The HENLEY MOBILE VETERINARY SERVICEt in Henley

Warm humid weather leads to mass flea population

Been bitten ? Summer time is often when your pets pick up fleas from passing strays and bring them into the house. Quite apart from watching your pet scratch, owners are frequently bitten as well. Flea bites in people are red and itchy. Children are especially at risk, being close to home pet and sometimes haring their beds with them.

Quite apart from the nuisance fleas can generate - owners should be awar that fleas can transmit infectious diseases : in cat they can transmit tapeworms, in dogs they can cause severe skin allergy and in people fleas are sometimes responsibel for 'cat scratch fever'- a nasty debilitating illness.  Adult fleas in the house will lay eggs and estalish a colony right under your nose. 

The best solution is to avoid fleas in the first place ! Treatment is available for pets in the form of either spot-on preparations or tablets. Depending on the nature of your pet - we can supply you with the most suitable prevention. Active flea infestations may require a more aggressive response - which may incldue treating not only the animals but the house as well.

Summertime can bring eye infections and irritation

We are now in the itchy scratchy season for pets and this year is no exception. If your pet shows weepy eyes in the morning or rubs its face more often than normal, then it is advisable to seek medical help before the condition becomes too advanced. Chris can arrange to examine your pet at home and check for signs of either irritation or infection. Both cats and dogs can suffer conjunctivitis quite easily, and often no cause is apparent. In other cases the cause is obvious - swimming in dirty water for eample, spalshing in puddles etc. Your pet may need a particular line of treament to recover from what can become a very debilitating and painful condition ! 

My pet has been very ill for some time and has collapsed

Once you have called the veterinary nurse, Chris will arrange to make a house visit as quickly as possible. Saying goodbye to a beloved pet who has been a member of the family for many years is always a hard decision but very often in the animal's best interest: nobody wants a pet to suffer unnecessarily. Chris will talk to you about the procedure and discuss your options.  Only when you are happy with everything, will he carry out the euthanasia - by injection - and arrange for cremation afterwards if that is what you wish. If the animal is in distress or pain then Chris will sedate it heavily prior to the injection so that no pain and suffering is felt. The whole visit and procedure is carried out with the sympathy and compassion required at such times as these. You can rest assured that your pet will receive the gentlest treatment at this time. 

The cat's owner has called to say her cat is off her food and vomiting.

Chris will speak to the the owner to find out how long the cat has been off colour,  the frequency and nature of the vomiting and whether the cat is showing other signs of illness. This will indicate if the problem is acute, likely to be due to infection, food intolerance, poisoning  or organ failure. Using this information, he will visit the cat at home, perform a thorough examination, which may involve taking samples,  and administer appropriate treatment. Chris will follow the animal's progress in the following days to ensure that nothing further, like an x-ray, is required. If there is no improvement, Chris will arrange further diagnostic tests with one of his partner surgeries. 

The owner has returned home from a walk and noticed that the dog's foot is bleeding

After calling the vet's receptionist to say his dog is bleeding from a cut foot, Chris will be instantly notified and discuss with the owner if they want to arrange a house visit. On arrival Chris will examine the foot - if the dog is sensitive about this and reluctant to allow anyone to touch his foot, he may require a mild tranquiliser to calm him down and make examination easier. Depending on the location, size and depth of the cut, Chris will decide if the wound can be simply cleaned and bandaged, or if the dog needs to have a light sedation to allow a cleaning and stitching. The dog might require antibiotics and painkillers, and the foot will need to be bandaged. A follow-up visit two days later to replace the bandage will give everyone an opportunity to monitor healing. The foot may require a few bandage changes before healing is complete. 

The owner is worried that her dog is scratching continuously and cannot sleep

After calling the practice number and speaking to one of the veterinary nurses, a house visit will be arranged to examine your dog. Chris will ask you for detailed information on the duration, nature and possible cause of the dog's discomfort, and then examine your dog in great detail from head to tail. The skin reaction may be accompanied by infection, allergy reactions elsewhere in the body, or may be related to food intolerance, flea infestation or mange. Chris will make a diagnosis based on the findings at examination and the history provided, and take any hair samples that might be necessary to confirm the cause. A case like this will be followed closely either by phone or by further visist to ensure the correct line of treatment is being provided.