27/12/2008 by Arielle.

It was thankfully not a very busy day at work today - in between Christmas and New Year. I did however have a proportionately high number of dogs in today that needed bandages changed on their legs or paws from cuts from being out on a walk.I think there were 3 different dogs that needed bandage changes but 1 dog needed his bandage changed 3 times in one day!

Freddie is a gorgeous large happy Golden Labrador. He had cut his pad while out having a swim in the river last week. The nurses remembered him well as he came in dripping with smelly river water and wagged it all over them as they bandaged his foot.

It needed redressing. I put a new red bandage on round the back with the nurses and by the time I returned Freddie to his owner, he had licked it so much. The owner requested that I redo it as it looked tighter and less comfortable than the original bandage. I obliged as Freddie is so easy and he was thrilled to go back round to the hospital and sniff out the cats!

My final appointment of the evening was Freddie yet again. He had been home, pulled his ‘more comfortable’ bandage off and opened up the flap of skin on his pad. He was thrilled to be back and dragged me round the back for yet another bandage change. He knew exactly where he was going and pushed the hospital door open with his head and jumped on the table to have his bandage changed. This time he went home with a big collar for round his neck so that he left his bandage alone!

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18/12/2008 by Arielle.

My favourite kittens came in this morning for their second vaccinations and identichipping. I have seen the one before and written a blog about her. She is called Fred and is a Maine Coon kitten that licked a kettle and burnt her tongue.

This time, it was her sister George who was in ‘trouble’. She had managed to get her collar caught around her mouth and she had swallowed the bell. She had been fine with no signs of vomitting and I could feel a little round lump in her intestine ready to be passed hopefully with her next visit to the litter tray! The owner said her husband was trying to jiggle her and see if they could hear it!

What little characters Fred and George are. As identichipping involves a lot of paperwork, we left them to sniff every corner of the room. They particularly liked one area where the wall stuck out and they rolled and smeared their happy facial pheromones all over it. They are both ginger and were given their names after the Weasley twins in  Harry Potter. Having boy names really suits their characters!

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04/12/2008 by Arielle.

My evening consulting puzzled me. I had 3 cats one after another that needed treatment for exactly the same condition - a cystitis or bladder infection. One cat proved so difficult to treat as she was so vicious and could not be handled. I gave the owners antibiotics to treat her with rather than risk my hands being mauled!

By the third case of seeing a cat that looked perfectly normal but was urinating frequently and passing small amounts of blood, I realised the reason. It has been very icy for the past few days - we even had a scattering of snow yesterday (much to my children’s delight).

This is bad news however for cats that are used to only going to the toilet outdoors as the ground is so frozen they either do not go or hold it in until the earth thaws a bit and by then, they have a bladder infection.

Some cats also only drink from puddles outdoors. Obviously these would freeze too so cats can end up not drinking which also sets them up for a cystitis or even worse - the early signs of kidney failure in old cats if they do not drink enough. Spare a thought for outdoor cats when a cold snap arrives!

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