Behind the scenes at the vet's

Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at a 'real' vet surgery? Come along to our Open Day on Sunday, 16th September 10am - 2pm and have a sticky beak! We are opening our surgery, lab, procedure, hospital and imaging rooms to our clients. Our nurses and vets will be there to answer your questions and show you around. Share cat queries and stories with Dr Kate in the big consult room.
A sausage sizzle and drinks will fuel the humans and Pup Cakes the dogs. Face painting and balloon twisting will entertain the children (and children at heart). The dogs will be kept out of mischief with fancy dress, tail wagging and talent competitions.
Watch the dogs dance and negotiate Rally-O and find out more about our surgery charity AMRRIC (Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous communities)

Mishka

Mishka's incision

Mishka arrived at Hall Vet Surgery last Friday feeling very poorly.  She had not eaten for a few days and had been vomiting on and off all day.  Poor old Mishka would rather have stayed at home curled up in her basket but her carers decided that she must be really sick when she turned her nose up at breakfast yet again.
Whenever we felt Mishka's abdomen she winced.
Blood tests told us nothing.  Xrays showed a lot of gas in part of her intestine.  Mishka has eaten some odd things in the past so a foreign body stuck in her intestine was a possibility.
The only way to confirm and fix a blockage was surgery.  We were pleased to find nothing in her intestine, but her pancreas was swollen.  An inflamed pancreas could make Mishka feel very sick and sore and explained why she had lost her appetite.
A couple of days on a drip, antibiotics and pain relief worked wonders.  Mishka soon felt well enough to eat and was keen to get home and back to work.
We saw her again on Thursday.  Her surgical wound was healing well and she was back to normal again.
Mishka will have to lose some weight to prevent another bout of pancreatitis.  We will supervise her weight loss because sudden weight loss in cats is as dangerous as none at all.

Twins Big Day Out

Twin tortis Pepper and Kimba had a big day yesterday.  They came into hospital for desexing before breakfast and were home in time for a much deserved tea!

Kimba has her premedication - a tranquilliser and pain relief injection - to help her relax and to minimise any discomfort from the surgery






This Feliway diffuser in the cat ward helps keep the twins calm before surgery.  It diffuses the natural pheromone that cats rub over their homes
and so makes them feel more relaxed and at home.

 Kimba in surgery.  The anaesthetic machine and monitoring equipment are at Dr Kate's right.  Dr Kate will remove her ovaries and uterus so that she won't come into season, get pregnant or develop problems of the uterus later on.

 Kimba and Pepper on their way home after their big day out at Hall Vet Surgery.  Because their metabolic rate will be slower now that they have been desexed, they will have to cut back on the amount that they eat each day so that they don't become tubby.

Oscar has a lump off

Oscar is a beautifully mannered senior Russian Blue who has graciously allowed us to publish the photographs of his journey through Hall Vet Surgery today.We removed a lump from the side of his neck because lumps in cats' skin are often tumours with the potential to spread or at least cause considerable local discomfort. 

Oscar has the hair clipped over his jugular vein so that we can take a sample of his blood.  We tested his blood to make sure his vital organs would handle the anaesthetic. 

Nurse Elissa tests Oscar's blood in our laboratory

Oscar under general anaesthetic with the hair clipped from his neck and the lump clearly visible

Oscar in surgery with Nurse Suzanne monitoring his vital signs

The surgical site after the lump was removed

Oscar recovering from his surgery