Archive for the ‘Information Sheets’ Category

Why buy Prescriptions from Cheshire Pet and NOT the Internet?

Since November 2008 veterinary surgeons are now allowed to charge for their ability to prescribe the drugs pet owners wish to buy from an internet pharmacy.

Originally a three year period was assigned by the Competition Commission, whereby we could not charge for prescriptions. This period has now finished and we are legally able to charge. We have decided on a fee of £8.50 including VAT per item per 3 month period.

This allows us to continue to provide the service to you that the internet cant. We have costs such as 4 qualified nurses and 4 qualified vets that internet pharmacies do not and other costs such as staff training so that we can provide you and your pet with the friendly, professional service that you have come to expect from Cheshire Pet.

We discourage purchase from the internet primarily as we have no control over where the drugs come from or how they have been stored.

You’ve heard the joke..”I must own part of this clinic with what I’ve spent over the years!” “I should have shares in this place!”. We often hear these statements and we are asked at Cheshire Pet, why vet treatment costs so much. Clients are often confused by their accounts so we’d like to explain the reasons behind vet fees. We believe we provide the very best care for your beloved pet and we’d like to explain why….

The veterinary profession basically provides a private health service for animals as there is no NHS provision for our pets.

In the case of Cheshire Pet and other veterinary clinics, the cost of our veterinary treatment reflects the facilities we offer. Here are some of the costs of running an equipping our practice:

Our haematology machine which means we can provide immediate valuable information on the health of your pet cost us £17,000. Also our lab equipment, which enables us to process blood tests in the clinic without being sent to an external laboratory providing a quick results, cost about £42,000. This doesn’t include sundries which we order on a weekly basis in order to run all the machines.

We have just had to replace our old xray machine with a brand new digitally-ready machine and this cost £20,000. We hope to use the new machine digitally next year when this will cost considerably more. This also doesn’t include all the sundries we use daily to use the machine and general inspections and training for its use.

Our monthly account for our prescription drugs every month is on average between £20,000-25,000.

Our endoscope equipment, which we have recently upgraded, cost £23,000 and this enables us to endoscope animals. Endoscopy diagnoses everything from thoracic tumours to blocked blades of grass!

Our Tonometer Pen (a ophthalmic instrument to check pets’ intraocular pressure – a signs of things like glaucoma) cost £2100.

Our hydrotherapy unit – a water walker treadmill providing physiotherapy and hydrotherapy for orthopaedic problems – cost over £21,000. It is an expensive machine to run but we feel provides an invaluable service for orthopaedic and obese patients.

At Cheshire Pet we have 4 fully qualified nurses which is rather unusual within a veterinary practice. Often vet clinics are staffed by nurses but often these can be ‘practice nurses’ meaning they haven’t passed any nurse qualifications and therefore cannot be guaranteed to be a specific level of capability recognised at national level. Cheshire Pet prides itself on having 4 fully qualified nurses which gives the vets here great confidence in their ability. If any problems arise during an anaesthetic procedure or recovery phase, the vets have the back-up that all our nurses know exactly what emergency procedures to follow. If the vets are in theatre and your pet is involved in an emergency all our nurses are fully qualified in triage nursing to assess and treat your pet until the vet if freed up from theatre.

Our computer system – which is extremely invaluable in helping us provide the efficient service we do, costs over £22,000 every time we upgrade and obviously this comes with a monthly backup fee and frequent software upgrades.

These are only some of the costs that veterinary clinics have to pay for but hopefully goes some way top explain why vet fees cost what they cost. At Cheshire Pet we undertake 99% of procedures at our clinic because we have invested in the equipment – just a fraction of which have been mentioned above. We do have to occasionally refer pets for MRI scans and although we would love to have a scanner on site this would cost over £140,000 so this is not something we are considering at present.

We do appreciate that people often have this image of a vet or nurse living in a mansion, driving his/her fleet of cars with their children all at private school but this isn’t always the case. As with all professions, much investment (both financially and professionally) is needed to provide this service and we hope you feel we provide you with a service that is knowledgable, friendly and authoratitive. (And have you seen some of the old bangers our staff drive?!)

Despite some thoughts to the contrary(!) the veterinary profession is a vocation, and our vets and nurses entered it because of their love of animals. Like all of you, vets and nurses want what is best for your pet. At Cheshire Pet we never put an animal to sleep if it is healthy – despite whether clients can afford their vets fees or not. We simply would not entertain the idea. In the past couple of years we have rehomed between 15-10 cats and the occasional dog. Obviously the first port of call is to rehome the stray animal (either handed into us by clients / strangers or the RSPCA) to one of the Cheshire Pet team as we all seem to be gluttons for punishment but if this isn’t possible we always treat the animal tin order to rehome it when it is healthy enough. Only earlier this year a cat that we named Daisy was handed into us after being hit by a train. Edward amputated her leg & tail and debrided & stitched a huge wound on her side. This treatment and after care would’ve cost over £1000 but there was no way we weren’t going to give her a chance of survival. As some of you already know, we had our very own practice cat Hermione, who was handed into us in 2004. She lived and was treated here for any illnesses for 3 years until Jessica fell in love with her so much she couldn’t bear to be parted from her, even at the weekends. So she went to live in Northwich. Other examples of treating stray animals for free include; Flo (a lurcher pup with a very old wound on her groin) who now lives with Becky; Ned the 4 week old kitten, the only surviror from his 4 litter mates, who was flea invested, dehydrated and malnourished but is now living happily in Goostrey. Ron was handed into us with a fractured pelvis and broken tail, but Uncle Edward fixed this and he was rehomed to a friend of Jessica’s where he is living out his old age in comfort.

So we hope you understand why, in general, vets fees are what they are and that this has given you an insight into how our practice is run. Because we have no NHS we are a private health scheme for your pet – isn’t it a good job we’re a nation of animal

All of the following are urban myths and are NOT TRUE!

• Dogs & Cats should always have wet noses.
• All ginger cats are male.
• Put butter on your cats paws to stop them running away after moving house.
• Fish have a 3 second memory.
• Fish can’t ‘feel’.
• Cats should be put out at night.
• Tortoises can survive on salad &veg.
• All hamsters are aggressive.
• Snakes are slimy.
• Cats have 9 lives.
• Cats always land on their feet.
• There is a ‘flea’ season.
• Scooting along the floor means your pet has worms.
• Its right to always let your bitch have their first season.
• Neutering a male dog changes their personality.
• Spaying any animal means it will put on weight.

Blood in Faeces

If you find that your dog or cat has blood in their faeces, try to determine whether it is fresh blood (red) or digested blood (black). This will help identify where it is coming from. If possible get a sample and bring it to us to test / identify. A very small amount of fresh blood may be due to your pet straining to pass faeces. Observe them over a short period to determine whether it occurs more than once. Blood in faeces is abnormal so it is advised to get them seen by a vet here at the clinic.

Seizures

Seizures (fits) can be caused by a number of factors and are traumatic to see if you have never witnessed one before. If your pet is a diagnosed epileptic, or has a history of seizures you may have some rectal medication that you can give to help stop the fit. If not you should contact us immediately for advice but do not try to restrain your pet – you may get bitten or scratched. If possible remove any objects that your pet may knock themselves on whilst fitting to limit any injury.

Road Traffic Accident

If your pet is sadly involved in a road traffic accident (RTA) then there is only one course of action. Phone us immediately (or the nearest veterinary clinic if away from home) and make an emergency appointment straight away. Try to move your pet as little as possible whilst in transit in case there are any broken bones.

Cut Foot / Pad

It is not unheard of for your pet to cut themselves when out and about on a walk etc. Sometimes they will bleed heavily in which case you should apply pressure to the area to prevent excess blood loss and phone us for an emergency appointment. If it is a minor injury it is likely to still require an appointment for a dressing as feet are notoriously difficult to heal without assistance.

Vommitting and Diarrhoea

Vomiting and diarrhoea can cause dehydration and loss of important salts / potassium etc. Severe bouts of either may make your pet feel extremely unwell. It is important to not let this go untreated for more than 24hrs and do not starve your pet for any longer than this. It may be caused by a bacterial infection (gastro‐enteritis) or it may be due to a metabolic illness within the body. The young and very old pets are more likely to suffer from dehydration than an adult, however no matter the age it is best to get them treated sooner rather than later. If they continue to vomit after 24hrs they may need medication / treatment. Remember that cats may bring up hairballs so check first.

Blood in Urine

It is highly recommended for us to examine your pet as soon as possible if you notice that they have blood in their urine. This can be caused by a number of reasons ranging from trauma to bladder stones and blockages. If an animal struggles to urinate it can impact on their kidney function if left untreated, so if you see any straining or passing of blood phone us immediately for an appointment.

Lump Found

It is important to run your hands over your pet regularly to familiarise yourself with what is normal for your pet and what is abnormal. If you locate a lump (mass) on your pet, it is advisable to get it looked at by a vet and they can advise you as to the best course of action. This may be removal, draining or medication. It is not advisable to assume that it is not a potential problem.

Worms

It is very important to ensure a suitable worming regime is in place if you have a new puppy and kitten as they will be affected by a worm burden quicker than an older animal. It is important to treat for both roundworm and tapeworm. If you notice that your cat or dog is not overweight but has a ‘pot‐bellied’ appearance then it may be due to a worm burden. Similarly if you notice ‘ricelike’ segments around your pet’s bottom then this indicates a tapeworm burden. (These segments carry the eggs of the tapeworm) Remember that just because you do not see any evidence around the bottom of your pet does not mean they do not have worms. A heavy burden can cause weight loss despite an increasing appetite but if you are unsure it is better to bring your pet for an appointment as these clinical signs may be confused for those of other conditions.

Chocolate Poisoning

Chocolate is one of our favourite treats but for dogs it is poisonous and given

in large amounts can be fatal. One of the ingredients is theobromine which is

dangerous to dogs. Many pet owners like to give their dogs chocolate or

sometimes they help themselves. Very rapid first aid advice and treatment is

required for animals who have eaten large amounts. Dark chocolate is much

worse as it contains higher levels of theobromine.

Christmas and Easter tend to be the time where dogs will seek out boxes of

chocolates and Easter eggs but please be extra careful all year round and store

your chocolate out of reach of all animals. If your pet eats any amount of

chocolate please ring us for advice. Tel: 01477 544 554.

Feeding Bones

Many owners like to feed their animals a raw meat diet and give their dogs

bones to eat. Bones can become stuck in their stomach or intestines if the dog

can’t pass them naturally. This can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and tummy

ache. We would then have to surgically remove the bone and it can be a

traumatic time for pets and their owners.

Not only can it be traumatic but very dangerous for your animal. The bones

can cause very serious problems and sometimes be fatal. So please be extra

careful when giving your pets bones from your Sunday lunch.

We would recommend a complete diet such like Hills and all our staff are fully

trained to give nutritional advice. Tel: 01477 544 554.

Giving Human Drugs to Animals

Sometimes within practice we may use human medication such as aspirin to

help with a medical condition but it’s never a good idea to medicate your

animals without seeking our advice first. Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are highly

poisonous to cats and dogs and should never be given as can be fatal. Please

keep all your medication out of reach of pets and locked safely away in a

cupboard.

Stick Throwing

Throwing sticks for dogs can be very good exercise and a way of teaching them

to fetch. However they can cause terrible injuries. Parts of a stick can break

off and cause deep wounds in their mouths (or even be ingested causing

internal injuries) so please use specially designed toys for playtime to prevent

any unwanted trips to our clinic!