Autumn Greetings from Prospect House
We hope you and your pets are well and managed to enjoy the summer holidays. Once again we would like to thank you all for your support and patience during what has been a very challenging year for everyone.
You may have read about the problems coronavirus has led to in the Veterinary Profession and we appreciate your understanding. In addition to the pressures of providing care during the pandemic there have been 3.2million new companions added to the UK pet population.
Veterinary Practices across the country are working very hard to meet the care needs of all these pets. We always strive to give a high standard of care to every animal but sometimes we have to prioritise the most urgent cases which can leave others waiting longer than we would like.
Please be assured that all of your furry friends are important to us, whatever they need.
We know our essential social distancing measures have been hard for you all and that many of you are eager to be able to bring your pets into the practice yourselves. Hopefully with the advancing vaccine programme and the changes in government regulations we will soon be able to relax some of the restrictions.
As we are sure you will understand it will take a long time to return to normal procedures. The pandemic is far from over and we still have an obligation to keep our clients and staff safe. Initially we anticipate that you will continue to wait outside until we are ready to bring you and your pet into the consulting room for your appointment.
Anyone coming into the practice will be required to wear a mask and we would ask you to keep the number of people with each pet to a minimum.
We will also check forehead temperature before entry to the practice. Medication collection and payments will still be taken outside of the building. There may still be circumstances where the examination of your pet is performed with a nurse holding them rather than yourself.
For any clients who do not feel comfortable bringing their own pet into the building we are happy to continue with our socially distanced protocol. We will keep you informed on any changes as they occur.
We are pleased to welcome Carol Pilkington and Seren Jones to our reception team. They both have a keen interest in companion animals.
Seren also enjoys spending time with horses and Carol has promised to keep us all well fed with her home baking. They have settled into the job very well and look forward to meeting you and your pets.
We are very proud of our nurse Christine who ‘Braved the shave’ in August to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. For anyone who wants to donate but hasn’t had chance here is the link https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/christine-foulkes
As we come into Autumn there are some hazards pet owners should be aware of:-
- Falling conkers and acorns can appear interesting to curious dogs and lead to intestinal blockages if eaten.
- Bonfire night will soon be upon us so please contact us or look on our website for advice on reducing firework anxiety in your pets https://prospecthousevets.co.uk/firework-season-advice
- Blue/green algal blooms can cause problems from Spring to Autumn, particularly after warm weather. Contrary to it’s name this is caused by Cyanobacteria rather than algae. This bacterium can overgrow in some stretches of water, producing toxins which are highly toxic to dogs and people. It can be seen as a blue green or brown foam on lakes, ponds and slow moving areas of rivers. Areas with reported algal blooms may have warning signs or be noted on the ‘Bloomin algae’ app but it is always advisable to check the appearance of any water before you or your dog go swimming. If you are concerned your dog may have been exposed to blue green algae contact us or vets now immediately. Vets now have more useful information on this condition on their website https://www.vets-now.com/pet-care-advice/dogs-blue-green-algae-poisoning-treatment/
We hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the interesting cases we post on our Facebook page. Thank you for the pictures of your Golden Oldies, we enjoyed seeing them all enjoying life to the full in their senior years. We also enjoyed seeing some of our feline friends celebrating International cat day on 8th August. Keep following us on Facebook for more practice news and interesting pet stories.
Wishing you and your pets a healthy Autumn time
From the Prospect House Team
