Services

We are always available to see your pet if they are not well. As well as diagnosing the condition the vet team will carry out any medical tests required and administer or prescribe medication. If your pet requires additional diagnostic testing or more specialist help, our vets can schedule the appropriate tests and appointments for you.

Pet health checks

All pets benefit from annual check ups. Regular health checks can help us find any problems in the early stages so they can be treated before causing illness. A health check includes an evaluation of all of your pet’s major organ systems. It is also a good opportunity for our vets to note any changes such as weight gain or loss, or for us to spot any subtle changes that may not be evident at home.

We will also ask you questions about your pet’s behaviour – such as exercise habits and appetite. It is an excellent opportunity for us to discuss any routine tests that may benefit your pet. We will also recommend any vaccinations that may be due, preventative measures against fleas, ticks and worms, as well as give advice on dental care and nutrition.

For pets entering their senior years we may recommend regular blood tests to check how their major organs are functioning. A pet health check is also your chance to ask questions or tell us your concerns about your pet. You are also welcome to attend our nurse clinics.

We at Adams Vets feel that prevention is better than cure and vaccinating your pet is one of the most important yet easiest ways of caring for your pet's health.

Many illnesses pets suffer with are preventable - for example those that can be vaccinated against. A simple vaccination course and booster vaccination given each year can help protect your pet against many (often fatal) diseases. It is the easiest and yet the most effective way of protecting your pet.

Vaccinations are available for dogs, cats, rabbits and ferrets. Usually your pet will require an initial vaccination course and then an annual booster every year. Vaccinating your pet is important - many diseases that are preventable by vaccination can kill your pet or run up very expensive vet bills due to hospital isolation costs.

Vaccines are available from 6 weeks in dogs, 9 weeks in cats and 12 weeks in rabbits.

Cats and dogs

Worming is very important at all stages of your pet's life, your pet can pick up worms from a variety of different methods. Worm eggs can be ingested by your pet when grooming following a walk, from fleas or eating infected prey animals or meat, and is also passed to puppies and kittens through the placenta in the womb and via milk from their mother when feeding. Worm eggs can remain infective in the environment for up to 2 years.

A worm burden can be particularly harmful to puppies and kittens, leading to vomiting/diarrhoea, failure to thrive, intestinal obstruction and even death.

Worms in adult animals may cause skin problems, coughing, difficulty breathing and in rare cases death. The roundworm Toxocara (most common worm in puppies) presents a public health risk as when ingested in large quantities in humans it can, in rare cases, cause blindness, with children particularly at risk.

Rabbits

E.cuniculi is a parasite that lives inside cells and attacks the central nervous system and internal organs e.g. kidney, heart, liver and lung. It is a very common parasite; approximately 50% of pet rabbits in the UK either have the parasite lying dormant (not causing disease) or have had the infection and cleared it.

The spores of the parasite are shed in urine from all rabbits and rodents once infected. The spores are then spread in food and water that have been contaminated. Commonly the infection is passed from mother to young. As the infection does not always cause symptoms of disease the infection can spread without the owner knowing it.

The most common symptom of E.cuniculi that we see in pet rabbits is a head tilt and falling over. Sometimes the symptoms are severe and the rabbit can be fitting, but usually the symptoms can be managed. Some rabbits get cataracts (white discolouration of the eye), kidney disease and urinary incontinence.

Worm prevention

Puppies and kittens

We recommend that all puppies and kittens are regularly wormed from 2 weeks of age until 6 months.

Adult dogs and cats

We recommend that all adult pets are wormed every 3 months.

Pregnant bitches

Pre-natal infection in pups may be controlled prior to whelping with Fenbendazole from the 42nd day of pregnancy to 2 days post whelping.

Rabbits

At the moment there is not very much research into E. cuniculi. The best preventative measure we can currently recommend is a 9 day course of Panacur Paste for Rabbits every 6 months. If your rabbit has had E.cuniculi diagnosed previously, then treat every 3 months. If you are going to be moving house or getting a new rabbit then we recommend that you treat for 9 days again.

Panacur Rabbit is an aid in the control of E. cuniculi and it is recommended that additional preventative measures are taken such as ensuring that food and water are placed appropriately to prevent urine contamination.

Flea prevention and treatment

Fleas are blood-sucking parasites that can make life miserable for pets and their owners. They can cause:

• intense itching and scratching, which can result in hair loss
• Flea Allergy Dermatitis - a very common and unpleasant skin condition caused by an allergy to flea saliva
• tapeworm infestation anaemia in puppies and kittens.

They're a common problem, with 1 in 5 cats and 1 in 10 dogs having fleas. And fleas multiply fast - just one female flea can lay 50 eggs a day, so it can take as little as 21 days for one flea to become 1000.

Prevention

We recommend that you regularly treat your pet with a veterinary flea treatment - not all 'spot on' treatments are the same. The staff at Adams Vets are trained to advise you on the most suitable products available for your pets.

We also recommend that you vacuum your house regularly and wash all your pet's bedding at 60°C to prevent environmental infestation.

Treatment

Most flea treatments are available as a ‘spot on’ preparation. The products available from veterinary surgeries are different from those sold elsewhere. We have many owners visiting the surgery each year distressed that the flea treatment bought from ‘somewhere else’ hasn’t worked as fleas continue to become immune to older flea preparations and collars.

If you are worried that your pet has fleas, if you have found fleas on your pet or if you or other family members are being bitten by fleas please contact the surgery for free advice.

Adams Vets offers a wide range of surgical services. Our vets are highly skilled surgeons and we continue to provide the best in veterinary medicine.

Before any surgery we will discuss with you in depth, what is involved in the procedure and answer any questions or concerns you may have. From spaying and neutering to more complex procedures, such as treating arthritis and hip dysplasia, we are pleased to offer the full range of surgical and dental services at both our practices.

Dental surgery

Maintaining healthy teeth and gums and avoiding periodontal disease is important for a long and healthy life for your pet. Our dental equipment means fast and efficient dental procedures.

Caring for your pet

We understand your concern when pets need to come in for surgery. Our focus on anesthetic safety, the latest surgical practices and providing post-operative care and pain management will put your concerns to rest. We make sure all our patients are as comfortable as possible during their procedure and recovery. The Adams Vets nursing staff are caring and diligent, treating each pet as their own. We will keep you informed of your pet’s progress at all times.

Aftercare

When your pet is ready to come home we will go through their post-operative care and medication instructions with you. We understand that surgery can be a time of anxiety and stress for pet owners. If you have any concerns after your pet returns home or during the post-operative period please call us. We want to do all we can to help your pet recover fully.

Castration (of male pets) and spaying (of female pets) can be done from 6 months old.

Male dogs 

Un-castrated male dogs are more likely to be disobedient and also mount inappropriate objects such as your leg, cushions and even small children! Castration prevents tumours of the testicles and prostate problems in later life.

Female dogs

An adult female will come into season at least once every year, this can be quite disruptive for an owner as she will get a lot of unwanted attention from male dogs. Early neutering can prevent mammary tumours and womb infections that occur in later life; these conditions can be life threatening to your pet as well as resulting in costly surgical fees. 

Male cats

Cats are territorial animals, and male cats will wander about their territory marking areas with foul smelling urine. The urine is passed as a ‘spraying jet’ up trees, bushes etc but may also include parts of your house - e.g. furniture, doors, beds etc! Having your male cat neutered can help to make him less territorial and therefore prevent spraying. Males will also wander in search of a mate often going missing for days or even weeks - he may get into fights with other males, causing wounds which may form into abcesses, or worse transmit serious viral infections such as feline AIDS. Wandering may also cause your male cat to be injured in a road traffic accident. Statistics show that of all the cats killed on roads, most are uncastrated males.

Female cats

During her season, you may notice your cat's behaviour changes - she may become very nervous and hide away or she may seek attention all the time. She may roll about on her back and yowl to advertise that she is in season, and she may even begin to spray her territory. This is all to attract a male and an unneutered female cat can reproduce at an alarming rate! A healthy female can breed from the age of 6 months with 5 or 6 kittens in a litter as many as 3 times a year! In five years, a single unneutered female could be responsible for 90 unwanted kittens of her own, and 20,000 descendants! Would you be prepared to try to find good homes for all these kittens?

In some circumstances however, bringing your pet to us enables us to provide the optimum treatment as most equipment and resources are based at the practice. Home visits are available by appointment.

Cleveland Studios UK specialise in personalised pet name tags. They use the highest quality materials available, which are all sourced from UK suppliers.

The personalised pet name tags are produced to the highest quality standards and are made to your specification by a team of time served and highly skilled people.

There is a range of materials and finishes available for your personalised pet name tag including brass, acrylic and a specially developed material - nicron - which is a silver coloured metal tag.

Adams Vets have the full range of personalised pet name tags for you to choose from in our surgery at Church Road. Order forms are available and items will be posted to your home.