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As part of our ‘Stress Free Visits to the Vets’ we are launchin cat clinics on a Wednesday and Thursday afternoon 1-3pm with our vet Sarah. The aim is to create a cat-only environment to give more anxious or nervous cats the opportunity to see a vet when there are no dogs in the consulting area of the practice. It is well recognised that dogs are one of the major stressors for cats, so taking this away can help to make their visit to the vets as positive as possible.

This months topic of the month! Pet killers, be aware of all the items that can be dangerous to your pet if ingested.

Imagine if a giant grabbed you off the sofa … shoved you in their superfast nauseating smelly machine with wheels and drove really fast, eventually arriving at the hospital which smells a lot like scared humans mixed with your favourite foods. You are then presented to another giant who puts on a pair of disposable gloves and shoves a thermometer up your bottom. Scared right? So imagine how your pet feels coming into the vets. A calming vet visit starts at home!

• Adaptil spray in the car 20 minutes before leaving
• No/little food to prevent car sickness and to make them keen to have treats from the Vets (please feel free to bring in their own if they have any dietary needs)
• Make sure your dog is safely secure in the car via a safety harness or in the boot behind a dog guard

• Make the cat carrier fun: leave it out for as long as possible, placing treats and bedding in it. Spray with Feliway spray 20 minutes before use
• When you leave home put a Feliway sprayed blanket over the basket and cover all bar one side of the basket.
• Do not swing the basket by the handle, hold from the base
• Ensure the basket is secure in the car with a seat belt around it
• Once arrived at the practice, place the basket on an elevated surface e.g. sofa

• Get your pet used to being examined at home by lifting their tail, touching paws, looking in ears etc
• Ensure the car is at an ambient temperature
• Cats and dogs find classical music really soothing!
• Try ‘Nutracalm’, a natural calming pet remedy which can be put in the food the night before being seen. See in practice for further details

Carrying on from the success of our Spring Talk “Ditch the Itch,” June’s topic of the month is Itchy Skin.

Thank you to everyone who came to our complimentary client evening talk “Ditch the Itch; A Focus on Small Animal Dermatology,” on skin problems and allergies. We hope you enjoyed the evening and found it informative, and congratulations to all the quiz winners!

From 2nd to 10th June.

This year have joined to become part of Rabbit Awareness Week 2018. This year’s focus is “move away from muesli,” encouraging rabbit owners to feed a hay based diet.

The main problem with muesli is that it encourages selective feeding. Whilst the different flakes, seeds and grains in muesli make it seem like a balanced food, rabbits will naturally select the more sugary bits and reject the pellets. This unbalanced diet can lead to many harmful illnesses for rabbits, including obesity, gut stasis and other digestive problems, dental disease, reduced fibre intake and reduced water intake. The risk of fly strike is also increased, as uneaten caecotrophs (sticky droppings) cling to the rabbit’s fur, attracting the flies.

If you currently feed your rabbits a muesli-based diet, you can slowly change their food over to high-quality rabbit nuggets over a 4-week period. Also make sure they have unlimited access to good-quality feeding hay, which helps to keep their teeth and tummy in good condition.

To support RAW 2018, for this week only we are running three special offers: 10% off all rabbit vaccines, 10% off rabbit neutering, as well as free health assessments for all rabbits!

For more information about how to care for your rabbit, you can contact the practice on 01825 766006 to book an appointment with one of our nurses who can answer all your questions.

Our topic of the month for May is 'Rabbit Welfare'.

Click here to view our new spring newsletter.

Getting ready for summer – one month’s free flea/worming treatment for all new registrations. Bring our spring newsletter with you into the practice to receive 20% off a dental. Get ready for the summer holidays with a Pet Passport and Rabies Vaccine for only £85.

“Periodontal Disease” is January's topic of the month as it is one of the most common problems in dogs and cats. It affects 87% of dogs and 70% of cats over 3 years of age. We have a variety of products available in the practice like tooth brushes and chews.

Congratulations to all the winners of our photo competition who have made it into our Forest Vet 2018 Calender. They are avaliable for pre-order for only £5 per calender and all the winners received a free copy and photoshoot!

“Poisonous Substances” was our Christmas themed topic of the month. The naughty and nice lists show what is alright to feed and what needs to be avoided over the fetsive period.

We began to get ready for Christmas at the Forest Vet by launching our Christmas Stockings filled with exciting treats and toys.

Thank you for everyone who came to our Autumn Talk “Matters of the Heart” on heart disease and senior quality of life. It was another successful evening and we hope you found it informative and enjoyed the complimentary food and drink and the quiz!

Poor Mr Murphy knows first hand how much damage a tiny pesky grass seed can cause. Luckily we managed to find this one and take it out his paw before it could travel too far.

Wendy took over as practice manager as we said a sad goodbye to Annette who stepped down as practice manager to take a few months sabbatical leave.

We are now offering senior health checks for all those over eight years old. These include a half hour consultation with one of our vets, pain assessment, blood pressure, urinalysis, body condition analysis and diet recommendations. All for only £50.

Congratulations to Bella who won our spring photo competition. We are launching our next Calendar Photo Competition in September, and the 12 winners will feature in our 2018 calendar which can be purchased in practice with all money raised going to our charity The Forest Vet India. All winners will also be entitled to a free photo shoot with their pet.

Jessie's owners found a lump in her mouth which, after investigation, was found to be highly aggressive and if left would lead to disintegration of her jaw. The surgery to cure it required removing half of her bottom jaw. Jessie recovered amazingly and her feeding tube was removed the next day as she was already enjoying chicken and ham! These pictures where taken only 10 days after her major surgery.

Wilma has been given the all clear today with no breathing noises following her BOAS surgery (brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome). The breathing noises in these short faced dogs isn't normal but is actually respiratory distress and can lead to laryngeal collapse. Wilma had advanced surgery performed by Rachael and Sarah, widening her nostrils and removing tissue from her throat so that she can breathe more easily.

Poor Mabel came in for early Sunday morning emergency surgery after suffering two melting corneal ulcers following a dog fight. This is why our vets take weeping eyes so seriously as it can lead to loss of the eyes if left untreated. Mabel, following surgery to remove one eye and intense treatment to try and save the other eye, will feel a lot better.

To link together with our Pet Dialog+ App we have been chosen to take part in a trial for the new wellness monitors. They attach to your dogs collar and monitor key signs such as activity levels, eating and drinking, so any behaviour changes can be tracked to pick up early signs of any problems.

Hazel, an eight year old Labrador presented with a history of two days inappetance, lethargy and vulval discharge. Talking to the owner, Rachael discovered she had recently been in season. Suspecting pyometra (infection of the uterus) Hazel was taken to surgery for an emergency ovario hysterectomy (spey). The surgery is extremely high risk. Hazel’s uterus had unfortunately ruptured and caused peritonitis. Blood samples revealed concurrent septacemia. Prognosis was poor due to the risk of septic shock, however Rachael stayed with her overnight monitoring every hour, with IV antibiotics and pain relief. The next day, Hazel’s dad came to visit and sat with her in the ward. His presence dramatically improved her moral. She is now back to normal, doing the racehorses with her dad!

We would like to wish a warm welcome to our lovely new vet Dr Sarah Pile who is joining the Forest Family.

We are now offering free temperament assessments for Pets As Therapy dogs and cats. For more information and to request you application pack visit http://petsastherapy.org/join-us/join-pat-dog/.

At the start of the summer we celebrated our second birthday. Thank you to everyone who came to support us and we hope you all enjoyed the ice cream van and the dog show which was a huge success!

Maggie the springer spaniel had HIF transconylar screw surgery in both front legs. This condition is predisposed in spaniels, with weakness in the humeral condyle (part of the elbow joint) which can cause lameness and lead to fractures. After having surgery on her first leg with our orthopaedic specialist she then presented with lameness on her other foreleg and the same condition was found. After her two major orthopaedic operations she is now doing really well and has gone back to her mad happy self.

Alongside our in house blood tests we are currently offering free screening for Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is the second most common type of heart disease in dogs.

In DCM, the heart muscle gradually becomes weakened and floppy. The heart enlarges and stretches, becoming inefficient at pumping blood around the body. This can go undetected in dogs for years, with no obvious signs of poor health, as the body adjusts to cope. Sadly, over time, weak heart muscles cause the hearts function to deteriorate. Congestive heart failure is when the heart can no longer pump sufficient blood around the body. Early detection is key, as intervening as quickly as possible helps to support the heart and improve the dog's quality and length of life.

This is why we have joined with the screening programme for high risk dogs. It involves a simple blood test to check levels of a substance called pro-BNP, which is released into the blood stream when the heart muscle stretches excessively. So high levels are a good indicator of DCM.

High risk dogs include those over three years of age and those of larger breeds.

For more information on DCM or to find out if your dog is at risk call us on 01825 766006

This season's star patient is Timmy, a 14 year old Jack Russell Terrier. He came in to us as had spent the weekend being very lethargic and not himself.

He came into us as an emergency, with a very swollen abdomen that was causing him a lot of pain and effecting his ability to walk. We ran a full blood screen and took abdominal x-rays, which revealed that he was anaemic and had a large mass. He was then rushed straight into theatre for an exploratory laparotomy, which revealed a highly aggressive 20cm rupturing splenic tumour.

We performed a complete splenectomy which involves removing the entire spleen. Considering his age, he made a miraculous recovery. His owner definitely made the right decision to give him a chance, and he has gone back to being a happy healthy little dog.

The Forest Vet launches its Out of Hours Emergency service! 24 hour Emergency cover - 7 days a week - 365 days a year. Here at The Forest Vet Maresfield.