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Neutering means desexing and involves a castration procedure for a male or a spay procedure for a female.
Unless you plan to breed from your pet, it is advisable to have them neutered at an early age to prevent further breeding. Many owners wish to let their pets have a litter before neutering but this should be planned and considered thoroughly, as there are already plenty of puppies and kittens looking for homes and pregnancy itself is not without danger. Many females become worn out when nursing their young and the birthing process is not always straightforward.
Neutering is a relatively simple procedure with little risk to your pet and, if done at an early age, can prevent related illness later in life. Neutered animals tend to be healthier, happier and live longer lives.
If your pet has a problem during surgery hours, please telephone the practice immediately and we will ensure that you are offered an appointment on a priority basis. Please make it clear that the matter is not routine, and we will do our utmost to attend to you at the earliest opportunity.
Please follow our guidance for emergency arrangements during evenings and weekends by calling our practice and following our answerphone instructions.
Our practice provides a range of pet care services. If you have any questions about your pet’s need for treatment or a specific aspect of our service, please call the veterinary practice or email us.
We offer a complete veterinary service
The practice provides a full range of services and our veterinary care is underpinned by the use of a full range of modern treatments. A list of services is detailed below:
Our Small Animal Hospital is well-equipped to perform most minor and major surgical procedures, from spays and castrations to more complicated emergency and soft-tissue surgeries. Prior to surgery, your pet receives a thorough physical examination to assess their current health status. Because not all problems can be detected on examination, we recommend pre-anesthetic blood testing. These tests not only give us a more complete picture of your pet’s health but also allow us to tailor an anesthetic regimen that is specifically designed for your pet.
We offer a wide variety of anesthetic protocols tailored to your pet’s individual needs. We use up to date anesthesia and utilise a variety of anesthetic monitoring devices. An intravenous (IV) catheter placed in your pet’s leg allows quick access to your pet’s circulatory system if an emergency arises and necesitates immediate delivery of emergency drugs. All anaesthetised patients are closely monitored by our nursing team before, during and after the procedure.
Pain management is an important part of our peri-operative anesthetic and medical protocol. All surgical patients, including those undergoing routine procedures such as ovariohysterectomy or castrations, receive pain control medication.
Wymondham Vets offers the most comprehensive in-house diagnostic laboratory, with access to an external laboratory for more specialty and advanced testing needs and daily courier service. This progressive approach provides our patients with the quickest and finest in diagnostic testing.
These tests include full biochemistry (looking at, for example, liver and kidney function), haematology (looking for signs of anaemia or infection) and also endocrinology (looking at thyroid and cortisol levels amongst other tests).
Laboratory diagnostic testing is almost always performed when a patient is:
The Vet will always discuss with you the reasons why your pet needs some routine or special tests and will thoroughly discuss the results with you so that you can both plans together the best way to help your pet.
Ultrasound is a painless and nowadays essential procedure used in veterinary medicine to compliment radiologic investigations. Ultrasonography is most useful for looking at soft or fluid filled organs like the liver, kidney, bladder and heart, while radiology is most effective for examining mineralised structures (like bones) or air-filled organs (like the lungs).
At Wymondham Vets we can offer echocardiography (the use of ultrasound to visualise and measure the heart); this is a great help in diagnosing and monitoring pets with heart disease.
Most of our patients will not need sedation. However, if your pet is very anxious or painful, sedation may be helpful. It will also be indicated if a tissue biopsy is required. We will inform you if there are any contraindications to sedation.
After the procedure you may notice that your pet has been clipped. The hair on the abdomen (for abdominal ultrasound) or on the chest wall (thoracic ultrasound) will be shaved prior to the examination. This is necessary as the presence of hair obstructs the ultrasound waves and causes “blackout” on the picture. Blackout prevents us from obtaining the best possible view.
We use digital radiography to assess a wide range of diseases. Radiology is most effective for examining mineralised structures (like bones) or air-filled organs (like the lungs).
We can also perform contrast radiographic studies for looking at gastrointestinal or urogenital disease.
The benefit of digital radiography is the extreme speed and precision in which the radiograph is visible to the vet; this has a huge benefit as it reduces the time your pet is under anaesthetic.
Most patients will have to be either sedated or under a full general anaesthetic in order to get the best radiographs of the area of interest. Only in very sick dogs or emergency situations do we not use some form of sedation.
As technology leads us into the future and improves our lives, diagnostic imaging is no exception. Digital radiology gives our practice the ability to diagnose conditions almost on the spot. This allows us to treat conditions faster and more effectively.
Our practice uses digital radiology both for dental purposes and for your pet’s whole body. Dental digital radiology allows us to view the internal anatomy of the teeth, including the roots and surrounding bone. In the rest of your pet’s body, digital X-rays can help us identify a fractured bone, degeneration in a joint, or even foreign objects. An added bonus of digital radiology is the fact that it emits less radiation than traditional radiology.
Unfortunately, cancer is common in our pets. Signs can range from skin and mouth lumps to weight loss, reduced appetite, coughing or increased thirst. Any skin lump should be checked promptly to ensure there is no evidence of cancer. Samples can be taken during a normal consult. These are often examined in our in-house laboratory so results can be available by the following day.
If your pet does get cancer, we will take the time to discuss all the options with you. These options can range from palliative care with pain relief, to surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In some cases, surgery can provide a complete cure.
We appreciate that many people have had personal experience of cancer, often with family or friends and therefore we provide support at all times. Chemotherapy in veterinary medicine is very different to that in humans. The emphasis is on maintaining or returning quality of life. A variety of chemotherapy protocols are provided by Oakham Veterinary Hospital, however, if your pet would benefit from referral to a veterinary cancer specialist or to a centre with radiotherapy then this is a further option.
If any of our patients suffer uncontrollable clinical signs due to their chemotherapy, then the protocol is altered or stopped. At all times, their enjoyment of life is paramount.
Many of our pets suffer from eye conditions at some stage in their lives. These can range from grass seeds behind the eyelid causing a painful ulcer (which can be quickly cured) to lifelong conditions such as dry eye.
Catriona Laird has an interest in ophthalmology and is always keen to see your pets with any form of ocular problems. Her consulting room has been designed to give complete darkness, thereby facilitating a thorough ophthalmic examination. Catriona benefits from having access to advanced diagnostic equipment such as a tonopen for measuring intraocular pressure, a slit lamp and panoptic for detailed ocular examinations and a retinal camera for photographing the retina. Some of these were kindly provided by the University of Nottingham Vet School. In return Cat enjoys giving our visiting vet students ophthalmology tutorials and allowing them the time to practice using the equipment, thereby supplementing the excellent teaching already provided by the University.
In addition, Cat is occasionally required to examine patients with ocular issues in our equine department.
Small animal with skin issues is the area of medicine dealing with diseases of the nails, skin and hair. Skin and ear disease represent a major component of small animal practice workload and forms one of the most common, frustrating and challenging areas of companion animal clinical work.
The most common diseases are:
There are often different options available when treating these conditions. Deciding which option is best will depend on the individual character of the animal and the circumstances of the owner.
Our aim is to improve the quality of life of our patients. To achieve this it is vital that we obtain an accurate and complete diagnosis of the fundamental causes of the problem and any factors that may be complicating the situation.
Treatments range from medication, immunotherapy and surgery to a simple switch to a special diet. Many patients have the best results with a mixture of interventions. We are experienced in helping owners decide how to achieve a good outcome for their pets and keeping costs at a reasonable level.
Small Animal CardiologyHeart disease is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in dogs and cats. It is very often associated with elderly dogs and cats but there are also some specific conditions that can affect younger animals.
In the last few decades, the diagnostic and treatment options for heart disease have dramatically changed. These help improve the quality of life and can often considerably prolong the life span of affected pets.
Animals may not display any symptoms in the early stages of heart disease. Potential problems are frequently picked up during a routine visit to the vet; many owners are surprised by the discovery of a heart murmur or rhythm disturbance.
At our practice, we encourage a thorough investigation to detect the cause of these changes and provide an assessment for the future health of the animal. Having a clear diagnosis of the condition is crucially important in achieving an appropriate treatment plan. The treatment of heart disease often involves a combination of drugs, therefore each pet has an individual treatment plan with regular monitoring by our team.
Cardiology investigations are carried out using different diagnostic techniques such as radiography (X-rays), electrocardiology (ECG) and ultrasonography. These techniques are not painful or invasive however occasionally patients will require sedation.
