The Veterinary Health Centre Ltd

The Veterinary Health Centre Ltd At The Veterinary Health Centre, we aim to promote the health and welfare of your animals

✂️ Why grooming matters♥️ Grooming isn’t just cosmetic. It protects health and comfort.PREVENTS MATS - tangled fur pulls...
29/09/2025

✂️ Why grooming matters
♥️ Grooming isn’t just cosmetic. It protects health and comfort.

PREVENTS MATS - tangled fur pulls on skin, traps dirt, and can cause wounds.
SPOT CHECKS - while brushing, you may notice lumps, sore spots, fleas, or ticks.
SKIN HEALTH - brushing spreads natural oils and keeps skin healthy.
REDUCES SHEDDING - less loose fur in the house, fewer hairballs in cats.
COMFORT FOR OLDER PETS - animals that can’t reach to clean themselves rely on us.
BONDING TIME - gentle grooming helps to build trust between you and your pet.

✂️ Even short-haired pets benefit. A few minutes, little and often, makes a huge difference.



📸: Buddy AN

💊💉 Pills vs injections - how medicines act.🧐 Different ways of giving medicine change how quickly and how well it works....
26/09/2025

💊💉 Pills vs injections - how medicines act.
🧐 Different ways of giving medicine change how quickly and how well it works.

TABLETS/CAPSULES
💊Absorbed through the gut
💊Slower to act (needs digestion and absorption)
💊Can be affected by food, stomach, or vomiting
💊Useful for long-term treatment

LIQUIDS
💊 Still absorbed through the gut, so similar to tablets
💊Easier to adjust dose accurately (especially for dinky pets!)
💊Often better accepted, especially if flavoured
💊 As with tablet, won’t work if the patient spits it out or vomits

INJECTIONS
💊 Under the skin (subcutaneous): slow and steady absorption
💊 Into the muscle (intramuscular): moderate speed of absorption
💊 Into the vein (intravenous): fastest, immediate effect

🧐KEY POINT: the route does not change the drugs effect itself, but it does change how quickly and how predictably it reaches the bloodstream.



📸: Piotr Musiol

💊Myth-busting: Human medicines for pets❌ It’s safe for me, it’s safe for my pet✅ Many human medicines are toxic to anima...
25/09/2025

💊Myth-busting: Human medicines for pets
❌ It’s safe for me, it’s safe for my pet
✅ Many human medicines are toxic to animals

PARACETAMOL: deadly for cats
IBUPROFEN: causes ulcers and kidney failure in dogs and cats
ASPIRIN: can build up to dangerous levels in pets
COLD & FLU REMEDIES: often contain pseudoephedrine or paracetamol, both highly toxic

💊Even ‘safe’ drugs may need totally different doses for pets than people.

RULE OF THUMB: Never give your pet human medicine, unless advised by your vet.

UK ANIMAL POISON HELPLINE: 01202 509000



📸: Ayla Vershoeren

💊Compounding - making custom medicines for pets💊Sometimes there is no ‘off-the-shelf’ medicine that will work for an ani...
24/09/2025

💊Compounding - making custom medicines for pets
💊Sometimes there is no ‘off-the-shelf’ medicine that will work for an animal.
That’s when vets can use COMPOUNDING.

💊This means a pharmacist or veterinary surgeon prepares a medicine to:

CHANGE THE DOSE - making a tiny dose for a hamster, or a giant dose for a horse.
CHANGE THE FORM - turning a tablet into a flavoured liquid or skin cream.
CHANGE THE FLAVOUR - adding tuna or chicken flavour so the medicine is tastier.
COMBINE MEDICINES - putting more than one drug into one capsule for easier dosing.

Why do we do it?
💊If no licensed veterinary product exists for that species
💊The animal cannot take the medicine in it’s available form
💊The condition needs a medicine only available for humans, which has to be altered for safe animal use

LEGAL NOTE (UK)
Under the cascade system, vets can prescribe compounded medicines when no licensed veterinary medicine will work. It must be made by an authorised veterinary surgeon or pharmacist.
We use two excellent veterinary compounding pharmacies - Summit and Bova - for all of our complicated requirements.



📸: Sara Bakhshi

How medicines work - Pets vs People 💊💊 Some medicines work in the same way in humans and animals.Others act completely d...
22/09/2025

How medicines work - Pets vs People 💊
💊 Some medicines work in the same way in humans and animals.
Others act completely differently.
It depends on;

💊 METABOLISM
The liver and kidneys break down drugs at different speeds. For example, cats can’t process paracetamol properly, because they lack key liver enzymes.

💊 BODY SIZE
Human doses are usually ‘per adult’ or ‘per child’ - Pet doses are worked out by weight, sometimes right down to the gram!

💊 SPECIES DIFFERENCES
Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and reptiles can all react differently to the same drug. A safe antibiotic for a dog, might be deadly to a hamster.

💊 SIDE EFFECTS
Medicines may cause different side-effects in pets than people. For example, ibuprofen can cause severe stomach ulcers and kidney failure in dogs and cats.

💊 FORMULATION
Some tablets for humans contain sweeteners, like XYLITOL, which is toxic to dogs.

BOTTOM LINE💊
NEVER give human medication to your pet without vet advice - even a ‘safe’ human drug can be fatal in animals!



📸: Freestocks

👀 Sore eyes? When to call the vetsEye problems in pets can worsen quickly. Even a mild change can mean something serious...
19/09/2025

👀 Sore eyes? When to call the vets
Eye problems in pets can worsen quickly. Even a mild change can mean something serious. Contact your vets promptly if you notice;

👁️REDNESS
Could be conjunctivitis, injury, infection, or pressure changes in the eye (also known as glaucoma)

👁️SQUINTING OR BLINKING A LOT
Often a sign of pain, ulcers, or foreign objects in the eye.

👁️CLOUDINESS
May indicate cataracts, corneal damage, swelling, or infection.

👁️DISCHARGE
Clear yellow or green fluid can mean infection or inflammation.

👁️VISIBLE SWELLING OR BULGING
Could signal trauma, tumours, or increased pressure.

Don’t wait and see. Some eye conditions can cause permanent damage in a matter of hours.



📸 Eko with an immature cataract

👀 Animals with incredible (and sometimes strange) vision.🦉 OWLSLarge, forward-facing eyes give them binocular vision and...
18/09/2025

👀 Animals with incredible (and sometimes strange) vision.
🦉 OWLS
Large, forward-facing eyes give them binocular vision and excellent depth perception for hunting at night. They can’t move their eyes in the sockets, so they turn their heads up to 270° to look around.

🦎 CHAMELEONS
Each eye moves independently letting them scan almost 360° without moving their head. They can also focus both eyes on the exact same spot to judge distance when striking prey.

🦐 MANTIS SHRIMP
Possess up to 16 photoreceptor types (humans have 3!). They can see ultraviolet polarised light, and a range of colours invisible to us.

🐐 GOATS
Horizontal rectangular pupils give them a panoramic view to spot predators and their eyes rotate with their head to keep the horizon level.



📸: Jessy Paston

👀Behind the scenes of an eye exam👁️We start with OBSERVATIONAre the eyes symmetrical?Any squinting, redness, discharge, ...
17/09/2025

👀Behind the scenes of an eye exam
👁️We start with OBSERVATION
Are the eyes symmetrical?
Any squinting, redness, discharge, or cloudiness?
Are they reacting normally to light?

👁️Visual tracking
Can they follow a moving object?
Do they blink when we flick our hand toward their face?

👁️Close-up inspection
We check the eyelids, lashes, conjunctiva, and cornea.
A bright light and magnifier helps us spot scratches or ulcers.

👁️Fluorescein stain test
A drop of fluorescent dye helps us find any damage to the cornea.
Scratches show up bright green under a blue light.

👁️Tear test (Schirmer)
Thin strips of paper under the eyelid measure tear production. Too few tears? Could be dry eye.

👁️Intraocular pressure (Tonometry)
A painless puff or gentle touch tests the pressure inside the eye.
High pressure = possible glaucoma.

👀Pets can often hide eye pain. A few quick checks can prevent permanent damage - especially in brachycephalic breeds, seniors, or diabetic pets♥️



📸: Ruby Schmank

📣Call for old newspapers please! We are running short of bedding for all of our lil patients, and would be very grateful...
16/09/2025

📣Call for old newspapers please!
We are running short of bedding for all of our lil patients, and would be very grateful of any old newspapers please ☺️☺️

📸: A cute little stray duck we had in recently ♥️

16/09/2025

👀♥️

👀How your pet’s eyes workDOGS🐶👁️See fewer colours - mostly blues and yellows👁️Excellent motion detection👁️Great low ligh...
15/09/2025

👀How your pet’s eyes work
DOGS🐶
👁️See fewer colours - mostly blues and yellows
👁️Excellent motion detection
👁️Great low light vision
👁️Can struggle to focus up close
👁️Eyes adapted more for detecting movement than fine detail

CATS🐈‍⬛
👁️Even better night vision than dogs
👁️BIG pupils = excellent light collection
👁️Superior depth perception for hunting (except little one-eyed Richard!)
👁️Eyes placed more forward = better binocular vision
👁️Likely see muted blues and greens, but no reds

RABBITS🐰
👁️Eyes on the sides of their head = nearly 360° vision
👁️Can’t see well up close or directly in front
👁️Very sensitive to light changes - sudden light can stress them

RODENTS - HAMSTERS, RATS, GUINEA PIGS 🐹
👁️Poor detail and colour vision
👁️Rely more on smell and whisker-touch than sight
👁️Some small furries, like hamsters, are partially colour-blind and see better at dusk

SNAKES🐍
👁️Don’t have eyelids - they have a clear scale over their eye
👁️Some can see infrared (heat), especially pythons and pit vipers
👁️Poor daytime vision but excellent movement detection

LIZARDS🦎
👁️Many can see ultraviolet light
👁️Excellent motion detection
👁️Rely on violation for hunting and social displays

BIRDS🦜
👁️Can see a wider colour spectrum than humans - including ultraviolet
👁️Fast flicker fusion rate = can track rapid movements (think flying insects)
👁️Very sharp vision, often better than ours



📸: Little Richard C and his one eye ♥️

🧐What’s that behaviour? 😵‍💫SPINNING BEFORE LYING DOWNIt’s an instinct - flattening the grass or checking for danger. Can...
12/09/2025

🧐What’s that behaviour?
😵‍💫SPINNING BEFORE LYING DOWN
It’s an instinct - flattening the grass or checking for danger. Can also be a sign of pain if it looks awkward or excessive.

🌿EATING GRASS
Most dogs do it occasionally. Some like the texture. If it is excessive, or followed by vomiting, it might mean gut irritation.

💩KICKING LEGS AFTER TOILETING
They’re not covering it up - they’re spreading their scent. It’s a territorial message.

👅LICKING YOUR HANDS, FEET, OR FACE
Affection, submission, or trying to soothe you - or themselves. Compulsive licking though can be a sign of anxiety.

😳STARING INTO SPACE OR BARKING AT NOTHING
Could be high-frequency sounds, minor seizures, or even early cognitive decline - worth getting checked if it becomes regular.



📸: Lisa Marie Theck

Address

4 Greenways
Lytham St Annes
FY83LY

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 6:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 6:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 6:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 6:30pm
Saturday 8:30am - 12pm

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