiting!……..
Still Waiting!
Mmm….Still waiting……….!
You know how I feel about puppies, cute but too bouncy and they get far too much attention. Well every time one comes in to see our vets or nurses they get given a treat. There are pots of treats in all of the consulting rooms! I am not allowed treats so see this as rather unfair. I do have a solution to this unfair situation- I help myself whilst no one is looking! Unfortunately I have been caught………..
Caught in action!
OOOPS! It wasn't me!
Mmm...it was worth it though!
Everyone gone? I'll try again! Hiding them is no good-I can smell them out!
Archie Taylor visiting us for his stitches out
Archie Taylor is a black male Labrador of nearly 8 years of age. He has been through quite a lot recently but thanks to his owners taking him to the vet as soon as they noticed a change in his behaviour it is a story with a happy ending.
Archie was a client of a veterinary surgery in the local town as Alvechurch. He came to see us as an emergency on boxing day when his usual vets were closed over the Christmas holiday.
Archie had been taken to his usual vets shortly before Christmas because his owners had noticed he was drinking more and wanted to get him checked out. Blood tests showed high calcium but not much to worry about. However Archie seemed no better so his owners took him back and he had X-rays. These showed a large mass in Archie’s chest cavity. It was thought to be a harmless tumour but his owners were warned it could become a serious problem because its large size.
So this is when Archie came in to see us as an emergency. He had been vomiting and his owners had noticed blood. He was kept in for a few days and although initially seemed to improve he went downhill again very quickly. The size of the tumour had led to complications and he was bleeding internally.
He received a life saving blood transfusion provided (with many thanks), from one of the greyhounds at Hall Green Retired Greyhound Trust based at Meadowcroft Kennels. Archie’s condition had to be stabilised before anymore could be done. He was then referred by us to Animal Health Trust in Liverpool to have the tumour removed. The six inch tumour was successfully removed on the 2nd March.
The tumour removed from Archie's chest
Archie returned to us on the 15th march to have his stitches out. His owners say he is back to normal and are delighted with the results. So a happy ending for Archie. His owners are very glad they brought him in to see the vet after noticing he was drinking a lot because it led to the correct and swift treatment.
Often behaviour changes or small differences you notice in your pet can be significant so never hesitate to come and visit me and my vets. I am always pleased to see you!
