What Happens When…

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…Your Pet is Hospitalised?

Any patient coming in for a procedure spends the day with us. However, on occasion it may be necessary to hospitalise patients for longer. This may be because they require a drip (intravenous fluid therapy), medication that cannot be administered at home (such as strong pain relief) or because they need very close monitoring.

If your pet has to come and spend longer than a day with us then they will not be on their own overnight. We have a vet or nurse in the practice 24 hours a day to ensure that your pet is closely watched, that they have the appropriate medication when needed and to make sure they don’t get lonely!

We have separate wards for cats and small furries (like rabbits or guinea pigs) and for dogs, to ensure that any stay here is as stress free as possible. We have clean kennels with plenty of comfortable bedding and warm blankets. Our isolation facility is available for any patients that we are concerned may be infectious. This has all the same comforts as our other wards but gives us the ability to keep any risk of infection away from other inpatients.

Each hospitalised patient has a ‘Hospital Sheet’ that details when they should receive checks and medication and allows staff to note down when they have passed faeces and urine, if they have vomited and when they have eaten or drunk. These accurate records allow us to closely monitor your pet and act quickly if there is anything we are concerned about or if anything new develops.

Whenever your pet is staying with us we will call you with an update of their progress at least twice a day and more frequently if needed. If they are just in for a short stay we normally try to avoid having visitors as this can often lead them to them becoming unsettled when you leave. If patients are in isolation then unfortunately we cannot allow visitors due to the risk of infection. Patients staying longer that are not in isolation can sometimes have visitors and we will always discuss this with you on an individual basis.

By the very nature of being hospitalised your pet will be unwell. We understand that is a stressful and worrying time for both your pet and for you and will do everything we can to try and ease your worry as much as possible.

Hollybank’s Brave Pet of the Month…Molly!

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Molly is a 12 year old Yorkshire Terrier. Her owners first became concerned when she started drinking more than usual and having accidents in the house. Increased drinking and urinating can be a sign of many diseases, some of which could make her unwell if left untreated.

Initially we took some blood and urine from Molly. This allowed us to look for problems with organs, such as the liver and kidneys, as well as giving indicators of other things such as glucose (sugar) levels in the blood, something we look at if we are concerned about diabetes.

Whilst we were waiting for Molly’s results to come through she became poorly. Given the possible causes of her increased drinking we took an isolated blood glucose sample to measure the level of sugar in her blood. It was high, indicating that she had diabetes.

When dogs get diabetes it is usually because the body doesn’t produce enough insulin. Insulin is what converts glucose from the blood stream into a different form so that it can be stored in the body. If the body can’t convert the glucose, for example following a meal, then the levels in the blood stream remain high. We therefore had to give Molly insulin to reduce her blood glucose level.

Molly stayed in the hospital overnight following her first insulin injection. By the next day her blood glucose level was reducing so she went home to continue her insulin injections twice a day.

The important factors in managing Molly’s diabetes are to keep a consistent requirement for insulin and to give a consistent amount of insulin. This means keeping her food intake the same each day, as well as giving it at the same time. Molly gets insulin injections twice daily and is fed just before her injection. To work out exactly how much insulin Molly needs we have to check her blood glucose level over the course of a day. We don’t want it too high, but we also don’t want it too low because the body needs it as an energy source, particularly in the brain. We therefore start at quite a low insulin dose and increase it from there, depending on her body’s response. We have to wait a few days between changing her dose and retesting to make sure insulin levels are remaining consistent.

Sometimes diabetes is easily controlled but this is not always the case. Finding the right dose of insulin for Molly has proven to be a bit tricky. If other diseases, such as Cushings disease, are present it can make diabetes harder to control. Therefore a specialist ultrasonographer came and carried out an ultrasound scan of Molly’s abdomen to check for other complicating problems. Thankfully this was all normal.

Molly is now on track and is responding well to her current insulin dose. Since getting her blood sugar levels under control she has been much brighter and happy, and her drinking has greatly reduced, meaning her accidents have too.

She will likely have to continue her insulin injections for the rest of her life and we will keep a close eye on what her glucose levels are doing, as well as managing her food intake. However, aside from this Molly can lead a normal life, doing everything she loves to do!

New Years Resolutions!

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It is at this time of the year that we breathe a sigh and make what feels like a never-ending list of New Years resolutions.  Mostly we do it with the aim of getting in shape, whether a lifestyle makeover or going down a few dress sizes.

Of course, keeping our pets healthy and trim is just as important, as they can be prone to many of the same health problems. Weight gain in particular can put extra stress on hearts and joints and increase the risk of some diseases.

Cat, one of our registered nurses runs weight clinics for our patients who are trying to lose a few pounds. She can give advice on target weights, diets and ways to encourage our pets to exercise more. Last year two of Cat’s patients were the runners up for the Royal Canin Weigh-in Club 2013. Have a look at their stories below…

Lottie!

Lottie before weight loss

‘Ten year old Lottie has many health issues, heart disease, Syringomyelia and more recently blindness. In addition to all of this Lottie was extremely overweight, and try as I may, I just could not get her weight down. We were advised by Cat at Hollybank Veterinary Centre to try her on the Royal Canin weight loss programme and with the professional guidance and support, and lots of encouragement from Cat, my lovely Lottie is now like a different dog and enjoying life to the full again.’

Lottie after weight loss

Sooty!

Sooty before weight loss

‘Sooty had a difficult start in life. She was a stray living on our street with four kittens and nowhere to call home. Although proficient at begging and hunting, Sooty was underweight. We took pity on the little black stray, gained her trust with tidbits and adopted her. Soon she was living happily in our house. It wasn’t quite a happy ending though as whilst we were on holiday Sooty escaped from the person looking after her. She embarked on a two month, eighteen mile trek across Cheshire before being handed in to the RSPCA and identified by her microchip. We were amazed and delighted to have her back but very quickly her weight spiraled out of control as we naively fed her cheap supermarket food. On a routine visit to our local vets, Hollybank in Sandiway, they suggested she may benefit from a monitored diet programme. Sooty switched to Royal Canin which she loved right away. The weight fell off and she’s never looked in better shape! Sooty’s a great cat, although the neighbourhood mice may disagree. She’s been a real friend to us and we want to enjoy her company for many happy and healthy years to come. Being a greedy guts by nature, she still tries to steal the odd treat but nowadays all she gets is the occasional steamed green bean!’

Sooty after weight loss

Lottie and Sooty along with their owners have put in some hard work in 2013 and it has clearly paid off. Congratulations from all the staff at Hollybank to them both!

If this all sounds a bit familiar give us a call on 01606 880890 or speak to a member of our staff. From advice about diets to regular support and weigh-ins we would love to help you to help your pets get healthier in 2014!