This month we’ve seen over 230 dogs and cats for their annual health check and booster, but we’ve also seen a number of interesting cases!

For example, head vet and clinical lead Emma has got stuck in with some TPLO surgery. TPLO stands for Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy, and is an orthopaedic procedure used to repair torn cruciate ligaments. Once the cruciate ligament is torn or injured, most dogs can’t walk properly and end up in a lot of pain. TPLO surgery involves realigning the top of the tibia to stabilise the knee, which allows dogs to walk normally again. The success rate of these procedures is high - on average, 90% to 95% of patients return to full mobility.

A patient was admitted to us after his owner noticed some swelling on his jaw and a sudden loss of appetite. Further investigation revealed a large abscess caused by a foreign body. Fortunately, there was no evidence that this had penetrated further into his mouth, and we were able to lance and drain the abscess, and his appetite returned straight away.

One of the more heart-warming stories this month started when a tiny stray kitten, only around a week old, was handed in at our Wednesbury branch. Too young to be away from her mom, she required round-the-clock care – feeding every couple of hours, keeping warm and help with toileting. Veterinary Care Assistant Lauren has been hand-rearing her ever since, and we’re pleased to say she’s growing stronger by the day.

One curious puppy came to us earlier on in the month after eating an entire dog toy. To remove it, we needed to perform an exploratory laparotomy (otherwise known as an ex lap) to retrieve it from inside her intestine. She recovered really well after spending a couple of days with us on fluids – enough time for the entire nursing team to fall madly in love with her! She’s back home now and doing brilliantly.

Another one of our patients came to us after a period of sore and itchy ears. This patient had ‘cauliflower-like’ growths with very red, very inflamed ear canals – so sore the owners weren’t able to even touch her ears at home. After a short course of steroids, our vets decided the best course of action was to remove the polyps under a general anaesthetic. Now, she’s so much more comfortable; her owners are able to clean her ears at home!

In addition, over the last month we’ve seen countless neuterings, dentals and nail clips, a number of nasal flushes, ultrasound scans and X-rays, and even an enucleation and a cherry eye.   

Our patients are at the heart of everything we do here at Orchard Vets. Let us know your treatment success stories - drop an email to marketing@orchardvets.com