BONESS E-NEWSLETTER MAY & JUNE 2011

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1 BONESS E-NEWSLETTER MAY & JUNE 2011 Call us anytime on Contents 1. The Latest News 2. Web Site Update Reminder Tara's Broken Heart 4. Laparoscopy - through the keyhole! 5. Refer Afriend 1. News, News A) Boness sponsors Barton Rovers FC - we sponsor BRFC every year and this Easter, on a lovely Monday afternoon, we were able to enjoy the sun and the game against Aylesbury United. Okay, the result wasn't quite what we wanted, but the team put on a good show and we had a great afternoon. We raised 160 for local pet charities. Julia presented a short eulogy for some of our pet heroes and heroines. There were a few tears but everyone enjoyed hearing about the recovery of the pets and their families. B) Yogi's Doggy Youth Club has now been running for four months. Some of the doggies have now completed the club and have learnt quite a few great social skills - especially during their play time with each other. C) June is microchipping month. We are holding our price at for the time being and, if you join Buster's Pet Health Club on the same day, we are giving you 5 off the microchip. D) Finally, we have now started offering laparoscopic procedures (keyhole surgery) for all our pets when appropriate. We are one of only thirty practices in the UK that offer this type of procedure. Laparoscopic procedures are considered to be safer and have shorter recovery times and cause less pain or discomfort to the patient. See our article later on... Have a good month, Jerry 2. Web Site Update Reminder Our all new website is now up and running. The address is but the old address redirects you there anyway. There are some really neat new features such as: Register yourself and your pets Book your appointments online Add pictures of your pets A pet symptom checker in case you think there is something wrong - please do still ring if you are unsure Our own blog A new and refreshed team page And of course some of the oldies but goodies including the Lost and Found pages Please mention our site to your friends, neighbours and colleagues. If you find any little bugs - please let me know asap.

2 Thanks, Jerry 3. Tara's Broken Heart - true story... We would like to introduce you to our German Shepherd Dog (GSD) Tara, who will be 6 on 12th August this year. We got Tara when she was 10 months old and, along with our other GSD, Khan, they love a Frisbee at play time. 10 weeks ago we were out over our local park with Tara and Khan. We threw Tara's Frisbee and, as usual she sped off after it, but unusually when she caught it, she dropped it and had what we can only describe as a very fleeting dizzy spell. In fact she looked exactly like a person would if he/she had stood up too quickly. We ran towards her, thinking she would fall over, but after a moment, she shook her head, picked up her Frisbee and ran off. It happened so quickly, we thought we had imagined it and the rest of her walk and play was uneventful. We resolved to keep an eye on her in case it happened again. Over the next couple of days Tara had her normal walks, along with her Frisbee and seemed fine. Then suddenly, 3 days later, we saw the same thing happen again. We were both worried and phoned the practice as soon as we got home. We explained our concerns and Julia's staff were great and managed to fit us in to the see the vet straight away that night. We took Tara to the new clinic in Flitwick where she saw Baldwin, who carried out the initial examination. We explained to him what we had seen and he gave her a thorough check over. After having a good listen to her heart, he commented that her heart-rate was very slow; our first reaction was to put it down to the fact that we had got her really fit (Frisbee fit) but Baldwin had measured it at 33 beats per minute and said "I have examined racing greyhounds with faster heart rates than this â if Tara were a human, she would be a candidate for a Pace-Maker". Baldwin did some blood tests and after the initial results Tara was referred to the Hospital in Barton-Le- Clay for an ECG. The ECG showed that she did indeed have a heart problem. Baldwin then referred her to a cardiology vet, Dr Nat Whitley at Davies Veterinary Specialists, who saw her initially within a couple of days on a Friday morning. Dr Whitley confirmed that Tara was a very poorly dog having diagnosed 3rd degree (or Complete) AV Block. This is a condition of the heart where the electrical signals which trigger the heart beat are blocked from reaching the lower part of the heart. He said "The only way her heart could be worse is if it actually stopped!!" He also commented on how thorough he thought our vets had been in checking Tara out and that virtually all the tests he would have needed to do had already been done. The following Wednesday, Tara was admitted to Davies and had a pacemaker fitted (from initial investigation to operating theatre in less than 8 days!!). The procedure went really well and Tara came home within a few days to recover from her operation. Her pacemaker was set initially to a fixed rate of 60 beats per minute whilst she was recovering. Even though we had to keep her on the lead, we couldn't believe how lively she was. After a couple of week's recuperation Tara's pacemaker was switched over to "sensor mode". The

3 pacemaker has a motion sensor (a bit like a Nintendo Wii) which detects when Tara is running around and increases her heart rate accordingly. Her heart now ranges from a minimum of 60 beats, right up to 130 beats per minute, depending on what she is doing. Her Pace Maker can be interrogated wirelessly, so data from it can be downloaded in order to monitor how it and Tara are performing (we were worried that it might be able to tell if she had been 'speeding'!). The latest data shows that she is 99.2% reliant on her pacemaker and will need it for the rest of her days. The battery life is estimated at 9 ½ years, so it will last her until she is nearly 15, a good age for a GSD. The pacemaker is located in Tara's neck, with the wire going into her jugular vein, then down through the aorta and into the right ventricle of her heart, which means we can no longer use a lead attached to her collar, but we think she looks lovely in her nice new red harness. We are now 9 weeks after her operation and Tara has just had a check-up. She has been 'signed off' for 6 months after which, Dr Whitley will want to see her for another check-up. She is eating well, running around playing and is so lively and happy; she has even put on a Kilo in weight. We feel immensely lucky to still have her and also fortunate that we got her insured as soon as we got her at 10 months old, so most of the bill was covered. The most important thing is we still have a very lively, funny, naughty and special member of our family. We would like to say a huge thank you to Julia, Baldwin and everyone at the hospital, for taking care of our girl so well and being so thorough and efficient at identifying her problem, getting all the tests done and sending her to such a great Cardiology Vet. Without them all, we have no doubt that Tara wouldn't be with us today. So a big thank you from us all for mending Tara's broken heart. Tracey, Phil, Khan and Tara If you have a good story to tell we would be pleased to hear it. If we publish your story we will give you a 30 voucher. 4. Laparoscopy - through the keyhole! INTRODUCING KEYHOLE SURGERY - your dog can now be neutered using keyhole surgery. If your dog is female and not already speyed, she can have her surgery done laparoscopically at the Hospital. Nearly all bitches can be done this way nowadays which means for them less pain and a more rapid recovery. We are the only veterinary practice in Bedfordshire and the surrounding area to perform this minimally invasive surgical technique. What is Keyhole Surgery? Keyhole surgery (otherwise known as laparoscopy) is a gentle alternative to open surgery. It is a method of carrying out an operation without having to make a large incision. To perform keyhole surgery, the surgeon makes very small incisions (usually around 5mm diameter) through the skin and muscles into the body, through which a tiny camera and long, slender, surgical instruments can be introduced to perform the surgery inside the body, with maximum precision and minimal invasion. Some of the laparoscopy instruments - the light from the camera can be clearly seen through the skin.

4 The camera images are transmitted to a video screen so the surgeon can see what he or she is doing greatly magnified. What are the advantages of Keyhole Surgery? Quicker recovery-most dogs will be back to normal the following day! Less painful for your pet Risk of infection is low-smaller wounds Faster healing time-smaller wounds It is minimally invasive and we have a magnified view of the internal organs Less risk of bleeding Less trauma Usually no external stitches Laparoscopic techniques have almost entirely replaced conventional surgery in humans and it has been established that human patients suffer less pain. The same has now been proven for our pets. This is a safer, less invasive method of surgery that will give your pet much smaller wounds, less post operative pain and discomfort and a quicker recovery. In a conventional spey, a large incision is made to allow the surgeon good view and both the uterus and the ovaries are removed (ovariohysterectomy). Although this is an everyday procedure, it is major surgery as anyone who has had a hysterectomy will know! However, with keyhole surgery the surgeon has an excellent visualisation through the camera during the operation, usually only the ovaries are removed (ovariectomy) and the surgeon can be certain that there are no complications before the wounds are stitched. An operation in progress with the internal view on the monitor. Frequently asked Questions How old does my pet need to be to have keyhole surgery? At least 5-6 months old Does my pet need to have had a season before she can have a keyhole spey? No Can any animal have laparoscopy? No, we do not currently perform keyhole speys on bitches that weigh less than 7Kg. Not every animal is a suitable candidate-very small or overweight animals are not usually suitable. Can male dogs be neutered by keyhole techniques? Only those that have one or both testicles retained inside their abdomen benefit from this procedure. Are there any possible complications? There are less potential complications because the internal organs can be seen so well in magnification via the camera so any bleeding can be dealt with quickly. In rare circumstances it may be necessary to convert a keyhole spey to a conventional one.

5 Is there any limit on age? The procedure is safe in both young and geriatric patients. What is the difference in effect between ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy? The effect of both types of surgery is the same-speyed bitches will not have seasons, cannot become pregnant and will not develop false pregnancies. Speyed bitches cannot develop life threatening womb infections (pyometra) or ovarian tumours. The risk of developing mammary cancer is also greatly reduced by both operations. The ovary just being removed Some other procedures that can be done by Keyhole Surgery: Liver, kidney, pancreatic and intestinal biopsies Retained testicle removal Gastropexy to prevent gastric dilation and torsion in large breeds Adrenalectomy Gall bladder removal Julia Boness MRCVS 5. Refer A Friend - Worth 15 To You As always we would be pleased if you would let your friends, colleagues and family know about us and what we can offer their pets. We have Refer-A-Friend leaflets in the practice for you to take and give away. All new patients can get a pre-registration healthy pet check completely FREE of charge. AND when they get the pre-registration healthy pet check, if they tell us who you are, we will credit 15 to your account.