MARCH PET
Daisy - 14 years old

BREED
Labrador

HOW WE HELPED
Daisy is a sweet older lady, whose proudest moment was winning a first prize rosette for “Dog with the waggiest tail” at the village fair. Daisy suffers from selective deafness … she doesn’t come in from the garden when called but can somehow hear the fridge door open from the other end of the house!

Daisy has always been a very active and healthy dog. As she has aged, Daisy has struggled a little with stiff joints and severe arthritis in her right elbow. This is a common problems for older dogs, and larger breeds such as Labradors, can be particularly prone to problems.

Daisy’s aches and pains were managed with anti-inflammatories, as and when needed, for a year or two, until the vets suggested she try a new treatment called Librella. Librella is a monthly injection that uses monoclonal antibodies to treat the pain associated with osteoarthritis. Daisy has been having the injections for a couple of years, coupled with joint supplements, and still enjoys her short, daily walks.

Daisy has a really kind nature. She is very much a part of the family, having grown up with the children. She is even pleased to see us when she comes into the surgery for her regular check-ups, greeting us with a tail wag, hoping for a treat, so we thought she merited a special mention!

FEBRUARY PET
Sprout - 19 months old

BREED‍
Fancy rat

HOW WE HELPED
Sprout was brought in to us as a stray in a very bad way. She was very skinny and couldn’t stand up properly. Maria the vet inspected her mouth and found her teeth were misaligned and very overgrown, causing her pain and preventing her from eating hard food.

After a rather drastic dental, Sprout quickly found her appetite and has come on leaps and bounds. She still struggles to eat hard foods so is supplemented with human baby food and home cooking and is starting to regain weight and strength.

Sprout also has a neurological condition which makes it hard to control her movements. This means mealtimes can be messy, as she often ends up wearing her dinner, but this doesn’t prevent her enjoying her food (especially when Spag Bol is on the menu!)

Sprout is now living her best life with our receptionist, Anna, and her large menagerie.

Congratulations Sprout! ‍

JANUARY PET
Bill - 11 years old

BREED‍ Domestic Long Hair

HOW WE HELPED Handsome Bill lives with his brother in central Cambridge. He loves sitting in the sun watching the world go by from the front window and aiding on occasion with office work. ‍ ‍

Bill is a bit of an enigma, who had us all rather worried for a few days. His owner bought him in because he had stopped eating. His physical examination found nothing abnormal, so suspecting an underlying infection, Bill was given pain relief and a long-acting antibiotic.

We saw Bill again a few days later. He was still not eating and was now slightly dehydrated. The vets suspected pancreatitis, but were not sure if this was the main problem or a secondary condition. Bill’s owner was due to go away so we offered to hospitalise Bill, give him some appetite stimulants and IV fluids, take bloods and possibly perform an ultrasound examination if there were no improvement.

Bill’s blood results showed a few changes but nothing conclusive. Happily over the next few days, with lots of TLC from our nursing team, Bill slowly regained his appetite and seemed a lot brighter. Given his improvement, no ultrasound was performed, so Bill remains a mystery, but his owner is thrilled to have him home and we are equally happy he’s is feeling so much better!‍ ‍

DECEMBER PET
Harvey - 15 years old

BREED
Lurcher

HOW WE HELPED
Rescue dog Harvey was adopted by his current owners (then aged 93) in 2016, after they lost their much loved lab.

Harvey settled well, and is great company. He has always loved his walks and food, once managing to almost help himself to the Christmas cake (the sound of the tin hitting the floor gave him away!)

He's now an old boy and spends most of his day dozing on the sofa. Despite his size and his age, Harvey is a really healthy boy, visiting Patrick just twice a year for his checkup. He knows exactly where he is when the car pulls up at the surgery, and tries his very best to drag his owners in the opposite direction. We don’t take it personally!

Congratulations Harvey!

NOVEMBER PET
Douglas - 16 years old

BREED Yorkie X Toy Poodle X Lhasa Apso X Daschund!

HOW WE HELPED Meet Douglas, proud winner of the 2022 ‘Scruffiest article’ class in the West Wales show! Douglas is a Hairy Maclary lookalike, who rules the roost. Despite his tiny size, he loves ‘savaging’ his squeaky toys, and in his youth, he could jump like a flea! His least favourite things are visiting the vets (he particularly objects to Patrick!) and Greyhounds, after being attacked in his youth.

We have seen rather a lot of Douglas in the last month or so. He came in for a dental in October to remove multiple loose teeth and the built-up calculus that was causing his very smelly breath. He was just starting to recover when he developed an anal gland abscess, requiring antibiotics, lots of pain relief and intravenous fluids to get him back on track. Luckily Douglas is a very resilient little dog, so cute and full of character that we are always happy to see him, even if the feeling is not mutual!

Congratulations Douglas!

OCTOBER PET
Chloe - 2 years old

BREED Chihuahua Cross

HOW WE HELPED
Chloe was presented to us in April, totally paralysed from the waist down following a traumatic injury. Sadly, her owners felt they were not able to provide the life long care she would require.

Happily our star fosterer, Anna stepped in. Despite having at least 9 dogs at home at any one time, Anna never says no to one more, and doesn’t let a little detail like paralysis stand in her way!

After numerous hospital appointments and a huge amount of help from local charities and an anonymous donor, Chloe has made a miraculous recovery. The first sign of recovery was a tiny wag at the tip of her tail. She slowly gained the use of her hind limbs, and now scuttles around in her own unique way. She will still require extra care for the rest of her life (and is very lucky to have Anna on hand to provide this) but this does not stop her being the happiest dog you will ever meet.

We definitely thought she deserved a special mention. Congratulations Chloe!

SEPTEMBER PET
Maisie - 4 months old

BREED Labrador

HOW WE HELPED
Maisie is a typical Labrador puppy - cheeky, sweet and absolutely obsessed with food or anything that she can chew... Pebbles, sticks, gravel, socks and bird poo are all fair game as far as Maisie is concerned.

We saw Maisie back in August, aged just 3 month old. She had woken up, vomited, and was very subdued. We managed to take one conscious X-ray which showed fragments of something dense in her intestines. Maisie returned the following day for sedation and more X-rays which revealed foreign bodies in her colon and abdomen. The next day Maisie was still vomiting and quiet. We were concerned that something had got stuck in her digestive system, which could have required emergency surgery, so took a third set of X-rays.

Fortunately Maisie’s symptoms settled over the next few days and surgery was not required.

Maisie’s owners describe her as completely unrepentant! That may be so, but we are always happy to see such a sweet little face in the surgery!

AUGUST PET
Bill - 4 years old

BREED Crossbreed

HOW WE HELPED Bill’s owners adopted him three years ago from North Macedonia., via a local rescue organisation, Strays Without Borders. When Bill first arrived he was quick to love his owners, but scared of everything else! With lots of love and patience he has made excellent progress, and will even tolerate some fuss from Harriet in the surgery waiting room (though not yet in the consult room!)

Bill has struggled with skin problems for the past few years. Until the end of last year, his allergies were well managed, but shortly before Christmas Bill started loosing hair and his skin became increasingly scaly and sore. All the usual tests came back negative, but Bill was loosing weight and increasingly lethargic. A referral to the vet school led to a diagnosis of Leishmaniasis, a disease spread by sandflies, that can lie dormant in the system for years. Happily, with the right treatment, Bill is now regrowing his lovely coat and is so much brighter and happier.

Strays without borders have been an ongoing source of support for Bill’s owners. You can read more about their work on their website

Home - strayswithoutborders | UK

JULY PET
Cassie - 14 years old

BREED Labrador

HOW WE HELPED Cassie is a proper little fighter when it comes to growing old. In 2023, she underwent surgery at the Vet School to correct respiratory difficulties caused by laryngeal paralysis. She has a couple of ongoing conditions, namely vestibular syndrome and hyperparathyroidism. She has also struggled with arthritis for the past few years, which is managed with supplements, hydrotherapy and a monthly Librella injection, which her owners have learnt to administer at home.

Just recently, Cassie had a bacterial infection in her spine, which has meant some longer term antibiotics. However despite all of this she is the most sensitive caring little soul you could ever wish for. Cassie has such a good spirit and wags her tail with everyone she meets. She never refuses a treat, and although she generally has selective hearing, and sleeps more soundly these days, she can still hear the rustle of a crisp packet or the lid of the cheese box from anywhere in the house!

JUNE PET
Jaskier - 9 years old

BREED Crossbreed

HOW WE HELPED Jaskier was adopted by his owners two years ago after four years with a Polish rescue charity. He was picked up as a stray with significant visual impairment so little is known about his past.

Jaskier is a lovely gentle boy. After so long in a shelter, he is used to his own company, but also loves affection and going for walks, and has adapted really well to family life.

Jaskier gets rather anxious coming to the vets and has had to undergo a lot of treatment in recent months. Our visiting eye specialist David Williams diagnosed retinal degeneration which is sadly untreatable. Jaskier’s owners also noticed blood in his urine and we were concerned about kidney disease or a possible growth in the bladder. Happily, further investigations at the vets school pointed to chronic infections as the cause and Jaskier is responding well to treatment. He has had a lot to contend with in his nine years so we thought he definitely deserved a Pet of the Month accolade!

Congratulations Jaskier!

MAY PET
Jack - 11 years old

BREED Mixed breed terrier

HOW WE HELPED Jack started life as a Russian street dog. He was rescued by a local charity, came to the UK in 2020 and was adopted by his current owners in 2023.Jack gets in the usual terrier scrapes, such as cuts on his face and paws from too much time investigating Badger sets. He recently gave us a bit of a fright stealing and eating the large cooked bone from the Sunday roast, which fortunately passed through his system without intervention.

Jack is a great character. He is fiercely loyal and completely convinced he is human. He has strong opinions about most things; Jack loves Badger sets, cheese, his owners bed. Jack hates tractors, trains, squirrels horses and cats! He even has his own following on TikTok!

https://www.tiktok.com/@jackiscute19?_t=ZN-8wOohcTvvoE&_r=1

Congratulations Jack!

APRIL PET
Teddy - 7 years old

BREED Domestic Long Hair

HOW WE HELPED Teddy was cared for by the Blue Cross after being abandoned near Elizabeth Way. He was a small scared kitten, but soon came round with lots of love from his new owner. He loves company, and is really missing his companion, Bella, who recently passed away.

Teddy had us all rather worried recently. His owner noticed he was struggling to urinate and further investigation confirmed a blocked urethra and possible kidney disease. Teddy was hospitalised, catheterised and given plenty of fluids. His kidney function improved, but he found the treatment very stressful and stopped eating. Fortunately, a change of pain relief and some appetite stimulants led to an improvement in Teddy’s condition. His owner would have been “heartbroken to have lost him” and is thrilled by his recovery.

Congratulations Teddy!