Pet Surgeries Bridgnorth

Whether you own a dog, cat or rabbit, neutering has many benefits that can improve your pet’s quality of life. These benefits should be discussed with your vet to make sure neutering is a suitable option for your pet.

FEMALES

• Bitches left unneutered can develop reproductive problems (eg breast cancer or pyometra – infection of the womb) Which can be prevented with early neutering.
• Reduces the chances of her developing breast (Mammary) cancer.
• Removes the risk of unplanned pregnancy

MALES

• For males, castration significantly reduces the risk of developing a prostate disease, along with many other health benefits that can be discussed with your vet.
• Decreases the possibility of tumours and hernias around the bottom, which are common in older, unneutered pets.
• Both castrated and entire males can make excellent pets, however, dogs that show signs of aggression should be considered for castration although this will not guarantee the correction of the behavioural problem.

Book neutering for your pet at Rock House Veterinary Clinic, click here

We recommend that all dogs and cats not intended to be bred from are neutered (spayed) at around 6 months for bitches (after their first season) and 9 months for males. However, the exact age may vary depending on your vet’s recommendation. Rabbits are generally spayed or castrated when they are 4-6 months of age. For rabbits, neutering should be performed before the rabbit is 2 years old to get the benefit of prevention of disease.

Undescended testicles (cryptorchidism) have an increased tendency to grow tumours. They may also twist on their stalks and cause life-threatening inflammation. One of the most common risks of undescended testicles in dogs is the increased risk of testicular cancer if the undescended testicle is not removed. The surgery to remove an undescended testicle is far more delicate and invasive than the castration surgery used to remove normally descended testicles. Removal and neutering of the retained testicle (s) are recommended as soon as possible.

For a neutering consultation for your pet at Rock House Veterinary Clinic near Bridgnorth, click here

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) is a recognised condition. Predominantly affecting certain dog breeds with shorter muzzles, flatter noses and wide-shaped heads. These are known as brachycephalic breeds (‘brachy’ meaning short, and ‘cephalic’, meaning head).

The soft tissues of the nose and throat in some brachycephalic dogs may be excessive and can lead to partial obstruction of their airways. This makes it difficult for these dogs to breathe normally, causing noisy breathing and often heavy panting. This condition is a progressive disorder that can impair a dog’s ability to;

Exercise and play – reduced ability, slow, may appear lazy or less inclined to go for a walk.
Eat – frequently regurgitates.
Sleep – excessive snoring and may wake themselves up when they can’t catch a breath properly.

The condition may deteriorate with time, so the sooner something can be done to help, the better the expected outcome. Also, general anaesthesia and surgery are far less risky in terms of maintaining an open airway if the symptoms are only mild or caught early.

NARROW NOSTRILS?
Having narrow nostrils makes breathing difficult; some severely affected dogs have to pant to get enough air.

CROWDED NOSE AND THROAT?
Flat-faced dogs have a lot of nose tissue packed into a small space, which means they have to breathe through very narrow, crowded nasal passages.

OVERLONG SOFT PALATE?
Flat-faced dogs often have a large soft palate that sits further back than normal. It often covers the windpipe, which makes breathing difficult.

The soft palate can also cause problems during sleep – if it’s covering the windpipe you may notice your dog snoring or waking up suddenly gasping for breath.

NARROW WINDPIPE?
A narrow windpipe makes breathing difficult, especially when exercising. Breathing through a narrow windpipe is a bit like trying to breathe through a drinking straw. Two sacs inside the windpipe often become enlarged and cause further problems.

Contact us for BOAS Surgery at our Clinic near Bridgnorth

• We offer an X-ray to every patient, this is essential to investigate the presence of concurrent and secondary diseases such as aspiration pneumonia or hiatal hernia.
• Your surgery will only be carried out by a veterinary surgeon who is skilled and has a wealth of experience in this field.
• Our BOAS patients will then have our head nurse as their dedicated nurse with them at all times during the recovery process.
• All of our BOAS patients will be offered an overnight stay for close monitoring.

Our popularity is forever growing around the UK. We are becoming increasingly famous for our love and understanding of bulldog breeds and BOAS surgery.

We take pride in our ability to take care of these issues and surgery on a daily basis. It’s important to know that having a vet who has a lot of experience with brachycephalic breeds is extremely important when choosing to own this type of breed.

Dogs who suffer from BOAS, have more difficulty breathing, which then can cause secondary difficulties to develop over time. Added weight gain from restricted exercise and ageing over time may develop into life-threatening breathing difficulties in dogs.

The main objective of treatment is to clear and unblock the airways. Our veterinary surgeon will do a soft palate resection (removal of extra soft palate skin that promotes snoring). And a Stenotic nare resection (widening of the nostrils to improve airflow). The reduced effort required to breathe following surgery will greatly improve your dog’s quality of life. Most dogs will benefit from increased exercise, better feeding and digestion, heat tolerance, better sleep, and reduced snoring.

Treatment depends on the severity of the condition, the age at which the diagnosis is made, and whether there are complicating factors, such as aspiration pneumonia.

Small primary clefts of the lip and nostril of the dog are unlikely to cause clinical problems.
Secondary cleft palates in dogs require surgical treatment to prevent long-term nasal and lung infections and to help the puppy to feed effectively. The surgery involves either creating a single flap of healthy tissue and overlapping it over the defect or creating a ‘double flap’, releasing the palate from the inside of the upper teeth, and sliding it to meet in the middle over the defect.
Feeding of affected puppies requires tube feeding small quantities of milk every 2 hours from birth; older pups may be weaned onto solid foods from as early as 4 weeks of age.

Puppies with aspiration pneumonia will require antibiotics and sometimes hospitalisation, dependent on severity before any surgery can be performed.

Each patient’s health concerns and the severity of the palatal defect will govern the ideal timing of surgery and the technique used. In some cases, more than one surgical procedure may be necessary as the puppy grows and the palate expands.

Most cases have an excellent long-term prognosis following surgical correction (dependent on severity and location). However, some dogs can have long-term complications even following successful surgery. They can be at increased risk of upper respiratory infections and some may have a chronic nasal discharge that is not definitively treatable.

Contact Rock House Vets for further information on Cleft Palate Treatment near Bridgnorth

Causes of a Cleft Palate. A cleft palate is a congenital condition. This means that a dog is born with this condition, making it a genetic condition. However, the puppy’s mother may have been exposed to nutritional deficiencies, viruses, and poisons during her pregnancy, all of which contributed to the birth defect. Purebred dogs are more likely to have the condition than mixed breeds. Breeds with brachycephalic syndrome appear to be especially vulnerable.

Even if they aren’t obvious, there are several signs that a puppy has a cleft palate. The following are the symptoms of cleft palates in dogs.

A deformed lip or a nostril are the two most common physical signs of a cleft palate or cleft lip. Depending on the shape and position of the cleft, a dog may only have one deformed nostril. The opening extending inside the mouth along the hard or soft palates that accompany a lip or nostril deformity is not immediately visible.

Depending on the shape and location of the defect, the dog’s upper or lower teeth and gums may protrude awkwardly from the mouth.

Coughing or gagging will also occur when attempting to drink water because some of the water will pass through the trachea rather than the oesophagus. If a newborn puppy is having difficulty nursing because it can’t latch on to its mother or a bottle, a dog breeder may notice a problem. When trying to nurse, milk may come out of its nose, or it may cough and gag.
Because of these deformities, as well as the fact that food and water can pass down the airway, eating becomes difficult, and a dog may become malnourished if it does not eat enough.

Interested in Cleft Palate Treatment near Bridgnorth, contact Rock House Vets here

A cleft palate in your dog can be classified as either a primary cleft palate (found on the lip and also known as harelip) or a secondary cleft palate (what we’re talking about here), in which the palate does not fuse together normally, leaving a gap between the cavities of the mouth and nose. A hard cleft palate is a bony defect in the roof of the mouth. A soft section cleft is defined as a hole in the swallowing portion of the mouth. The cleft can occur in both the hard and soft areas of the mouth at the same time.