Arran Vets

02/04/2026

Easter opening times at Arran Vets .
Good Friday 3rd April .Closed Emergencies only
Saturday 4 th April .Open 9.30 to 12
Easter Sunday .Closed Emergencies only
Easter Monday .Open as usual 9-6
01770 302511 for help .
Happy Easter from Skip who is saying , ‘ hide the Easter Eggs out of reach of dogs , enjoy some spring walks but beware of bee stings and adder bites in the Glens and remember tick protection !
Charlotte Clough MRCVS

25/03/2026

Two rather sorrowful looking pups regretting swallowing things they shouldn’t have !
Young teething puppies are often frantic to chew anything and everything and can end up commonly swallowing bones , balls , socks , tights, underwear ,plastic squeakers out of toys and stones .
In this case Leo , a lively young collie , ironically chewed up his slow feeder mat at the end of Feb. One larger part of this became stuck in and blocked his small intestine.
After great team work from Matt , Gemma and Ellis the plastic was removed from his gut and after another setback he fully recovered . Unfortunately he still likes to chew everything . Some repeat offenders need to wear a muzzle when out and about for a period , especially stone swallowers .

Back in October a visitor to the island , lovely Bea Haynes the spaniel , had swallowed a corn on the cob from a BBQ weeks before her holiday on Arran . After sitting in the stomach all that time it made its way into small intestine during her stay here and caused a blockage . She made a good recovery after surgery and was able to go home .
The fibrous cylindrical centre of corn on the cob is a common foreign body in dogs as it is just the right size to block the gut . It also does not show up too well on X-ray .
Chunks of kelp stalks and knotted bladderwrack can also cause blockages to seaweed eating dogs and large peach or nectarine stones can also be a problem .

It is surprising what dogs manage to pass out of their gut but it pays to be vigilant and teach them to drop things into your hand and get a fun reward or to ‘Leave it’ if they’re at a distance on a walk .
Charlotte Clough MRCVS

18/03/2026

Expectant Herdwick ewes Kildonan this week . Lambing has already started on Arran . It is important to keep your dog on a lead at all times near or in livestock fields or on the hill and help farmers care for their sheep.
Even the most docile ,loving dog can bark at , chase or grab a running sheep if off the lead . This can cause abortion , separation of lambs from the ewe , injuries as heavily pregnant ewes run , crowd together or get caught in fences gates or ditches . This is termed sheep worrying and is a criminal offence in Scotland .
Choose forestry paths instead to walk your dog .
I do not wish to have to euthanase any lambs or ewes with distressing injuries in 2026 , a grim
experience for me and heart breaking for the farmers . They have invested so much time , money and care to get their ewes to lambing time and this is obviously also a loss to their livelihood .
Charlotte Clough MRCVS

07/03/2026

Meet Luna , a tiny Jack Russell from Lochranza , who is already devoted to her twin new pups.
Born by ceasar just before midnight on Monday she started licking their faces as soon as she woke up enough from the anaesthetic to lift her head .
Ellis and I were delighted to see the pups active and suckling before they left the surgery .
Although some studies found no difference in the ancient belief that delivery dates are related to the phases of the moon , a study in 2020 did find that there were more natural night time births on full moonlit nights and the recent full moon which I’d happened to photograph Monday morning was certainly very bright !
Charlotte Clough MRCVS

05/03/2026

Two of the otter cubs that they mention , that are in the care of the SPCA National Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre , are the ones from Merkland and Clauchlands Arran .
They have called the Clauchlands otter ‘Yuri’ rather than Nippy but they report that he’s still quick to nip and always very hungry !

https://news.stv.tv/scotland/scottish-spca-caring-for-unusual-number-of-abandoned-otters?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQWOcBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeu_wTI_JEeT3X0vb8ejSNRWxwaZDiPfLBsmht4gvkSlFa7fQ1AW67O7OLVtM_aem_vTaJXY0i99N-P4CLSPRyjQ

The National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Alloa currently has 12 otters undergoing rehabilitation

21/02/2026

Nurse clinics at Arran Vets .
Ellis Mckelvie is our highly skilled RVN ( Registered Veterinary Nurse ) and is able to take appointments mid afternoons Monday to Thursday and also alongside the vet appointments Thursday and Friday mornings.
These allow the vets to have more time to concentrate on ill animals / visits and will also keep prices down for clients for the following more routine procedures .
Ellis is very happy to see pets for the following :
🐾 changing dressings.
🐾 second puppy and kitten vaccines when an animal has been checked by one of our vets at the first vaccination .
🐾Post operative checks and suture removal.
🐾Monthly arthritis injections for cats and dogs when they are well and stable and this has been prescribed by a vet.
🐾 Nail clips . Dogs ,cats and small furries.
🐾 Emptying a**l glands in dogs .
🐾 Weight loss advice and monitoring diet for dogs and cats .
🐾Removing ticks .
🐾 Applying ear or eye drops prescribed by a vet .
🐾 Emergency first aid .

Arran Vets 01770 302511
Charlotte Clough MRCVS

19/02/2026

Phase 6 of Scotland’s BVD eradication scheme started on Feb 1 st 2026
1. Any cattle herd that has not completed their compulsory annual testing within 13 months will be subject to restrictions ( no moves onto holding ) and publicly listed on ScotEID .
2. All calves born on or after 01/02/2026 to a female cow that joined the herd pregnant must have BVD negative status by 40 days old . This can be by tissue tag or blood sample .
All the farms that I am working with on Arran are currently BVD negative status and have been due some years now , which is excellent news.
Charlotte Clough MRCVS

01/02/2026

*** Thanks everyone . The otter now has a lift with Fee to meet the SSPCA van in Troon . Hope it’s a smooth crossing for her ! Very grateful ******
Help needed please for taking this young otter pup on the 9.40 ferry to Troon tomorrow .
She was found near Clauchlands , Lamlash on Friday , very thin and weak . She’s probably 8 weeks old and weighs 1 kg .
The SSPCA will kindly collect her at Troon to take her to Fishcross wildlife Centre for long term rehabilitation. Location to be arranged
She’ll be in a secure carrier and can stay in a car boot , well wedged to prevent the cage sliding about .
If the inspector is called to emergency , as occurred the last time I did this , there may be a little wait . I still made it back onto
the same ferry to go back by return however .
I’m looking after her at the surgery for the weekend , along with another in patient , and I’ve called her ‘ Nippy ‘ after more than a few bites from her ,fortunately ,tiny teeth .
Many thanks in advance if you can help
Charlotte Clough MRCVS

18/01/2026

This entire ,male, tabby cat, of less than one year of age , was found yesterday evening on the shore near Clauchlands point at Lamlash.
He has no collar or microchip and jumped into the sea and started swimming to try and escape .
He is recovering well and eating now .
If he is your cat please contact the surgery on 01770 302511 otherwise he will be looking for a home and will be microchipped and castrated .

22/12/2025

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from all the team at Arran Vets and these very special festive four animals .
At the top 19 year old Ricky Fulton with Christmas bells on his bridle ! He’s followed by Angus Umbrassa , with a Christmas bow , a 10 week old Maine C**n kitten .
Third is Jim Keenan , Ellis’s , 1 year old cat , about to rapidly escape from his Christmas jumper and finally , 4 year old pony Winnie Mcconaghy looking very fine in her Christmas Llama blanket !

I have lovely news to share from Fishcross SSPCA wildlife centre today .

Selkie , the first , ill seal pup from
Blackwaterfoot , is taking hand feeds and chewing fish well. Outside now with a friend .
They’ve called the otter pup from Merkland ‘Rosa’.
“She is now 1.77kg (came in end of Nov at 1.1kg) Eating like a trooper and is currently in the process of being paired with another otter. Will be moved to outside aviary when bigger than 3kg’’

Many thanks to all our lovely clients for your support this year and all your very kind cards and presents . They are much appreciated .

We remember all the special animals that reached the end of their life this year and are thinking of you, their owners . After 10.5 years at the surgery now these pets felt like family to me too .

We will be closed Christmas Day , Boxing Day , New years Day and 2nd January , otherwise open as normal . Phone 01770 302511 in an emergency.

Sending all best wishes for 2026 , when it comes.
Charlotte Clough MRCVS

12/12/2025

Repeat prescriptions:
Plan in advance for the Christmas break .
Please put your orders in by email [email protected] or phone 01770 302511 as soon as possible .
We will be closed Christmas Day 25 th Dec , Boxing Day 26th then Jan 1st and Jan 2nd .
For emergencies on those days please phone 01770 302511 for the number of the vet on call .
We will be open as usual Sat mornings the 27 th December and 3rd January between 9.30 and 12 am only .

27/11/2025

An Otter’s Tale .
We think that this 7 week old otter pup was orphaned sadly .
Findlay Napier was out running first thing Sunday morning near the castle and heard frantic piercing whistles from the otter pup , too young to be out of the holt on her own .
He let NT Ranger Kate Sampson know and she checked the pup and set up a trial cam and we all waited to see if the mother would come back , as they very often do .
The heavy cold rain continued for hours and the pup out in the open started to look weaker and weaker so Kate collected her and we took her to the surgery .
She weighed 1.2 kg and was cold and dehydrated so I think the mother had been absent for up to 24 hours .
I warmed her up and gave sub cut fluid injections and oral rehydration fluids . She was more lively after a couple of hours .
Later and for the next couple of days she also took some mashed fresh haddock and puppy milk . Her teeth were only tiny , too small for chewing . She started to get a little playful and made friendly whickering cries .
Otter pups stay with the mother only , dad plays no part, for 10-12 months during which time she teaches them to swim and hunt for food .
To survive and thrive long term she needed a specialist rehabilitation centre with quiet pens, the company of other otters, running water , swimming pools and no visible humans .
Once again the SSPCA centre at Fishcross kindly said that they would take her .
I took her over to Ardrossan Tuesday afternoon , after topping her up with milk first, and an SSPCA inspector took her on from there to Fishcross . A long journey for a tiny otter from Arran .
She’s doing very well so far and eating and looking lively .
I feel privileged to have observed this tiny otter pup and the 2 newborn Grey seal pups over the last 4 weeks at close quarters . All firsts during my time here .
I think that both species are thriving on the island but face enormous challenges from cars and human and canine disturbance.
Charlotte Clough MRCVS