DECEMBER PET
Harvey - 15 years old

BREED
Lurcher

HOW WE HELPED
Rescue dog Harvey was adopted by his current owners (then aged 93) in 2016, after they lost their much loved lab.

Harvey settled well, and is great company. He has always loved his walks and food, once managing to almost help himself to the Christmas cake (the sound of the tin hitting the floor gave him away!)

He's now an old boy and spends most of his day dozing on the sofa. Despite his size and his age, Harvey is a really healthy boy, visiting Patrick just twice a year for his checkup. He knows exactly where he is when the car pulls up at the surgery, and tries his very best to drag his owners in the opposite direction. We don’t take it personally!

Congratulations Harvey!

NOVEMBER PET
Erskine - 19+ years old

BREED
Domestic Shorthair

HOW WE HELPED
Erskine is a venerable cat, over 19 years old, who lives with his sister May.

Erskine is a lucky boy, enjoying the peaceful domestic surroundings of the Master’s Lodge at St Catharine’s College, and will always be grateful to Harriet whose deft removal of dental plaque helped reverse a life-threatening infection. Erskine is a gentle, patient and affectionate soul with a love of food and nature and an adventurous and curious spirit that has made him beloved and cherished by all who have met him.

We are all very happy that Erskine continues to enjoy good health and a fantastic quality of life!

OCTOBER PET
Bessie - 13 years old

BREED
Basset Hound

HOW WE HELPED
Bessie was adopted aged 8 months old from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Bessie is all about food and cuddles! She has never been interested in toys but does love a pizza crust, cucumber or carrots. She's the best therapy dog, loves a Sunday sofa nap and is amazing with children. She's surprisingly speedy for her little legs and enjoys her regular trips to Scotland where she hangs out with the family Italian Spinone.

Bessie has been a regular visitor to the practice over the years, including an allergic reaction to a spider, emergency treatment after eating a whole punnet of grapes and in more recent years ongoing treatment to manage her allergic skin disease, heart condition and age related incontinence. Bessie puts up with all these tribulations with great stoicism. Harriet is her favourite (sorry Patrick!) and she has lots of love for Anna and Nancy and the rest of the team too.

SEPTEMBER PET
Kiki - 1 years old

BREED
Domestic Short Hair

HOW WE HELPED
Lovely Kiki has just celebrated her first birthday. Kiki and her siblings were born at Woodgreen Animal Shelter. She was the smallest of the litter but has grown into a lovely, friendly family cat who adores people and purrs whenever anyone comes in the room! Happily, she has not required much veterinary attention so far other than routine vaccinations, anti-parasite treatment and neutering aged 6 months, which is great news for Kiki but means we don't see quite as much of her as we would like! Congratulations Kiki.

AUGUST PET
Pork Chop - 14 years old

BREED
Chihuahua

HOW WE HELPED
You may have seen Pork Chop snoozing at reception. Pork Chop has required a lot of veterinary attention since coming to live with Anna. When she first arrived lots of her teeth were missing and others were in poor condition, requiring significant dental work including multiple extractions. She has allergic skin disease which flares up at certain times of the year and requires ongoing medication and regular ear cleaning and treatment. Pork Chop also has mild mitral valve disease, which for now just needs monitoring, and a rare congenital cerebral defect called focal porencephaly, which causes periodic cluster seizures.

Despite this extensive medical history Pork Chop is a sweet old lady who enjoys coming to work with Anna, watching the other pets from the safety of her wine box on the reception desk.

JULY PET
Moon - 5 years old

BREED
German Shepherd

HOW WE HELPED
Moon has been visiting the surgery since she was a young pup. Moon was diagnosed with dietary sensitivity around the age of two, suffering recurrent bouts of diarrhoea. It has taken time and a lot of owner dedication to get her condition under control, but she is now fairly well maintained on a prescription diet with the addition of daily probiotics.

We are very fond of Moon here at the surgery, but sadly the feeling is not mutual! Moon doesn’t enjoy visiting the surgery, so we keep visits to a minimum and sometimes see her outside, where she is more comfortable. We also ensure we have extra time when she visits so we can take things slowly and try and build up trust.

JUNE PET
Pickle - 6 years old

BREED
Domestic Long Hair

HOW WE HELPED
Pickle came to us at the start of March for a second opinion on a swelling in the lower joint of his right front leg. Further diagnostic tests ruled out infection and X-rays showed slight displacement of the bones in the lower leg. Biopsy results were suggestive of a Spindle Cell Tumour, a type of neoplasia which tends to be invasive and difficult to remove and the difficult decision was made to amputate poor Pickle's leg.

Pickle is making a fantastic recovery. He is adapting well to life on three legs and has received fantastic care from his owners, who are very happy to see him bounce back so successfully from the surgery and are becoming quite fond of the distinctive noise he makes hopping up and down the stairs on three legs.

Congratulations Pickle!

MAY PET
Tiggi - 18 years old

BREED Lurcher

HOW WE HELPED
At seventeen and a half years old, Tiggi is one of our oldest patients and we are proud to have been treating her here at the clinic for her whole life. Overall Tiggi’s health has been good. She was diagnosed with kidney failure a few years ago but responded well to a change in diet. More recently she started having monthly injections to help with pain and stiffness in her joints. Tiggi is lucky to have very committed owners, and a combination of a good constitution, great care and a little bit of luck. She continues to have a very good quality of life, and loves going for walks to see all of her friends.

We do love a golden oldie here at the surgery and have really enjoyed getting to know Tiggi over the years (even if the feeling is not reciprocated!)

APRIL PET
Rodney, 13 years old

BREED
Shih tzu

HOW WE HELPED
Rodney may be small, but he is a big character, ruling the roost at home, and making sure that everyone in the family knows he’s boss. He doesn’t like other dogs and is rather picky about his food.

He does however like his daily walk, which he continues to enjoy despite a few recent health problems. He has struggled in the past with skin problems, and over the past few years the development of a heart murmur and possible arthritis. Most recently, Rodney has been treated for an ulcer in his right eye. He is just about tolerating treatment.

A visit from Rodney always makes us smile so we thought he deserved a month in the limelight. Congratulations Rodney!