Eden Vets August Newsletter
Allergic Skin Disease
Allergic skin disease is very common in both our canine and feline pets and it’s of vital importance that we diagnose what our pets are allergic to in order to formulate an appropriate treatment plan for them!
Allergy testing in dogs and cats is a diagnostic procedure designed to identify specific allergens that may trigger allergic reactions in these animals. Allergies can result in symptoms such as skin irritations, itching, respiratory difficulties, or gastrointestinal issues. By conducting tests can determine the underlying causes of these reactions.
One of the methods used is Intradermal Skin Test.
This requires the patient to undergo a light sedation, with an area of fur clipped. Subsequently small amounts of allergens are injected into the skin, usually on the side of the body. We then observe the skin reactions to ascertain which allergens provoke an allergic response. This then allows our dermatologist to determine what your pet is allergic to and formulate an immunotherapy treatment for them!
Rather clever don’t you think?!
This diagnostic test is available via internal referral to Viorela, our dermatologist! Just ask to be booked in to see her!
Meet a member of the Eden Vets team:
Philippa Wells – BVM BVS MRCVS
Philippa graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2017 and has worked in several practices all over the country, from all the way on the south coast up to Manchester. She has spent over three years working in a variety of referral hospitals, as a rotating intern and within the surgery departments.
She is currently completing her surgery certificate and a qualification in musculoskeletal ultrasound. Whilst she is mainly working within the first opinion department, she will be gaining experience alongside our referral team in both areas.
A keen weightlifter and outdoor swimmer, Philippa is often keeping busy. She also enjoys spending time at home with her husband and pampered (ex-stray) cat.
Eden Vets highlight of the month…
Eden Vets are proud to be sponsoring local dog businesses and attending local events.
This month we are proud to announce we will be sponsoring Dig It Dogs in Sandbach and the Dog Paddocks in Nantwich and Haslington.
Dig It Dogs host a range of training classes and activities including Obedience and Agility. Their main aim is for you to have fun with your dog. They have a number of members who regularly compete at shows and agility competitions with great success, and they can fuel your competitive dreams, or help you to teach everyday life skills to your dog. Dig It Dogs have two indoor arenas and an outdoor training field. For more information and upcoming courses , please check out their website
The Dogs Paddock have operated private hire, insured and secure dog exercise areas in multiple locations across the Northwest since 2019. Most locations contain low level agility equipment for fun and training, water for drinking and open space to play and explore and are fenced to approx 6ft with high tensile X-Fence*. Oh, there’s also free parking for hoomans!
Does your dog dream of open space to stretch their legs? Maybe you want somewhere safe to practise recall? Check out the website for more information
* Please see individual locations for exact descriptions and pricing.
NEW FEATURE – Behind the Scenes
Follow our new feature and take a peek behind the scenes at Eden Vets
Dental Suite
At Eden we have a fully equipped dental room with digital radiography suitable for cats and dogs. Having a separate room for dentals helps to reduce the risk of aerosolization of bacteria created by scaling and removing teeth and allows our vets and nurses to perform x-rays safely. In the very near future, we are moving our dentals into the new build rooms upstairs to create an even larger dental suite!
All our patients are anaesthetised to fully assess the oral cavity, which includes examination of the teeth, gums and tongue. Dental disease is very common in our domestic pets but is often under recognised and may only be picked on examination by a vet. During your pet’s booster examination, their mouth and teeth will be fully checked for signs of teeth and gum disease.
Each tooth is recorded on a chart and includes findings such as mobility, fractures, gingivitis, root exposure and signs of infection. By performing full dental radiographs and charting each tooth, your pet’s mouth will be comprehensively assessed to formulate an appropriate treatment plan.
We are also able to remove spurs and file rabbits and guinea pigs’ incisors and molars, unfortunately we are unable to provide advanced rabbit dentistry services such as tooth extraction and would recommend referral to an exotic specialist in these cases.
If you think your pet has signs of dental disease such as smelly breath, problems eating, moving food around their mouth/dropping food, then please book an examination with one of our vets.
SEE MORE INFORMATION ON OUR DENTISTRY SERVICES HERE >>
Eden Vets Star Patient of the Month
Our star patient is lovely Pete
He may be a 12-year-old Golden Retriever, but no-one has told him this and he still lives life to the full!
His owner knew something wasn’t right when he was struggling to walk on his right hind leg. Pete had previously had surgery for a cruciate ligament injury on his left hind leg, so his owner feared the worst when he was displaying similar signs.
Palpation of his leg confirmed our suspicions and after some deliberation given his slightly advanced years, he was admitted to our hospital for x-rays to confirm the diagnosis and then surgery with our orthopaedic team.
The stifle (knee) joint consists of an articulation between the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone). There are two cruciate ligaments within the stifle joint called the cranial and caudal cruciate ligaments which are fibrous bands that provide stability to the joint during weight bearing and twisting movements and resisting movement between the femur and tibia.
Cranial cruciate ligament disease is a common condition that affects dogs. This ligament may degenerate with age, weaken and then eventually rupture. Once stretched or ruptured the stifle becomes painful and unstable for the dog. Sometimes we see traumatic ruptures, but in most dogs the rupture occurs in a ligament with pre-existing degenerative changes. We can see complete or partial ruptures. Partial cruciate ruptures are unlikely to heal and may cause ongoing lameness or progress to complete ruptures. Degenerative changes may occur in the cruciate ligaments of both stifles, leading to simultaneous or successive rupture as we have seen in Pete’s case.
X-rays and palpation of his leg confirmed Pete’s diagnosis, and a surgical procedure called a TPLO was undertaken by our orthopaedic team. Surgical treatments have ben to shown to provide the best and quickest return to function especially in larger patients.
Extra special care was taken with Pete’s anaesthetic and post-op care, and we are really pleased to report he is recovering very well.
