Medicine is a large subject area and effectively covers all non-surgical diseases.
Medical cases may involve animals with gastro-intestinal problems, hormonal disorders, anaemias and chest problems. Cases may move from requiring medical management to surgical intervention then back to medical management.
A variety of tests may be required to investigate ill animals. It is common for blood and urine samples to be assessed initially but further investigations including x-rays, ultrasound and endoscopy may be required. In some cases, a diagnosis may only be made after tissues have been biopsied that may require surgery to obtain.
The practice has successfully treated extremely ill animals including cases of parvo-virus, toxin ingestion and fatty liver disease. More common illnesses treated include diabetes, hyper-/hypo- adrenocorticism, hypo-/hyper-thyroidism and pancreatitis. The picture to the left shows a dog suffering from overactive adrenal glands (hyper-adrenocorticism). This condition causes excessive drinking and urination as well as significant hair thinning in extreme cases.
We perform chemotherapy on some cases of cancers such as lymphoma.
On occasions we need to administer blood transfusions. We have access to frozen canine red blood cells and plasma but sometimes we need to take fresh blood from cat and dog donors.
Andre Cilliers has a strong interest in medical cases and holds the ESVPS General Practice Certificate in medicine. Andre is always keen to see and treat complex medical cases.
Lisa Gillett and Margaret Pateman have a particular interest in treating rabbits and guinea pigs. Margaret also treats many hedgehogs!
Debbie Kilkenny prefers the exotics, namely snakes and lizards. Exotics needs special knowledge to treat and we recommend where possible you arrange an appointment with Debbie if you need advice for a reptile.
It can be especially difficult to diagnose and treat birds. We may often advise referral to an avian specialist if you have a sick bird. Doug Brain has an interest in avian medicine and will happily assess any avian patient and determine whether we can treat them or whether referral would be a better option.
The practice has successfully treated extremely ill animals including cases of parvo-virus, toxin ingestion and fatty liver disease. More common illnesses treated include diabetes, hyper-/hypo- adrenocorticism, hypo-/hyper-thyroidism and pancreatitis. The picture to the left shows a dog suffering from overactive adrenal glands (hyper-adrenocorticism). This condition causes excessive drinking and urination as well as significant hair thinning in extreme cases.