Prospect House Veterinary Clinic & Hospital

04/08/2025

Many dogs (and cats) struggle with Osteoarthritis. This is an account from one owner about her experience whilst dealing with her dog, Coco’s condition. Treatment protocols are multimodal (using therapies, drugs, lifestyle and adjustments to the home environment).
Coco is now 15y 6m, and enjoying life.

If your canine or feline companion has been diagnosed or you suspect may have Osteoarthritis, and you would like to talk to a member of our staff about the condition and treatment options, please feel free to ask.
This is Coco’s owner account…

“Coco started limping last October. At first it was a little limp becoming more pronounced over a few weeks. Eventually she couldn’t put her leg down so we had her x rayed and it showed lumbar spondylosis. Over the next few weeks we battled to get her pain under control and as she was 14, surgery was out of the question. She was on gabapentin, amantadine, onsior, paracetamol, tumeric paste and CBD oil but she still struggled. We tried hydrotherapy but she didn’t like it and got very stressed in the water tank. It got to the point where we thought we’d have to send her to Rainbow Bridge. Then someone at the vet mentioned acupuncture and that Michaela could do it at Prospect House. We thought there was nothing to lose so she went for her first session. Well what can I say, this was a game change! After her treatment she was so relaxed! She had NO pain and slept the rest of the day. She went for treatment weekly for 4 weeks the fortnightly, then 3 weekly and now she goes once every 4 weeks! It continues to give her pain relief and she’s like a different dog! She loves her walks, eats well and has no pain. She is chilled during the treatment too which is great to see!
She’s still on her oral pain medications but now she’s happy. I cannot recommend acupuncture enough. Thank you Michaela”

Published with owner permission

27/07/2025

14/07/2025

14/07/2025

Found safe.

Missing dog from Eglwysbach area within the last hour. Vizsla, female. Please share to friends in this and surrounding areas.

14/07/2025

REUNITED

Found this morning on Kyffin Close, Old Colwyn. Older adult, female. Not chipped.

14/07/2025

This dog is now at Prospect House in Colwyn Bay. Male, not chipped
Found on top road above Llanddoged near Llanrwst.

11/07/2025

It’s not just dogs and cats who need protecting from the hot weather. Rabbits also need to be too

10/07/2025

Recent research by Vet Compass and the The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) showed correlation between human heat warning and heat stroke cases.

Yellow heat health alerts are now in force with temperatures expected to hit 34C (93F) in parts of the UK this weekend.

Is it true that if we use cold water on heat stroke pets they will go into shock?

One of the most common things we still hear is that we can only use tepid water on a pet with heat stroke, incase they get some complications like hypothermic overshoot, peripheral vasoconstriction hindering a cooling response, and cardiogenic shock...

We have heard not to use cold water in case it causes shock... this rarely happens!

But guess what? In a recent study over 26% of dogs presented with heat stroke died, with flat faced breeds making up nearly half of heat stroke cases seen in the study.

You should:

💧Get someone to call the local veterinary practice and tell them you're going to travel down with a heat stroke patient
💧Pour, hose or if safe immerse the pet in very cold water (this should obviously be done under constant supervision, ensuring the head is fully above water and immersion should not be attempted if the animal is too large, or you are unable to do so without hurting yourself)
💧NB: If using a hose pipe, make sure it has run through until cold, as they can often contain water that is extremely hot in the tubing initially
💧Do not drape in towels and leave them in situ. Keep the cold water flowing.
💧Move to a cool, shaded area
💧Prepare to transport to vets in a cold, air conditioned car

In studies they found that:

🌅International consensus from sports medicine organisations supports treating EHS with early rapid cooling by immersing the casualty in cold water.
🌅Ice-water immersion has been shown to be highly effective in exertional heat stroke, with a zero fatality rate in large case series of younger, fit patients.
🌅Hyperthermic individuals were cooled twice as fast by Cold Water Immersion as by passive recovery.
🌅No complications occurred during the treatment of three older patients with severe heat stroke were treated with cold‐water immersion.
🌅Cold water immersion (CWI) is the preferred cooling modality in EHS guidelines and the optimal method applicable to UK Service Personnel
🌅Studies suggest using either ice-water or cold-water immersion

The best intervention is PREVENTION, but if you find yourself with an animal with heat stroke, using cold water either by pouring, hosing or ideally (if safe) immersion then this may help reduce their temperature to safe levels while you transport to a veterinary practice.

Read more below with updates from Hot Dogs - canine heatstroke education for dog owners

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid