We’re open!

I can hardly believe it but we’ve been going for a month now – how quickly time flies  when  you  are  enjoying  yourself!  Considering  that  we  haven’t  really  advertised the fact that we are open – we have been pretty busy and have had really quite an interesting and impressive range of cases to deal with.

Our first day – and actually our first out of hours call – produced an emergency splenectomy.  I’m  glad  to  report  that  the  patient  came  through  fine  and  our  surgical facilities similarly passed with flying colours, though it might have been nice to have a slightly more straight forward op to provide an early test! In our second week we were delighted to welcome Neil Adams to the surgery to perform  a  TPLO  operation  to  correct  a  bouncy  Boxer’s  ruptured  cruciate  ligament. A complicated orthopaedic procedure, that has thankfully worked wonders  for  the  patient,  we  were  chuffed  with  another  thorough  test  and  thumbs up for our facilities. On the medical front we’ve also had some patients to exercise the grey matter, including the relatively unusual viral disease Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Usually  rapidly  terminal,  our  patient  is  holding  his  own  thanks  to  some  invaluable advice from Glasgow University with respect to diet and the use of the immune-­‐stimulant omega interferon. Last weekends “entertainment” came in the form of a tenacious Jack Russell that foolishly  tackled  an  Adder  on  the  top  of  the  Simonside.  Grateful  that  he  wasn’t  carrying a Labrador – the unfortunate dogs owner carried her to the car and brought  her  to  the  surgery  within  the  hour.  Although  her  leg  was  already  significantly swollen, she soon responded to treatment and is now back in full health,  though  her  trials  and  tribulations  did  get  us  a  mention  on  BBC  Radio  Newcastle! Its  not  all  been  happening  in  the  surgery,  Stu  has  been  busy  out  and  about  on  farm dealing with the usual assortment of things that occur at this time of year. Along with treating the odd sick calf, he has had a calving and vasectomised a tup – all in a days work – as they say!

Dom