Over the last year, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to fine-tune our brand, reflecting our commitment to providing the highest standards of modern, independent veterinary care. Today’s the day we can finally share the results with you all!
With over 20 years under our belts, it was time for us to review the St Kitts brand and give it a little refresh to best express who we are as a team today. It also coincided with the opening of our new state-of-the-art veterinary clinic in Basingstoke, further reinforcing our desire to come up with a look that would follow us along for this next stage in our journey.
Our look may have changed, but that’s all! We’re still us – the amazing team you’re familiar with, providing the same levels of incredible service that you’ve come to expect.
During the course of the next few months, we’ll gradually be switching to our new logo online and in practice. We won’t be saying goodbye to our old logo just yet though – staff uniforms and stationery with the old branding will remain until all are used up to help prevent any waste. So, expect to see the best of both logos for the time being.
We hope you like our new look and want to thank you all for your continued support. We can’t wait to take you and your pets on this next stage in our journey together!
As part of our commitment to providing advanced care to our patients, we have invested in state-of-the-art Computer Tomography (CT) Scanning facilities.
Veterinary CT scans are non-invasive and give us highly detailed images of our patients’ bodies, from the tips of their noses to the ends of their tails. We can closely observe tissue, muscles, organs and bones to help identify the cause of potential problems, such as fractures or tumours.
Though external examinations can give a lot of indications as to the cause of internal injuries or ailments, often a CT scan can help to confirm or clarify a diagnosis and the best course of treatment to proceed with.
CT scans can be used to diagnose:
Veterinary CT scans work much in the same way as they do for humans. The main difference is that your pet will need to be sedated or anaesthetised during the procedure, as they need to remain completely still for the images to be accurate.
CT works by using a continuous beam of X-rays which rotate around a circular, doughnut-shaped structure called a gantry. As your pet is moved through the gantry, the scanner completely circles their bodies and builds up a number of X-rays. These are then used to form a series of 3D images that our veterinary surgeons will use for their diagnoses.
The procedure is very quick and incredibly safe. Your pet’s welfare is monitored throughout and they will be able to recover under the supervision of our highly trained veterinary nurses once it is complete.
Our Basingstoke practice is currently the only first opinion vet in the area with CT scanning facilities. However, all of our practices work closely together to arrange referrals for pets when required. If you have any questions about veterinary CT scans, contact your local practice who will be happy to help.
We are happy to accept referrals from other veterinary practices for CT scans. For referrals, please give us a call on 01256 844944 or email vet@basingstokevet.co.uk.
Pufulete, an adorable 6-year-old Ragdoll, was brought in to see vet Kristina where X-rays identified a short oblique fracture to his left hindlimb. The fracture of the tibia and fibula was further complicated by displacement (where the bone breaks in two and moves out of alignment), which had caused shortening of his leg.
After consulting with Pufulete’s owner on the best course of action, his implant was ordered and he was booked in for his op the following week. Vet Kristina carried out the repair procedure at our Firgrove practice, where she placed a minimal contact compression locking plate with cortical screws to help reduce the fracture.
Pufulete was back walking on the leg later that same day, and was able to go home with pain relief.
A few days after the op, Pufulete was back to see Kristina after injuring himself. Fortunately, as it was only a small wound, it could be treated with antibiotics and managed by his owner from home.
During his post-op checks at 5 and 7 weeks, we were delighted to see he was recovering brilliantly. He already had about 80% use of his leg at 5 weeks, with our 7 week X-rays showing the fracture healing nicely.
Vet Steve Williams and the team at our Hartley Wintney practice have been providing cardiology services for our patients for the last 10 years. Steve has a particular interest in veterinary cardiology and has undergone extensive training in the area, including both practical courses and online study. He is keen to see any veterinary cardiology cases from cats and Chihuahuas through to Great Danes.
All cardiology investigations are performed using modern specialist equipment, including high quality ECG, X-rays and ultrasound. With this equipment, we can:
Our team are able to diagnose the cause of most heart problems that are seen in general practice, including:
Mitral Valve Disease is condition where degeneration of the valve on the left side of the heart leads to backwards leakage of blood. This can cause a heart murmur heard by a vet during examinations. It’s the most common type of heart disease in dogs and is especially prevalent in small breeds such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Though it’s less common, we do see cases of dilated cardiomyopathy, which typically affects larger breeds of dog such as Dobermans and Irish Wolfhounds. The condition causes the heart muscle to become thin, weak and floppy.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is the most common type of heart disease found in cats, where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick and causes the chambers inside to narrow. It makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood properly and can lead to an irregular heartbeat. The disease can also cause blood clots to form inside the heart.
Despite the increasing use of ultrasound in veterinary cardiology, other diagnostic treatments remain incredibly important. X-rays are often used to fully evaluate the chest and can offer more information about the lungs, whereas ECG can be an essential tool to diagnoses cardiac diseases that affect the heart’s rhythm. One such disease that is not uncommon in the patients we see is Atrial Fibrillation.
As part of our offering to patients, we can set dogs up with Holter ECG Monitors which are worn in a jacket to record the heart’s rhythm over longer periods at home.
All vets within our group are in regular contact with Steve regarding heart cases. If your pet is seen at another practice, it is straightforward to arrange a referral to him should it be needed. Please get in touch with your local practice if you have any concerns about your pet.
We have some exciting news to share… The doors to our brand new Basingstoke clinic will open on Monday 6th February!
Over the past few months, significant progress has been made in the run up to our official opening. We’ve introduced new-look window graphics (featuring our refreshed branding, coming soon), continued work on the interior and taken delivery of Basingstoke’s only vet CT scanner!
As the only vets in the town with a CT scanner, it will allow our team to get the most detailed look at our patients’ bodies, from the tips of their noses to the ends of their tails. We can closely observe their organs, muscles, bones and other internal areas in order to help us identify the cause of potential problems, such as bone fractures and tumours.
The new 3400 sq ft clinic will house plenty more facilities too, including:
To celebrate the opening, we’ll be holding an Open Day event on Saturday 11th February. The Mayor and Mayoress of Basingstoke will be joining us on the day for an official ribbon cutting ceremony, which will be followed by a tour for clients who would like to view the new facilities.
The new clinic is located just next door to our current practice, so you’ll know exactly where to find us. We hope to see you there on the day!
Exercising your puppy is an essential part of their growth and development. Not only does it help them stay physically fit, but it provides mental stimulation to help them socialise with other dogs and people, encourages confidence and is a chance to reward good behaviour.
However, there is such a thing as too much exercise! In this blog, we’ll explore the problems caused by too much exercise and provide top tips for exercising your puppy in a healthy way.
There are plenty of great ways to let your puppy burn off some energy and remain active and healthy, including play time! We recommend:
The length of time you should spend walking your puppy will depend on their size, breed, age and energy levels – but for all puppies it’s important to limit exercising to short sessions.
We advise starting off with short walks around the block and gradually increasing the distance as they build up their stamina and fitness levels slowly.
It’s best to consult your vet for specific recommendations for your puppy.
Tug of war and retrieving games will provide plenty of physical and mental stimulation, as well as help to strengthen your bond with your puppy.
Using a food dispensing toy or Kong, is also another great form of exercise, with the added benefit of making meal times fun.
It’s important to make sure your puppy takes frequent breaks and be sure to offer plenty of praise and treats for good behaviour.
Exercising when unvaccinated
It’s important to remember, whilst your puppy is not fully vaccinated, exercising should be done at home to prevent picking up any nasty bugs, just make sure your garden is puppy-proofed!
To get your puppy used to new surroundings, smells and other people and dogs, you can carry them, or take trips in the car.
Your puppy is still developing, so you need to avoid strenuous activities, such as long walks, or any sustained exercise, like running or cycling, until they are fully grown.
High impact exercise such as jumping, twisting and skidding is a big no-no too. Puppies under 3 months should also not be attempting to climb or use stair, so we recommend fixing a stair gate by the bottom step if this could be a problem in your home.
Too much exercise or high impact activities whilst your puppy is young could risk permanent damage to their joints and bones, which can lead to conditions such as arthritis and hip dysplasia.
Puppies’ joints need sufficient time for their growth plates to fuse before they are ready for high intensity exercise and high impact activities. This varies by breed; most dogs are fully grown by one year, but larger breeds such as Greyhounds, Labradors, Dobermans and Great Danes can take up to 2 years to reach full size.
Some breeds are also at higher risk of joint problems, like hip dysplasia, so should be exercised sensibly to prevent issues. It’s also important to feed your puppy healthy and appropriate meal sizes, to avoid them putting on weight, which will put more pressure on their joints.
Speak to your vet for advice if you are worried about your puppy’s joints.
Puppies are generally bouncy and full of enthusiasm, so it may be hard to spot signs that they are becoming tired or doing damage to their bones and joints. This is why it’s important to keep exercise sessions short and encourage regular breaks.
As your pup grows and gets older, the duration of the walks can be increased. Consult your vet for specific recommendations for your puppy.
There’s a fine balance between too much exercise and not enough. Limiting your puppy’s exercise too much could cause boredom, frustration and lead to behavioural problems.
But equally, puppies’ attention spans are short and they can become bored with lengthy exercise sessions.
Puppies have soft paws and it takes time for their pads to toughen up.
Overexercising your puppy will result in sore paws, so to prevent this keep sessions short and vary the surfaces you exercise your puppy on.
If you would like more specific advice about exercising your puppy, please get in touch with your local St Kitts practice.
St Kitts Veterinary Centre: 01252 844044
Basingstoke Veterinary Centre: 01256 844944
Crookham Park Veterinary Centre: 01252 913990
Firgrove Veterinary Centre: 01252 877799
Dogs have been ‘man’s best friend’ for hundreds of years, but did you know there’s far more to them than meets the eye? We spoke with the team at St Kitts to find out some of their favourite facts about dogs – some of which may surprise you!
The area of cells in the brain that detect different smells is about 40 times larger in dogs than it is in humans, which means they can pick up on so many more scents than we ever could. Because their sense of smell is so good, some pooches can be trained to detect medical conditions or alert their owners if they need more medication.
Studies have shown that like us, most dogs have a preferred hand (well, paw). You can figure out if your dog is left or right-pawed by giving them their favourite toy and seeing which paw they use to help them first.
Greyhounds are the fastest breed of dog in the world, thanks to their long legs, flexible spine, large heart and fast-twitch muscles. Like a cheetah, they run in a “double suspension gallop”, which means each hind leg follows the foreleg and all four feet leave the ground.
With the ability to learn over 100 words and gestures, a dog’s level of intelligence puts them on par with a two-year-old – though they’re much easier to train!
Research has shown that a dog gazing into our eyes, and us looking into theirs, contributes to the release of oxytocin (otherwise known as the “love” hormone) on both sides.
The Labrador Retriever consistently appears near the top of the list of the most popular breeds every year. In 2021, a huge 61,559 were registered in the UK alone!
Paul McCartney confirmed that the band added a frequency to their “A Day in the Life” track that only dogs can hear. His advice is: “If you ever play ‘Sgt Pepper’ [the album] watch your dog.”
According to UFAW, between 15-30% of Dalmatians are deaf in one ear, while 5% are deaf in both. It’s caused by something called the “extreme piebald gene”, which is responsible for their white coat and their blue eyes (in some of them).
We share a lot more with our furry friends than you may think! Much like human fingerprints, each pooch’s nose has a one-of-a-kind pattern of creases and ridges.
Despite the staying power of the belief that dogs live in a black and white world, scientists have demonstrated that this isn’t true. They can see shades of blue, yellow and grey, but reds, greens and oranges are missing from their spectrum. If you find that your dog often prefers blue and yellow toys, this is probably why!
For more advice on your dog, or for any other concerns you may have, please get in touch with your local St Kitts practice.
St Kitts Veterinary Centre: 01252 844044
Basingstoke Veterinary Centre: 01256 844944
Crookham Park Veterinary Centre: 01252 913990
Firgrove Veterinary Centre: 01252 877799
It’s been an exciting few months for the team here at St Kitts Vets! We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to finalise plans for our brand new clinic for Basingstoke Veterinary Centre and are delighted to share that building work is well underway.
Our new 3400 sq ft, purpose-built clinic will more than treble the size of the branch, enabling us to continue to provide our clients with exceptional levels of service and care. It will boast various modern facilities, including:
As the new clinic will be located in the old Cutting Edge Fabrics building at Brighton Hill Parade, we won’t be moving far – just next door, in fact!
Work is due to be completed early in 2023, but keep your eyes peeled for progress updates here on our website and over on our Facebook page.
We are incredibly excited to open the doors next year and can’t wait to welcome many new and familiar faces in for a tour!
This summer, you may have spotted some of our team spending their warm and sunny weekends at the fetes that were held across our local area. On our stalls we had lots of goodies up for grabs as part of our raffles to help us raise money for Canine Partners – an amazing charity that pairs specially trained assistance dogs with people who have physical disabilities.
Thanks to a brilliant team effort and the generosity of all of you, our wonderful local friends, we were able to raise over £286! We recently welcomed Lynda Mellor from the charity to Crookham Park, to collect the money that had been raised.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to all staff who helped prepare for the fetes beforehand and helped out on the big days. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Canine Partners rely solely on donations to help continue their incredible work. We first learned of the charity when our Hartley Wintney clinic met Canine Partner, Tia. As a working dog, the charity take special care in ensuring that Tia had regular health checks, including a full ‘MOT’ a couple of times a year (which she passed with flying colours every time!).
Tia enabled her ‘partner’ to lead an independent life, helping with many tasks around the home and travelling far and wide – including studying for a Masters Degree at Exeter University before heading to Scotland. This miraculous transformation from house bound to independence is only possible with Tia’s gentle care and assistance.
More recently, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing the lovely Hartley grow up. He’s a Labrador X Golden Retriever cross, born in September 2021, and will soon complete his first year of training with a volunteer Puppy Parent under the guidance of a Puppy Instructor from the charity.
Each partnership costs £30,000 from selection as a puppy, right through to the dog’s retirement. When Hartley passes his specialist training around September 2023, he’ll be partnered with one of the many people waiting for a working assistance dog.
All your kind donations are supporting Hartley on his journey!
If you’d like to find our more about the charity, visit https://caninepartners.org.uk/.
For some pets (and their owners), a trip to the vet can be daunting; conjuring up a mixture of emotions, from feeling anxious and nervous, to stressed. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
In this blog, we’ve put together some top tips to ease your pet’s anxiety, so your next trip is as calm and stress-free as possible:
A good place to start is getting your pet used to being handled, so it doesn’t come as a shock at their appointment.
It’s worth performing mock examinations at home, inspecting their paws, teeth and ears on a daily basis. As well as touching their legs, head, chest and lifting their tail. Giving them a massage and lots of positive reinforcement can help to make it an enjoyable experience.
Once your pet is comfortable with you handling them, ask family members or friends to do the same, to help them get used to different people.
If you’ll be using a crate to transport your pet to the vets, start introducing them to it early on to minimise any anxiety.
Leave the crate in a safe place, like your living room or bedroom, with the door open and toys or treats inside, so your pet can enter the crate freely.
It may take days or weeks until they are comfortable and confident to enter willingly. Make sure it is a positive experience, so don’t force them into the crate, or leave it until the day of the vet’s visit.
Try to take your pet out in the car to visit different locations, so they don’t just associate getting in the car with a trip to the vets.
To make the trip to the vets easier, it’s beneficial to familiarise your pet with the setting – from the smells, to the experience of being with other animals and staff. A good way to do this is to attend regularly for non-invasive, routine check-ups, like getting your pet weighed. You can even ask your local St Kitts practice if you can pop in to get your pet used to the environment, when it’s not too busy.
If your pet is particularly anxious and it worsens around other animals or humans, it’s a good idea to try and book your appointment for a quieter time of day. It will also mean less waiting time, which will help to reduce stress levels.
It’s good to come armed with plenty of your pet’s favourite treats to reward calm behaviour. This positive reinforcement works best after they’ve had their checks and treatments, but can be given for entering the crate willingly, being well-behaved on the journey and waiting nicely, to help alleviate any stress from the situation.
Your pet can pick up on any anxious behaviour, so keeping your body language and voice calm will help to reassure your pet.
Try to avoid stressful situations too; leaving plenty of time to get to your appointment is a simple way to reduce stress on the day.
Packing a toy, their usual blanket or bed, will provide a familiar smell of home, which can be soothing for your pet, especially if they are having a longer stay.
Bringing your pet’s favourite toy can help to distract them during the appointment, especially if they are having a procedure done, like a temperature check.
If your pet finds being at the vets stressful, turn it into a positive experience by taking them outside to play and have fun together – just ask to be called when it’s your turn.
Having distance from other anxious animals will help to keep your pet calm, so instead of waiting inside for your pet’s prescription or medication, head outside to play again and keep the experience positive.
You can book an appointment online for your local St Kitts practice or, alternatively, give one of our branches a call to speak with the team.
St Kitts Veterinary Centre: 01252 844044
Basingstoke Veterinary Centre: 01256 844944
Crookham Park Veterinary Centre: 01252 913990
Firgrove Veterinary Centre: 01252 877799
