We have been working really hard over the last few weeks to keep you, your pets and our staff well looked after. We are continually reviewing our ways of working during this pandemic and following both the government guidelines as well as the guidance of our governing body, The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Please also keep an eye on our social media; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest information.
We have split into smaller teams who rotate working from home and in the practice. We will continue to utilise our telephone and video consultations as a triage system and should your pet require a physical examination or further investigations we are fully able and staffed to care for them.
Following updated advice from the RCVS, we are now offering services such as vaccinations and limited operations or procedures that had initially been put on hold. With lockdown continuing, these guidelines have been adjusted to allow us to balance protecting public health with that of preventing disease and illness in the pets we share our homes with.
To be able to offer these services whilst respecting essential strict social distancing means there will be a fine balance for us to strike to try and get it right. We plan at this stage to prioritise those pets most vulnerable.
What does this mean for my pet?
VACCINATIONS
Puppies and kittens
We are now offering puppy and kitten vaccinations to ensure they are protected with basic immunity to start their adventures outside.
If your puppy/kitten has already had a first vaccination from their breeder, it is really helpful when booking with us for the second vaccination to let us know which vaccine brand they have used.
Year one vaccinations
The first annual booster vaccination is very important to fully establish immunity following the initial primary course and we are now happy to offer these.
Adult dog and cat annual boosters
After discussions with our vaccine providers, we want to reassure you that postponing an adult dog or cat vaccination for up to 3 months will not put them at a significant risk. Therefore until normal service resumes, we will be offering adult boosters at 15 months after the previous vaccine was given.
In dogs the leptospirosis vaccine is given yearly. The bacteria which causes this disease is spread predominantly by rats in their urine so if your dog is due their leptospirosis vaccination, it may be worth avoiding such environments as watercourses, farmland, river and streams. If however, you feel your dog is at an increased risk, please get in touch as we are happy to discuss individual circumstances
Rabbits
We are now entering the time of year where cases of myxomatosis and both strains of viral haemorrhagic disease are on the increase. Sadly we lose patients every year from these infectious diseases. With this in mind, we strongly advise young rabbits or adults due their booster are brought in for vaccination to ensure they are protected.
NEUTERING
Neutering is considered to be an elective procedure and the current restrictions prevent us offering routine services.
There are limited exceptional circumstances in which neutering your pet during this time is recommended. These include:
Pets in a household at risk of unwanted mating.
Cats who can’t be kept inside.
Our vet team will be happy to discuss and advise on individual circumstances.
We continue to maintain strict social distancing at the practice and we request that you do not enter the building. When you arrive for your appointment, please call us from the car park. A member of our team will come out and collect your pet, we will examine and provide any treatment in the consult room then bring them back out to you. If we need to discuss anything we can phone you while you wait in your car.
