Medivet West Bridgford

10/06/2026

The toy comes back out.

One of my favourite comments from owners is: "She started playing again."

Not running marathons.
Not climbing mountains.

Just playing.
Maybe it's carrying a toy around.
Maybe it's initiating a game.

Those little moments can tell us a lot.

Because when pets are uncomfortable, they often stop doing the things they enjoy.

And when they feel better?

Those behaviours quietly return.

Sometimes the biggest success stories aren't dramatic at all.

They're joyful.

09/06/2026

The Tail Wag Test

Sometimes it's 'just' the tail.

Owners often look for the big things.

Is the limp gone, can they jump into the car, can they manage the stairs?

But sometimes the first clue that a pet is feeling better is much simpler.

Their tail starts wagging more.

They greet visitors again.

They are less grumpy when the kitten or puppy approaches them.

They seem more interested in what's happening around them.

Pain doesn't just affect movement. It affects mood, confidence and enthusiasm for life.

When pets feel better, they often tell us long before they tell us with their legs.

What small change have you noticed in your pet that made you smile?

08/06/2026

The subtle signs that tell us a pet is feeling better

When owners bring their pets in because they are uncomfortable, and we start them on pain relief or manual therapies, they're often hoping for a dramatic change.

No more limping.
Running like a puppy again.
Jumping onto the sofa.

And sometimes that happens.

But often the first signs of improvement are much more subtle.

A brighter expression.
Being more playful.
Following you into the kitchen again.
Bringing you a toy.
Greeting you at the door.

Choosing to be in the same room as you.

In this video, my colleague and I talk about some of the little changes that can tell us a pet is feeling happier and more comfortable.

Have you ever noticed a subtle change in your pet that made you realise they were feeling better?

We'd love to hear your stories.

07/06/2026

💚 A quiet moment at the end of the week 💚

This week we've shown you a little of what happens before and during surgery.

The admissions.

The anaesthetics.

The monitoring.

The recoveries.

Even the occasional giant pyometra!

But if there's one thing we'd like owners to know, it's this:

We spend a lot of time simply watching.

Watching a nervous cat settle.

Watching a dog wake up.

Watching a patient decide whether they want a cuddle, a biscuit, or a nap.

Animals tell us a great deal without saying a word.

Sometimes it's obvious.

Sometimes it's incredibly subtle.

And often, those little observations help us understand how a patient is really feeling.

That's one of the things we love most about our job.

🐾 What is one thing your pet does that tells you exactly how they're feeling?

We'd love to hear your answers below.

06/06/2026

When routine surgery becomes life saving.

No surgery should be regarded as routine. Still, neuterings are often called routine as we do them so frequently.

Female dogs can get severely ill later on in life if they are not spayed (neutered). Their womb (uterus) can get infected, usually that happens shortly after they had a season, sometimes a few weeks later, sometimes out of the blue when they have not had a season for a while.

It's called pyometra and can be life threatening.

The uterus fills up with pus, they literally have an abscess inside their tummy. The pyometra can be open = the cervix is open and they start discharging again. This discharge can range from light blood to brown blood to downright pus.

Sometimes the pyometra is closed = the cervix stays closed and the pus cannot flow out. This can get really dangerous as that pyo can burst, causing life threatening infection (peritonitis).

But even without the uterus bursting, these dogs feel very sick and are very sick. Imagine carrying a huge abscess inside!

There are different ways of treating it, but eventually they all have to be spayed. And often we have to spay them as soon as we diagnose the pyo while they are ill.

We had a pyo the other day.

15kg dog with a 1.1kg heavy pus filled uterus!

A normal dog's uterus weighs only a few ounces or grams (15 to 30g, that's 2-4 mini celebrations!), it's maybe as thick as a pencil and about 15cm long (6 inches).

This pyo was huge.

1.1kg (2 1/2 pounds) heavy, the uterus was 5cm (2 inches) in diameter and at least 50cm long (almost 2 feet!)!

Surgery went well, our patient recovered beautifully, tucked into her food straight away and got VIP Phoebe cuddles at reception!

WARNING - explicit photos

05/06/2026

😂 Friday Funnies 😂

If pets could leave online reviews after visiting the vets...

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆

Came in for breakfast.
Woke up.
Something appears to be missing.
Staff insist this was "the plan".
Would not recommend the breakfast package.

🐾

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

The cuddles were excellent.
The thermometer was not.

🐾

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Received treats. Would return.

🐾

⭐️⭐️☆☆☆

I was told I was coming for a walk.
This turned out to be a lie.

🐾

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

Received biscuits.
Lost my dignity.
Overall experience acceptable.

🐾

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆

Accommodation was clean.
Room service was poor.
No squirrels.

🐾

Your turn!

What review would your pet leave after a visit to the vets?

04/06/2026

Our favourite part of surgerys is....
..when they wake up.

Zoe, our RVN (Registered Veterinary Nurse) and anesthetist, sits with them during recovery until they are fully awake and sitting up. Complications can still happen while they wake up, so they need to be monitored closely.

Premedication drugs also help to make that recovery as smooth as possible.

Some still don't like the kennels....

Like Simba in the photo, our castration. He is crate trained, but that goes out of the window at the vets. Who can blame him, right?!

So he got the VIP treatment - cuddles with Phoebe at reception :-)

His world was good again.

03/06/2026

What can you actually see during surgery?

Not much!

We shave their fur around the surgical area. The surgical field needs to be sterile.

We always shave more fur away than the surgical field is big - I don't want any hair sticking out under my drapes!

Then the area is being scrubbed and sterilised. We use a diluted chlorhexidine solution. Scrubbing is a combination of cleaning agent and contact time. That can sometimes mean up to 10 minutes or so if the animal is quite dirty!

Simba in the photo came in for his castration and was actually quite clean :)

This preparation is all done in the prep area.

Then he was transferred to our operating theatre. I had scrubbed up in the meantime as well and donned my sterile gown and gloves. I then cover my surgical field with a sterile drape and cut a hole into that drape (unless it's already got a prepared hole) to match the size of the actual incision I need to make.

As you can see - pretty much all of Simba is covered!

He has a tube in his throat and is kept under aneasthesia via an anesthetic gas - oxygen mix, he is also attached to various monitors including blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, oxygen satuation, and has RVN Zoe as his anesthetist keeping him safe and asleep.

02/06/2026

The surgery starts long before the operation.

Reducing that stress as much as possible is one of our main priorities, especially when your pet is in for surgery.

Fear free gentle handling is very important.

For cats, less is usually more.

Cats don't like to be man- or woman-handled, they hate being scruffed - so we handle them as little as possible. We always adapt to the individual animal - everyone is different!

Sometimes we make a cat burrito which is better than handling and holding them by hand: wrap them up in a large towel. They feel much more secure wrapped quite tightly in a large towel than being held down with hands.

We move slower and smoothly, we don't make loud noises, we talk to them all the time in gentle voices - everything to make them feel at home as much as possible.

Little Doris in the photo came in for her spay (neutering) the other day.

She first had her leg shaved and some local anaesthetic cream applied, then she received her premedication, a slight sedative so that we could place her i/v catheter before her surgery. She was just too wriggly and curious!

Surgery went well and smooth, she recovered quickly and tucked into some food before going home and still loves us - success all around :)

01/06/2026