Hello there, my name’s Tibby and as you can see, I’m a very beautiful tabby cat. I’ve had a very difficult month and my Mum and Dad keep telling me that I’m lucky to be alive. Let me tell you my story. 

I was minding my own business and watching the world go by, when I was chased by two giant Rottweilers. I wasn’t able to get out of the way quickly enough and they attacked me, shaking me like a toy. I was very sore, but I managed to get up and walk away.

My Mum and Dad were very worried about me and took me straight to the Emergency Service, because it was night and my normal surgery was closed. The emergency vets made me comfortable and took some X ray pictures of my tummy to see what was going on. They were worried that I might have damage to the muscles around my abdomen.

The ambulance brought me up to Ash Vets the following morning and I was so bruised and sore feeling I was really quite grumpy. My whole tummy was black and blue. After more painkillers, I was well enough to have extra X rays, which confirmed muscle damage and I had an operation to stitch the damaged muscles back together.

A few days after the operation I was well enough to go home, although everyone was still a bit concerned about me because I wasn’t peeing properly. When I hadn’t gone to the toilet after another 24 hours, I was rushed back into the emergency service, where they placed a catheter into my bladder to allow the urine to drain out.

This was removed, but I still wasn’t peeing, so it was replaced and left in for a week or so. Everyone was so concerned about me. If I didn’t start peeing soon, they were worried I might have to be put to sleep as I couldn’t live a normal life if I still couldn’t pee. I had to stay in the surgery, but my Mum phoned every day to see how I was.

They took the catheter out on Thursday morning and waited. It had been decided that if I hadn’t managed to pee by Friday then everyone would have to call it a day. Can you imagine how delighted everyone was when they came in on Friday morning and I’d pee’d in my litter tray overnight. I’ve never seen anyone so happy to clean up my mess. They were on the phone to everyone at our other surgeries to let them know, and of course my Mum and Dad. Everyone was so happy with me. I passed lots to pees that day, to give them all plenty to do.

I went home the next day and my Mum and Dad threw a tea party in my honour, so lots of my friends and family came to visit. I’m enjoying being at home now and look forward to going out in my new, escape-proof garden, which Mum and Dad have built to keep me safe.
Licks and rubs,Tibby

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Hello!! Let me introduce myself. I'm Rocky and I'm a very excitable and playfully lurcher. I live locally along with my Mum and Dad (in human form!) brother Lee, sisters Sian and Emma and not forgetting Dewi and Casey, the younger members of the household. I'm coming up to one and a half years old now, which in doggy years makes me a youthful 21! In those years I have managed to cram in quite a lot of drama. Here's my story....

Back in February I was out for a stroll when another dog took a particular dislike to me. Before I knew what was happening he attacked me, biting my mouth, nose and leg. What a bully!! Thanks to how fast I can run I managed to get away. My Mum rushed me straight to the vets where I was seen straight away as an emergency case.

Mel the vet examined me and revealed the wound to my leg was particularly nasty and needed stitches. My after-care included weeks of antibiotics and dressing changes. During this time I got to know everyone at Ash vets and didn't mind my visits at all!

My dressings on my leg where often brightly coloured, sometimes with special stickers which read things like “Ouch”. The nurses applied them with care and joked that my tail never stopped wagging! I felt very proud when they told my family what a good patient I was.

As my wound healed and the dressings finally where removed it started to itch itch itch!! This made me want to lick it so I had to wear a custom collar which my Mum joked that it made me look like a lampshade.

All was well for a few months and I had no reason to visit my veterinary friends until one day while out on a walk I got a little over exited and decided to jump into the air. I came down with a bang right on my newly healed leg!! Boy did it hurt so straight back down to Ash for yet another emergency appointment.
I needed an xray to determine exactly what I had done and it showed I had a nasty fracture. This needed surgery to repair it and I even had special pins inserted in my leg for extra support.

I can remember waking up after my operation to see all the friendly faces of my veterinary friends looking at me with concern. With their encouragement I was soon up and about, with yet another dressing on!!

I now am in a familiar routine of visiting the vets every so often to have it changed. I don't mind at all and am still a good patient. I get lots of fuss and attention which I love, and if I'm lucky maybe even a doggy snack afterwards. I still find it hard to keep still and I do have a love of bouncing “Tigger” style, but lets hope there's no more accidents to follow. Bye bye for now,
Love and licks
Rocky.

Hello everyone! My name is Ted. I'm a German Shepherd aged just nine months, yet already I am an Ash Vets regular! I live with my Mum and Dad where I am treated like a Prince! ( Well, everyone does say I look quite regal! ). I've been given all the general veterinary care, such as vaccinations, flea and worming treatment and neutering. My Mum was also clever enough to insure me and is now so glad that she did as I need to visit my friends at Ash on a regular basis.

Here's my story..

I can remember my very first trip to the vets back in December last year as I had a little bit of an upset tummy. I felt quite scared at first because there were lots of sights and smells that I didn't recognise. I was put onto a strict prescription diet as I have such a sensitive tummy, and slowly but surely I started to gain weight and my problems seemed to ease.

As I grew my confidence increased and I no longer felt nervous. Everyone treats me as part of the family, but I have to confess as being a bit of a Mums boy! I took another trip to my friends at Ash back in February as I had developed itchy ears. My Mum cleans them for me anyway, but this time I needed medication to clear the infection; the relief was tremendous!

By the month of May I had tummy problems again which led me to have yucky diarrhoea. I needed my special food again and medication. My sensitive stomach was becoming a regular pain, and as the problems kept occurring we decided to investigate! This involved blood, faecal and urine tests. The results revealed some nasty parasites that was affecting my intestines. To combat this I am given regular injections, along with a special diet. We seem to have things under control!

I now have no fear of paying visits to Ash Vets as we are all on first name terms and I always receive such a fuss! My Mum had to receive some treatment recently from her own hospital as I got over excited whilst out playing with my Spaniel friend and accidental knocked her off her feet! Oooops!! She now has very sore bandaged legs and it's quite painful to walk until everything heals. I felt a little sheepish afterwards but nobody was cross with me. They all love me so much and argue that you couldn't get annoyed with a face like mine! The perks of being good-looking eh?

See you soon,

Love and licks,

Ted. XX           

DANCING ON ICE!!

Hello, my name is Gabby and I'm thrilled to let you all read about me! My breed is called a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, very regal don't you think? I have been visiting Ash since I was a few months old so I don't mind at all! I am a lovely ruby colour as you can see from my photograph and am now the grand age of 1 year and six months old. That would make me around 22 in human years. I live with my Mum and Dad who look after me ever so well. I've been spayed, vaccinated and microchipped!

Back in August 2008 one of my hind legs became quite painful. My parents noticed straight away as I was not my usual playful self. They whisked me down to Ash where I was booked in for xrays. This showed the problem!! I had a sprained cruciate and nasty joint inflammation. Ouch! I was given antibiotics and cartrophen injections and ordered to rest. I started to feel better and my leg less painful by the day, gradually increasing my exercise to three 15 minute walks per day. By September I was 100% better and back to my usual chirpy self.

Just after Christmas 2008 I really gave everyone a scare!! Whilst out walking in the park with my Mum I spotted something unusual. The lake looked different. It seemed to be covered in something that was shiny and white! My curiosity got the better of me and I ran over to investigate. I could hear my Mum shouting about something called “ ice” but I was so excited I had to see. As I ran forward onto the lake I slipped on the shiny covering and slid forward at speed! I was a bit confused as to what was happening. The next thing I remember is hearing a loud cracking sound and plunging into freezing water! I can't remember much else but have since found out that I had fallen through the thing called “ ice” that my Mum had been trying to warn me about. I had been in the water for nearly fifteen minutes until a kind stranger helped my Mum to pull me out. At this point I was totally lifeless. By now quite a crowd had gathered and somebody gave me emergency care and helped me regain conciousness. There was an emergency dash to Ash where I was hospitalised and given fluids, oxygen and gently warmed up. All I seem to remember is the feeling of warmth at last and having a runny nose! I stayed at the emergency 24 hour vets that night to be on the safe side, and after treatment have gone on to make a complete recovery! Hooray!

I have been back to Ash quite a bit since after hurting my legs again by slipping on a stone! I guess I must be accident prone! Although I tend to enjoy my visits. The fuss I get off everyone there always makes my tail wag and everyone is my friend.

            Bye for now
            Gabby. XX

FABULOUS FOSTER DOG

Hi everyone, my name is Kurt and I am a staffie cross. I have an unusual colour coat, a lovely warm red shade and it really makes me stand out in a crowd. I'm aged five years and eight months, which would make me around forty seven in human years. Everyone is surprised by this as I look ( and act!) a lot younger. An interesting fact about me is that I am a foster dog, originally from Dogs Trust in Bridgend. I already had quite a few health problems when my Mum and Dad decided to foster me. I also live with my big brother Jonathan, who looks after me very well and always gives me lots of love and attention.

My main issue at first was the fact that I had cruciate problems, which means I had a damaged ligament in my knee. I feel ever so stiff on times, but once I'm up and about it gets better. I take daily medication to help with this and it really makes a difference. I have had the full basic care which includes all my vaccinations and I've been neutered. Another condition I have is problems with my skin, I'm very sensitive you know! My friends at Ash have done lots of tests, which always come complete with lots of cuddles, so I don't really mind. As it turns out I am allergic to........ dandelions, nettles, beech, olive, grass pollens, wheat and feathers to name a few!! I have a number of things to combat this including regular immunotherapy vaccines.

In November 2008 I developed a firework phobia. I heard all the loud bangs and booms one night and got ever so scared. I started to shiver and shake, and I didn't understand that the noises were just for fun. I became increasingly nervous and it got to the stage that I wouldn't go out to the loo on my own. My Mum spoke to Rachel, a vet at Ash who knows quite a lot about these things. With lots of good advice put into practice by my family I am now feeling much more confident.

Recently my eyes started to feel very itchy, so much so that I couldn't stop rubbing them. My Mum noticed the problem and whisked me straight down to my friends at Ash. They found I had masses on both my upper eyelids. We tried some medication at first but they continued to grow and the best option was to have an operation to remove them. My big brother Jonathan told me to be brave but I wasn't that nervous as we are old friends at Ash, and I was desperate for the itching to go away. I can remember having lots of cuddles on the day of my op and had lots of TLC when I arrived home. The itching has now stopped and I feel fine. What a relief!

I think my family and friends are wondering what next!! I think you'll agree I am a very lucky foster boy, you could say I've landed on my paws.

Love and licks, Kurt. xxx

DOUBLE TROUBLE!

Hello everyone! We are Tommy and Honey, and what a purrrrfect pair we are! We are brother and sister and the grand age of fourteen and a half years old. That makes us approximately 72 in human years. Don't you think we are looking well? We live with our Mum and Dad who look after us ever so well – what is it you all keep calling us?? SPOILT ROTTEN!!

Me first! Let me explain a little about myself. I'm Tommy and am a rather large ginger boy. Everyone keeps commenting on how handsome I am, so who am I to argue! I'll have to take their word for it though as I'm blind. I don't let it hold me back at all. I have an exellent memory for where everything is at home and get around with no problems at all. ( With a little help from Sis!) . I even manage to pay a visit to the folks next door!

I visit my friends at Ash on a regular basis as I'm on two sets of tablets that I have to take daily. I don't mind as they make me feel so much better. I also eat a special diet which gives my kidneys a helping hand. Mum keeps an eye on my weight too as that seems to go up and down. I was very brave when I had my dental work done. I had eleven teeth out in total! I've also had many blood tests to manage my health problems, so I'm on first name terms with all my Ash friends and my lovely vet Mrs Hatton.

At last I can get a word in! I'm Honey, Tommys sister. I'm the quieter one of the pair of us ( as you can probably tell! ). I am a ginger and white girl and a bit of a looker if I say so myself. I especially love to pose for the camera! Ash is like a second home to me as I've needed so much help over the years. I've had blood tests, scans and dentals, all to keep my health problems under control. I take daily medication like my brother, and also need a special diet too. I am fussy about what I eat though so sometimes I protest about it! I need my blood pressure taken on a regular basis, which I'm used to now. Mrs Hatton knows exactly what I'm like, I say shes very in tune with my feline needs!!

We have been visiting Ash Vets since we were little kittens, so we know everyone and everyone knows us!! Bye for now,

Love and licks,

Tommy and Honey
XX

Super Sam

Hello, my name is Sali Mali. I am part of Mel, the vets, family. I haven't always lived with them though, I used to be a stray. I am very happy not in general, but every now and then, my world turns upside down by these hideous loud bangs and squeals that happen at night. There's been a bad spell of it recently as you might have noticed. I think my family refer to them as “fireworks.” Most humans seem to think of them as entertainment, but I'm afraid I cannot agree! They terrify me.

My family do a lot to help me though. One thing they've done is to set up a den in the lounge for me. It's a safe place for me to hide when I'm scared. It's cosy and dark and no-one else is allowed in there.

They set it up for me last year when the fireworks were going off and I like it so much they've left it up for me all year round. They use a DAP diffuser near my kennel which is great, because it takes me back to those carefree days when I was a young puppy and my mum looked after my brothers and sisters. It really helps me relax. They give me some special tablets to help me chill out a bit. They say it's important for me to have these long before the fireworks start, so I take them all through October and into November. They're not sedatives though; being sleepy wouldn't help at all.

Have a chat with the nurses and vets at the surgery if you think your pet needs some help to cope with the fireworks. Don't forget, these things can help with other worries too, like thunder storms.

Hello everyone!

My name is Dodger and it suits me down to the ground as I love to get up to mischief! I am a handsome brown and white staffy, and I am now aged 4 years and 9 months. That would make me around 44 in human years, and I'm looking good! I live with my Mum and Dad and my brother Jack, who's a Welsh Springer Spaniel, and is the typical annoying little brother!

I've been visiting Ash Vets for a number of years after my Mum found me alone and wondering the streets. I was very lonely, but I knew I'd landed on my paws when my kind Mum took pity on me.

At the time I had sore ears, feet and a sore bottom! My Mum immediately brought me to the vets where the medicines they gave me made me feel so much better! I also had my vaccinations to make sure I didn't pick up certain other horrible illnesses. What a lucky boy I am! I've also been identichipped and stayed the day at the vets to be neutered. All I can remember of the day is all the ladies who work there giving me lots of cuddles and attention! They call me the cheeky charmer!!

Recently I gave everyone a scare when I managed to gobble up some rat poison!! Boy did my tummy hurt! I was so ill that I was rushed to the emergency cover Vets that evening, where I had xrays and a blood transfusion. I travelled back up to my vets in the veterinary ambulance, which made me feel like a bit of a celebrity! After more treatment I felt better quite quickly, much to everyones relief!

I continue to visit my friends at Ash vets as I have ongoing problems with my ears, but I really don't mind going. Everyone there knows me well, and I always get a cuddle from the ladies!

Love and licks,

                       Dodger.

 

Ted's Troubles!

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