Our Christmas Opening Times
Season’s Greetings from Prospect House
We hope you and your pets are well as we come into the Festive Season. It is hard to believe we are approaching another Christmas still under coronavirus restrictions, we thank you all for your patience and understanding with our social distancing measures.
We have had a busy Autumn caring for your furry companions and expanding our team and services.
In October we were able to welcome Ben Walton back into the practice. Ben is an RCVS specialist in Orthopaedics and Spinal Surgery who brings referral services closer to pets across the North Wales coast and North West. He has been providing specialist orthopaedic consultations in our Llanfairfechan Surgery and orthopaedic operations in Colwyn Bay on Mondays.
Ben has been seeing cases for us since 2010 and it is great to have him back in person.
We also give a warm welcome some new additions to the Practice Team. Michaela Heyes joined our Vet Team in October with a wide range of interests and experience in veterinary medicine and surgery.
Michaela’s training in Veterinary Acupuncture means that we are now able to offer this treatment to your pets. Acupuncture can be an effective additional treatment for managing painful conditions such as osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases.
If you feel your companion might benefit from Acupuncture please speak to one of our team. This month our Vet team will also be strengthened by the addition of Non Harries.
Non qualified from Liverpool Vet School this summer and has been a familiar face in the practice from placements during her studies. We look forward to welcoming her enthusiasm and knowledge to the Practice.
Hannah Taylor has joined our reception staff in both Colwyn Bay and Llanfairfechan. Hannah loves animals and is enjoying being surrounded by pets every day. She also enjoys craft making and volunteers with the local Disability Ski Group.
Congratulations to our nurse Niki Chambers who passed her final exams in September to become a qualified RVN. Niki has worked had over her course in the past few years and completing it, especially during the pandemic, is a great achievement. Well done Niki, we are all immensely proud of you.
We are happy to announce that our nurse Beth had a baby girl at the beginning of September. Huge congratulations to Beth and her husband David on the arrival of baby Hannah.
We know you are all missing being inside the Practice with your furry friends. Though we still can’t bring you into the Practice in person, over the month of December we want to use our Facebook page to give you a behind the scenes view.
Our Prospect House Advent Calendar will bring you daily posts on our team and how they care for your pets.
Although we are not running a competition this year we would still love to see your pets getting into the Christmas spirit.
Please send us pictures your festive pets by email on mail@prospecthousevets.co.uk or post on our Facebook page so we can share them in our Practice Christmas Display
Now the festive season has arrived it is a good time to remind you of some of the hazards it can present to our curious companions.
Chocolate, dried fruit, alcohol and tree decorations are just a few things we enjoy at Christmas but can be dangerous to pets. Reading the Christmas Hazards below should help you keep them safe. You will also find our Christmas Opening Times on this page.
Wishing you and your companions a happy and healthy Christmas and a positive start to 2022
From the Prospect House Team
Read about Christmas Hazards below
The festive period is fun for all of us but it can also be a dangerous time for our pets.
To help keep them safe we have prepared a list of hazards to be aware of around the festive period
Dangerous food and drink
There are many food items that are toxic to animals all year round but at Christmas some are much more likely to be left around. Please keep food and drink out of reach of your pets, especially –
- Chocolate – this contains theobromine which can be toxic to pets in even small amounts. The highest levels of this chemical are found in dark chocolate and cocoa powder but any type of chocolate can cause problems.
- Grapes and dried vine fruits – these can lead to kidney damage if eaten by cats and dogs. Many Christmas foods contain these including Christmas pudding, mince pies, dried fruit mixes, chocolate coated raisins and Christmas cake.
- Onions and garlic – plants from the onion family can cause damage to red blood cells and lead to a dangerous type of anaemia
- Macadamia nuts – ingestion by pets can lead to tremors, weakness and high body temperature
- Alcohol – this is much more toxic to pets than humans as their liver struggles to break it down
- Blue Cheese – contains roquefortine C which is toxic to dogs
- Artificial sweeteners – xylitol is found in chewing gum and some sugar free confectionary. It is very dangerous to pets even in small amounts, causing low blood sugar and liver failure
- Cooked bones – bone splinters can cause intestinal damage or blockages
- Mouldy food – as well as the dangers from the foods themselves mould can produce mycotoxins leading to liver damage, tremors and seizures
- Fatty foods – sharing food high in fat with dogs can lead to stomach upsets ranging from mild diarrhoea up to severe pancreatitis. Such foods can include turkey skin, sausages and buttered vegetables
If you would like to make your pets feel special with titbits from your Christmas food you could give them small amounts of boiled vegetables such as carrot, sprouts, peas, potatoes, green beans or swede. They can also have turkey meat (without skin or bones) and white fish
Decorations and presents
Some pets don’t just have a taste for Christmas food and drink, they may also try to eat our festive decorations
- Pine needles – can cause cuts in the mouth and digestive upsets
- Glass baubles – these can shatter when played with or eaten by pets leaving dangerous sharp pieces
- Tinsel – if eaten by cats and dogs this can cause blockages and damage to the intestines
- Fairy lights – chewing these can given pets an electric shock
- Toxic plants – ponsietta, mistletoe, potpourri and ivy can cause stomach upsets. Lilies and their pollen are highly toxic to cats
- Toys – when eaten these can cause intestinal blockages. Eating toys with batteries in can lead to chemical burns and metal poisoning
- Wrapping paper – although this is not toxic if eaten in large quantities paper can cause obstruction of the intestines
Celebrations
Gatherings over the festive period can often involve large numbers of people, loud noises and sometimes fireworks. Some of our pets can find these stressful and may need somewhere they can hide and feel safe. A lot of the same principles apply from our advice tips for helping our pets around firework night, please see our website to recap on these
Winter weather
Remember that in icy conditions the roads and pavements may be gritted. As well as the salt being irritant to your dog’s feet some grit can contain toxic antifreeze chemicals. Try to wash feet down after walking in gritted areas.
Some pets, cats in particular, can find anti freeze very palatable so make sure any bottles are out of reach and any spillages are cleaned up. Even small amounts of antifreeze can lead to tremors and kidney damage.
Make sure that water supplies are not frozen over for outdoor pets and provide them with well bedded sheltered areas to keep warm in.
With dark nights and mornings make sure you and your pet can be easily seen by vehicles when walking. Reflective and lit collars are widely available for dogs.
We hope this advice helps give you and your pets a safe and enjoyable Christmas. If you have any further questions or are concerned your pet may have eaten something unusual please get in touch with our practice team.
Autumn Hazards
Read about autumn hazards and our latest autumn newsletter
Summer Newsletter
Read our latest summer newsletter from Prospect House Vets
Spring Greetings!
Spring greetings from us all at Prospect House Vets