Colne Valley News May 2015

A record-breaker for Colne Valley Vets?

! ! It was wonderful to see this four-week-old kitten tucking into food one Saturday morning. Twelve hours previously, she was undergoing surgery to remove the tip of a feeding bottle teat from her stomach. A variety of objects have been removed from stomachs over the years, but operating on such a young animal was challenging. She certainly bounced back!!!

And on the same subject… ! !! …it is worth re-iterating the need to be really careful to ensure your pets cannot access any of your bins. Last week, a dog presented during evening consultations for a vaccination and the owner happened to mention that her dog had been ‘very naughty’ that morning, having stolen a hot cross bun from the bin and eaten it. Alarm bells rang for the vet because of the sultanas and raisins in the hot cross bun. !

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! Grapes can be toxic, and their dried versions more so, causing a stomach upset and, most seriously, kidney failure. These effects are unpredictable and not related to the quantity eaten, nor to whether or not they were seeded. Treatment consists of causing vomiting to empty the stomach and then intravenous fluid therapy to support kidney function. !! In this case, it was several hours since the bun had been eaten so it would have moved on from the stomach. We kept the dog on intra-venous fluids for twenty four hours and he made a full and uneventful recovery.!! Please store all discarded material in a pet-proof manner. The bins for kitchen waste will be particularly appealing and it cannot be assumed that the lids will withstand a persistent pet’s attention, even when in the locked position. Safer to keep the small kitchen caddy in a cupboard and the outdoor bin in a shed or garage, for example.!! Also, if you see your pet eat something out of the ordinary, please contact us as soon as possible for advice: an everyday item for us may pose a health risk for a pet. As this owner found, a hot cross bun is not a safe food for dogs. !

Bank Holidays ! Remember the Bank Holidays on the first and last Mondays in May (4th and 25th May) so all the usual about medications and emergencies. To summarise, please think ahead if your pet is on prescription food or drugs. Vets Now will, as usual, be providing our out-of-hours cover.

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