News and events

Our surgery is now closed for the New Year Bank Holiday. 

A vet is available 24/7 for urgent and emergency cases - please call 016977 2318 and someone will be glad to help you. 

On Bank Holiday Monday, 2nd January 2023, our Brampton surgery ONLY, will be open for urgent cases between 8:30am - 12pm. 

We will open as normal at all sites from 8am Tuesday 3rd January. 

Wishing all our clients a very happy and prosperous New Year

Our thoughts continue to be with the Royal Family at this very sad time. In recognition of the Bank Holiday and to allow our staff to pay their respects, our practices will open at 8am Monday 19th September then close at 10:30am.
We will have small animal surgeries between 8:15am and 10:15am at Brampton and Longtown.
Haltwhistle will be closed all day.
Emergency Cover will be provided by members of our team for the remainder of the day.
We have endeavoured to contact everyone affected by this, but if you have an appointment for that day and haven't yet heard from our team, please call the surgery as soon as possible for us to discuss a suitable replacement appointment. Thank you.
 

As we're likely all aware, there is a spell of seriously warm weather on its way. Please help us to help your pets during this time by following the tips and tricks below:

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-care/warm-weather-advice
and
https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/cats-and-warm-weather
and
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/rabbit/how-to-keep-your-rabbits-cool-in-the-summer-heat

Calling all Backyard poultry and captive bird clients: The Avian Influenza situation across the UK is critical, and our area unfortunately hasn’t escaped.

Some cases have been found on premises where birds were not housed. To help stop the spread of this devastating disease, all poultry and captive birds should be housed. It is a legal requirement to follow the housing order rules, and maintain a high level of bio security, no matter how many birds you keep.

We appreciate that this can be easier said than done, so if you’re struggling with practical ways to keep your birds safe inside, please get in touch.

Ahead of the changes to Covid-19 guidance from Monday 19th July, we wanted to provide an update on our working practices.

We will continue to operate a restricted level of admission to the waiting room and require all clients entering the building to wear a mask at all times. Thanks to the hard work, commitment, adaptability and support of the entire practice we have a robust set of Covid precautions in place to protect you and our team, that have kept us fully functional throughout a very challenging last 18 months.

Not all our staff have had the opportunity to complete their vaccinations at this time and due to the increasing numbers of cases in this area, we are not yet at a stage to safely change protocols without risking client and staff health and the operational capabilities of the practice as a whole.

As a reminder, please:

• Telephone us before attending at the practice so we can best assist you

• Keep a 2-metre distance from other customers and our team members at all times

• Always wear a face-covering inside the building (if you have concerns about this please tell our team on the phone and they will discuss options with you)

• Only attend the practice with one person to one pet

Thank you for your ongoing support and kind words, they really do mean a lot.

After the success of the first virtual client evening, clients can register now for . .

First Aid for your pet

In an emergency, we are always here for your pet!

Sometimes it is important to act quickly, as well as calling us, there are some key things you can do to help. Knowing how to bandage a wound, or what information to take with you that will help your vet treat your pet could save lives.

Join us to learn more on Wed 17th Mar at 7.30pm, it’s FREE for clients to attend.

We will be joined by specialists Lynne Gaskarth and our own Dan Lewis who will be discussing essential First Aid for your pet.

Register here https://fb.me/e/1dUDbZ8NY

There are many problems we can experience in new-born lambs and we will have a look at some of the most common issues amongst them. The first issue that can often arise is lamb hypothermia. Hypothermia is seen in lambs that are small, have had difficulty suckling colostrum or are exposed to wet or windy conditions. If the lamb is less than 5 hours old and has a temperature less than 37°C then put it in a warm box and give it colostrum once its temperature is above 38°C. If your lamb is older than 5 hours old then it may require glucose intraperitoneal before it is warmed up and it will also be low in blood glucose too. When giving glucose into the lambs belly it must be done using a clean needle to avoid infection. Aim to give the lambs 10ml /kg of 20% glucose that has been warmed up to 39°C.

Watery mouth is commonly seen when lambing indoors. It is caused by E.coli bacteria which the lambs ingests from the lambing shed. Lambs that are affected are wet around the mouths due to the production of excess salvia. They rapidly will go on to collapse and die if they do not receive any treatment. The prevention of watery mouth relies on ensuring that every lamb receives adequate colostrum [50ml/kg in the first 6 hours of life followed by 200ml / kg over the following 24 hours of life] as well as ensuring that the lambing sheds are clean and hygienic to reduce the bacteria within the shed. The routine use of antibiotics given to every lamb to prevent watery mouth developing is no longer best practice. We should target our preventative treatments to the most at risk lambs which are those that have not received adequate colostrum such as twins or triplets or to refrain from using antibiotic treatment for the first few weeks of lambing until the first case of watery mouth is seen.

Navel ill can be seen when lambs are born in unhygienic conditions and it is commonly prevented by using a strong iodine solution on the lamb’s navels. Lambs with navel ill will have thickened and hot umbilical cords that will spread infection into the rest of the body and this commonly leads on to joint ill. Both conditions should be with an appropriate antibiotic injection and anti-inflammatory where required. Joint ill can arise in older lambs due to other infectious causes. Discuss this with your vet if you are having issues.

Fractured ribs or limbs can arise following a difficult lambing. Lambs that have suffered fractured ribs will be unlikely to have adequate colostrum intake so it is important to give them an anti-inflammatory pain relief and to consider tubing them colostrum if you are concerned about their colostrum intake. For fractured limbs then they need stabilised and cast to allow the bone to heal. Due to the young age of the lambs the fractures will heal quickly once stabilised so consult your vet to get them cast. Fractured limbs will arise from excess force applied during lambing. Ensure that you are pulling on both lambs legs equally and that if you are using ropes to assist you, then placing them above the lambs knee will be a much stronger area to pull on as well as using a head wire to help.

Entropion is an inherited condition where the eyelids are turned in against the eye and leads to the hair rubbing on the eye which is a very painful condition. You will notice the affected lambs from the tear staining on the side of their face. There are various treatment options including suture, staples or injections to sort the eyelids into the correct position.

Lambs which are born with prolapsed intestines need immediate veterinary attention to repair the umbilical hernia that has caused this issue. Keep the lambs warm and get the guts warm, moist and clean until the vet arrives. There is a high risk that they will develop an infection when this occurs so time is of the essence.

From the ewes point of view there are many issues that can arise. Any abortions that occur leading up to lambing should be investigated. The best way to get a diagnosis of the cause is for a vet to sample the aborted lambs and submit them for testing. There are many causes of abortion and there are some very effective vaccinations to prevent them from occurring so contact your vet if you are experiencing any abortions.

Vaginal prolapses can occur in the lead up to lambing in ewes which are carrying multiple lambs and are in good condition. Prolapses should be replaced as soon as you identify them. You can do this by putting a harness and a spoon on the ewe where required. If they continue to prolapse then seek your vets help.

Following lambing some ewes will experience uterine prolapses and this requires immediate veterinary attention to replace them. Keep the ewe clean and quiet until the vet arrives.

Ewes can experience milk fever in the run up to lambing time which can be onset from any change such as moving them. The affected ewes will initially present wobbly on their feet and then rapidly become unable to stand. They should receive calcium solution under the skin rapidly for treatment of the milk fever and monitor them for the reoccurrence of the condition.

Twin lamb disease can be a major issue at lambing time. It occurs because the ewe cannot meet the energy demands of the growing lambs inside her. Ewes that are in the earlier stages of the disease will separate themselves from the rest of the flock and appear unaware of their surroundings. As the disease develops they can salivate excessively and appear blind, progressing on to being unable to stand and not wanting to eat at all. Treatment is by the administration of oral propylene glycol several times a day alongside oral rehydration and a B vitamins injection. It is important to separate the affected ewe from the rest of the flock and give her access to fresh forage, water and clean bedding.

Finally there is all the complications that arise during the birth process from malpresentations of the lamb to ringwomb of the ewe. Some cases of ringwomb can be linked to a calcium deficiency in the ewe so give them calcium solution under the skin and leave for 30 mins to see if the cervix will soften. In some cases gentle manipulation of the cervix will allow dilation to allow passage of the lambs but in other cases a caesarean section may be the best option to avoid unnecessary trauma to the ewe.

All in all, lambing time is a rewarding one, but a time that tests the best of us so if you are in doubt then give your vet a ring and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Exciting News! We are launching our first virtual client evening.

Would you like to understand more about arthritis in your dog?
● What is arthritis?
● Why do so many dogs get arthritis?
● What are the most important
considerations for treating a dog with
arthritis?
● What should I be doing?

Clients can register now for . .

Understanding Arthritis in Your Dog
Wed 27th Jan at 7.30pm

FREE for clients to attend

with guest speaker Tim Hutchinson

Register here https://www.facebook.com/capontreevets/posts/1769209993247981

Animal Health Certificates (AHC)

Whilst we appreciate it is far from most people's minds at the moment, it is important you are aware that the regulations for travel to Europe and Northern Ireland are changing from 1st January 2021.
Under new 'Part 2 listed status', your current UK (Euro) pet passport will NO LONGER BE VALID to travel to Europe or Northern Ireland.

Instead, a pet will need a SINGLE-USE AHC. This document will be valid for a single-journey into Europe and must be issued within 5-10 days of travel to a specified location.
You can read more here:
https://www.gov.uk/…/pet-travel-to-europe-from-1-january-20…

Please note, this would affect any travellers with pets arriving in an EU Member State after 23:00 GMT on the 31 December 2020. This will also apply to travel Northern Ireland.

Please contact the surgery, or preferably e-mail us at info@capontreevets.co.uk, if you have any questions. This update is all very new to us too and as yet we do not have full information or pricing available. Also please bear in mind that we are very busy so it may take some time to get back to you.