Posted By: 15 Jan
I thought I would take this rather topical opportunity to reiterate the importance of vaccinating our pets. We have all felt and experienced the effects that a virus can have, and how quickly it can spread through an unvaccinated population. Since we started vaccinating our animals routinely we no longer see certain diseases very often, and some...
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Posted By: 8 Jan
You have probably seen whilst you have been driving around, that there haven’t been as many cattle out grazing at the moment. At this time of year, the grass isn’t growing and the soil is saturated with water. Because of this we tend to keep cattle inside during the winter. Protecting them from the elements and ensuring they have sufficient...
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Posted By: 1 Jan
Fortunately these days diabetes mellitus is a well known and publicised condition, mainly due to its frequency in humans, but it is also commonly recognised in dogs, with many pet owners being aware of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. This type of diabetes is characterised by a high blood sugar level, and symptoms can be as similarly observed in...
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Posted By: 11 Dec
When you have a young cat, your heart is often in your mouth as you witness what they get up to. They are naturally inquisitive and so like to explore their surroundings as soon as they are allowed out. Sometimes, in doing this, they take the odd risk. This was most likely the case for young Lynx. At a little over a year old he was still...
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Posted By: 4 Dec
When I tell people what I do for a living, a response I often hear is “I would have loved to be a vet but I don’t think I could cope with putting animals to sleep”. It’s certainly true that the reality of death as part of the job doesn’t often feature in the ever-present vet TV shows as it isn’t probably isn’t...
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Posted By: 27 Nov
Everyday, twice a day (hopefully!) we brush our teeth. Perhaps annually we visit our dentist or hygienist for a dental health check, perhaps a scale a polish too. We do this to maintain good oral health, preserving our teeth and gums and avoiding, where possible, dental pain. A large proportion of our ‘routine’ veterinary work, aside...
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Posted By: 20 Nov
We’ve been lucky enough to see a variety of reptile pets at the Wells surgery recently. Let’s see: we’ve had chamaeleons, bearded dragons, leopard geckos, spiny tailed lizards, spur thighed tortoises, Herman’s tortoises, Horsefield’s tortoises, boa constrictors and corn snakes, to name but a few. I’ve enjoyed...
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Posted By: 13 Nov
Veterinary work is full of surprises at the best of times and right now, just as for everyone else, the Covid pandemic is presenting us with all sorts of new and interesting challenges too. In fact Flash, a 4 year old Springer Spaniel, certainly gave us all a bit of a surprise as he chose to adapt to the ‘new normal’ in his own unique way! Flash...
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Posted By: 6 Nov
It was a case of ‘What’s up dentist?’ rather than ‘What’s up doc?’ for Reggie rabbit when he was brought into the practice with an unfortunate tooth problem. Reggie is an 18 month old Netherland Dwarf who has struggled with his front teeth over the last few months. After a series of treatments, Reggie underwent a...
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Posted By: 27 Oct
As the days get shorter and the nights colder, tortoises are slowing down, in some cases they have stopped eating and are already in pre-hibernation wind down. It is important to weigh your tortoise regularly, especially important if you have more than one, otherwise how do you know if they are eating well? I find keeping a monthly weight...
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Posted By: 16 Oct
Just like that we are into the autumn months! This time of year can bring some anxiety to households with firework displays, cold, dark evenings and with lots of festive treats hanging around the house. We Vets and Nurses are here all year round to give advice to our clients and their pets, and with the nights drawing in, we like to make sure...
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Posted By: 9 Oct
This week’s story started nearly two years ago. In fact, 11 year old Golden Retriever Tao has been a regular face at the practice ever since he was a bouncy 8 week-old puppy, visiting for his yearly vaccinations, health checks and the odd minor health complaint. These visits tended to be straightforward as Tao was generally a very happy and healthy...
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Posted By: 2 Oct
This magnificent lady is Purdie. Incredibly, she has been diabetic for over nine years. Her owner manages this at home with injections of insulin twice daily, and we see Purdie for regular checks. Recently, she came to see me for a check up and her owner asked me to check her teeth as she had noticed that Purdie was just swallowing her dry food,...
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Posted By: 25 Sep
On the 6th of March little did I know I had just had my last ever day at university. Less than two weeks later, whilst on a placement with Shepton Vets we were informed of the universities closure due to Covid19. As lockdown progressed it was clear that we would not be returning, and so the last of our university rotation teaching became online. For...
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Posted By: 18 Sep
As humans, we are aware of the very real threat of breast cancers, and the need to check regularly for lumps that may appear in breast tissue. But as pet owners we also need to be aware of checking our female dogs’ mammary glands for masses, especially if they have not been neutered or were neutered later in life. Tag’s owner fortunately...
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Posted By: 11 Sep
Eye issues are something we see all the time at both of our practices, with none more dramatic than when Ace was brought into our Wells branch one evening. Ace is a lovely (if not a bit wriggly!) French bulldog who had been having eye drops from his previous vets for 1-2 weeks to treat an ulcer on his eye. It was reportedly getting better however...
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Posted By: 4 Sep
Last Tuesday evening, while checking our little flock of Jacobs’ sheep, my budding smallholder husband and I noticed that one of this year’s lambs was apart from the rest. Knowing that sheep tend to follow each other closely, like, well, sheep, we went to investigate. At first glance there was nothing amiss, but we had a good look around...
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Posted By: 28 Aug
Five month old Rosco was only doing what puppies do best, sniffing around and trying out anything that he could find. Unfortunately, Rosco came across some sultanas, and thinking that they smelt quite interesting, he quickly chewed and swallowed them. Whilst sultanas, raisins and grapes might seem like a reasonably healthy snack for us humans, the...
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Posted By: 21 Aug
Having your pet go missing is one of the worst things that can happen to you as a pet owner. Just imagine how that feels, when days become weeks, months and then years. Not every missing story has a happy ending; but this week we were privileged to be part of one with Buddy – 6 years later! Microchipping is one of the most important things you...
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Posted By: 7 Aug
It is grass seed season currently and these barbed rice-like shaped structures can be pretty pesky causing problems all over the place with our hairy 4 legged friends! Bonnie is a lovely and very well behaved Collie who came in for her annual booster and health check in July. Her owner’s mentioned she had a sore and squinty eye since...
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Posted By: 31 Jul
Cats love to groom. They don’t just enjoy it though, they need to, in order to keep their hair from matting and their coat in good shape. For this reason long haired cats especially can be prone to hairballs. Often owners will find an unpleasant wet ball of hair delivered onto the doormat in the morning, but in Aslan’s case an extra large...
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Posted By: 17 Jul
Fearne is a lovely little 2 year old whippet who came to the practice during the lockdown period with a primary complaint of reducing mobility and reduced ability to exercise. She is normally a very bouncy and lively dog and like any whippet extremely quick once she gets going. Her owners had noticed a change that started mildly around the time lockdown...
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Posted By: 10 Jul
When Bea was collected from a rescue centre eight years ago, she really fell on her feet. Her gentle, sweet nature made her the perfect companion for her new owners who have given her a fantastic, loving home. We see her quite regularly to monitor an ongoing condition, but she came in twice last year with episodes of vomiting, and being miserable...
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Posted By: 3 Jul
Vets are here for your pets when they’re ill, but what about our wildlife? The RSPCA are available to attend and provide help, though they can be in high demand. There are several wildlife rescue centres that have dedicated vets or nurses connected to them, dotted around the south west that can be within an hours’ drive too. However...
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Posted By: 19 Jun
The story of Saddleback for any of you active on our community social media page will be a very familiar one, with his name being derived from the unique markings on his back. He has become a feline celebrity with quite the following since his disappearance earlier last month when he was missing for 11days before eventually being found by a nearby...
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Posted By: 5 Jun
Marvin, or Marvin the Marvellous to give him is full name, is a 6 year old Havana that is a bit of a local character. Naturally curious in nature, Marvin is known to many of the neighbours due to his inquisitive tendencies and ability to make himself comfortable where ever he should decide to visit. However, he always returns home where, at least...
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Posted By: 29 May
Sometimes things are not as they seem the first time an animal is brought into a vets. On occasion, vets can give a good guess as to the potential diagnosis before an animal walks through the door, based on symptoms and a history over the phone. However, sometimes like in Sam the border collie’s situation, the most obvious answer isn’t...
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Posted By: 22 May
In the last few months everyone here at Shepton and Wells Vets has been adapting to life under lockdown. There has been a huge change in our daily way of life but there is one cohort who is probably enjoying the change – your pets! Well, the dogs at least… Many of us are spending more time with our animals than ever before and I wanted...
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Posted By: 15 May
We are very pleased to bring you an update about our practice procedures during the Covid 19 lockdown, and let you know that we will be providing some routine pet vaccination appointments from Wednesday 20th May. Over the last six weeks of lockdown we’ve had to make some changes to the way we work at the practice. In order...
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In the current climate, I feel that we are all somewhat hyperaware of coughing, but fear not, this isn’t an article about Coronavirus! Today we are discussing the case of Alfie, a 12 year old Lakeland cross Jack Russell Terrier, who had been violently coughing. Alfie’s owners booked a telephone consultation to avoid unnecessary travel to...
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Posted By: 8 May
In the current climate, I feel that we are all somewhat hyperaware of coughing, but fear not, this isn’t an article about Coronavirus! Today we are discussing the case of Alfie, a 12 year old Lakeland cross Jack Russell Terrier, who had been violently coughing. Alfie’s owners booked a telephone consultation to avoid unnecessary travel to...
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Posted By: 1 May
Urinary issues are common amongst tom cats, but can be more than just an irritating inconvenience, and in fact may end up with the life threatening consequence of a ‘blocked’ bladder. These health problems can be recurrent, as moggy cat Badger’s owners know too well – unfortunately he is not the first cat they’ve owned...
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Posted By: 24 Apr
Weighing in at 2.5kg each, Sasha and Sophie the 9 month old Maltese Terriers are small in size but big in character. Despite their fine and delicate features the two of them love to bustle around and play rough and tumble, much to the concern of their doting owners who are continuously worried about them. In general all has been fine but on one...
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Posted By: 17 Apr
Bear is a gorgeous 2 year old dog who presented to Izzy at the start of February 2020 with acute onset difficulty urinating. On examination it soon became clear Bear was very tense, rigid and unable to move his body normally. In addition to this, he also had ‘pricked ears’, a ‘sardonic grin’, hyper-salivation and...
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Posted By: 10 Apr
Lots of people might think that life as a farm vet is a bit lonely; a lot of time spent on the road and going out at all hours of the night but actually I find it’s quite the opposite and this article is all about why working alone is all about teamwork. Firstly we work in a big and bustling practice made up of 13 farm vets, 3 TB testers,...
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Posted By: 3 Apr
The names of some diseases can be quite misleading – sometimes all may not be as it seems with a diagnosis. That was the case with Gary the 8 year old moggie, who turned out to have contracted an uncommon skin condition called cowpox, probably from a rat! There can’t be many cats up and down the country that come to the name ‘Gary’...
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Posted By: 27 Mar
Some of the most common signs we see in our patients are vomiting and diarrhoea, each of which can be caused by a huge number of things. Most commonly simple inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract is present, often caused by infections (mostly viral). As a general approach, if an animal is well in themselves then the underlying issue is likely...
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Posted By: 20 Mar
One damp Friday afternoon in February, Bruce the Jack Russell Terrier was out and about exploring in the garden when his nose caught a good scent, he started digging and came across a long lost rawhide chew! Filled with what we can only assume was eager joy he swallowed it whole before his owner was able to retrieve it from him. His owner, very aware...
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Posted By: 13 Mar
Occasionally we end up experiencing the practice from the other side of the consulting room table. When our own pets are ill, our veterinary knowledge helps, of course, but we also feel all the same worry and distress as any other owner. I recently experienced this as one of our beloved family cats, Jinx, was unwell. Although they are unrelated,...
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Posted By: 6 Mar
Many years ago, when I was a student at Bristol University Vet School, a wise professor used to tell us, “When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, but don’t forget the zebra”. Another professor might say, “Common Conditions Happen Commonly”, but I think the zebra quote is more memorable. The point is, when we...
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Posted By: 28 Feb
Benbow is a gorgeous 4 year old male neutered ‘Goldendoodle’ and client of ours who presented to Izzy in late November with a 4 day history of not being his normal self, a bit down in the dumps with a reduced appetite and excessive smelly dribbling! There was discussion as to whether he had been poisoned, a common concern for owners. ...
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Posted By: 7 Nov
One thing I’ve learnt doing this job is that the problem isn’t always immediately on the first examination. Sometimes symptoms can be subtle and not always evident when we, as vets, get to examine a patient. However, owners know their beloved pets and if they tell us something isn’t right, then we ignore this at our peril. This was...
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I thought I would take this rather topical opportunity to reiterate...
Fortunately these days diabetes mellitus is a well known and publicised...
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