Veterinary Nurse Clinics

Nurses are able to give second vaccinations, apply spot-on treatments and administer oral medications, topical ear and eye drops, or give injections at the direction of a vet as well as demonstrate how to medicate your pets so you can do it at home if you wish. They will also clip nails, express anal glands, take blood pressure readings, reapply bandages, take blood samples, remove stitches, clean wounds, remove matted fur and perform post-operative checks for routine surgeries.  If you are a member of our Priory Pet Club, our RVNs will also carry out your pet’s free VIP health check. There may be a fee for some of these clinics. Please ask at time of booking.

We want you to have healthy, happy pets, and enjoy your time with them for as long as possible. Obesity can increase the risk of health conditions such as osteoarthritis, diabetes and heart disease, leading to a shorter lifespan and a reduction in the ‘quality of life’ of the pet.

In the UK, 50% of pets are considered overweight.  Severe obesity can be extremely disabling, and can become a welfare concern when the pet is no longer able to enjoy performing natural behaviours e.g. exercising.  Similarly, these Veterinary Nurse Clinics are great for those pets who are struggling to keep the weight on, and seem to burn calories faster than a forest-fire!

Our aim, as with any health condition, is to catch this problem early enough that we can prevent it from reaching that stage, whilst giving you the tools to keep your pet in a healthy body condition.

Priory’s nursing team run specific Weight Management Clinics, which aim to help you manage your pet’s weight.  You can attend these as single sessions or take advantage of our “weight clinic bundles” which give you the reassurance of ongoing support as well as making acheiving your goals even more affordable! The initial consultation will involve a hands-on consultation and the preparation of a weight management plan including a print-out analysis.  It can be helpful to bring the details of your pet’s normal diet, and/or a food diary to discuss with the nurse.

Follow up consultations may be recommended every 3-4 weeks.  They serve as opportunities to review how the programme is going, adjust any aspects as necessary, and to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

During the programme, we will teach you how to use weight management tools.  The most important of these being:

Nutrition

Nutrition is fundamental to health and disease prevention, and a balanced diet is therefore essential in the management of obesity.  In our clinics, a specific food may be recommended for your pet.  These diets are specifically designed to induce weight loss and are formulated to provide all nutrients required, whilst promoting weight loss safely.

Exercise

Almost as important as diet, appropriate exercise can be an essential part of the programme. Exercise can incorporate anything from walks, to playing with a friend, to activity feeders where the pet has to work for their food.

Body Condition Score

This type of scoring is used to help identify and keep track of weight issues and losses.  It is one of the first steps in a weight management programme.  At your clinic, we can show you how your pet’s body condition is scored, and also what you should look for as your pet’s body reaches optimal condition.

Weight management clinics can make the difference between a successful weight loss programme and an unsuccessful one.

So, if your pet’s weight has been mentioned to you, we are here to help.  Contact us to enrol today.

Did you know that cats are considered ‘mature’ at the ages of 7-10 years, ‘senior’ at 11-15 years, and ‘geriatric’ at 15+ years?

You may notice your cat is showing signs of ageing, including being less active and sleeping for longer periods of the day.  They might also be less inclined to jump, climb and groom themselves. Older cats can be more prone to weight gain due to a decrease in activity, although some ageing cats lose weight instead.  These changes can simply be down to your cat having less energy than before; however, they should not be ignored.  As a semi-domesticated species, it is not normally in a cat’s nature to show pain or weakness, so any changes to their normal routine or demeanour could be an indication of an underlying health problem, and should always be discussed with a vet or vet nurse.

Older cats can suffer from a range of issues such as arthritis, obesity, vision and hearing problems as well as dementia.  In addition, some diseases are more commonly seen in older cats e.g. diabetes, cancer, kidney or liver disease, and thyroid abnormalities.  Dental issues such as feline tooth resorption or gum disease are also more prevalent as cats age.  Our Senior Cat Clinics include a full clinical exam, weight check, urinalysis and blood pressure measurement, and are a great way of making sure your feline friends get the care they need in their later years.

Did you know that 4 in 5 of our elderly dogs suffer from Arthritis?  Arthritis (Osteoarthritis/OA) is a degenerative, progressive and debilitating disease which affects the joints.  It is a common cause of chronic pain, which if not managed, can result in significant loss of ‘quality of life’ and is sadly a common reason for euthanasia in older animals.  Whilst we cannot cure Arthritis, there are different ways to help manage the condition.

Our Mobility Clinics are aimed at any dog with ongoing mobility concerns, who has already been diagnosed by a vet.  Our nurses will perform a weight check, examine your pet and discuss how they are doing in their home environment.

It is important to consider all aspects of our pet’s management; A multi-modal approach is often required to help them be as pain-free as possible and reduce the rate of progression.  Our nurses will be able to advise on how the following aspects may be considered to optimise your ‘pet’s quality of life’.

• Weight management
• Adaptations to the home environment and exercise routine
• Physiotherapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Alternative therapies, e.g. Acupuncture, Laser therapy
• Diet and nutritional supplements
• Medications

Our nurses will examine your pet’s mouth, discuss dental health and any concerns, show you how to brush your pet’s teeth and keep teeth healthy, and discuss things to look out for.  They will also be able to advise you on whether further dental treatment is recommended for your pet, and give you an estimate of the costs.

There have been many advances in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in our pets over the last decade, meaning we can do much more for them now, even before they show clinical signs.  Our nurses work closely with our Cardiology certificate holder, Jess, to offer affordable ongoing monitoring for her chronic heart cases, in between their scan appointments.  Our nurses can take blood pressure, check for murmurs and arrhythmias, give tips on medication administration, monitor for signs of progression and talk through any concerns that have arisen, in addition to advising on whether you need to be referred back to a vet.

Diabetes is a chronic disease, which can be difficult and costly to manage in our companion animals, with serious consequences if they become unstable.  We offer Diabetic Veterinary Nurse Clinics as an affordable way to closely monitor your pet’s condition, in between their routine checks with the vet.  Our nurses can check their weight, discuss diet, run a urine test and take blood if required, as well as giving tips on insulin injections and weight control.

BOAS (brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome) is an upper airway problem, affecting our pets with short noses.  When the nose is short, the soft tissues of the upper airways become compacted, obstructing the air flow.

This causes clinical signs, including incessant panting, exercise intolerance, snoring (sometimes even when awake!), breathing difficulties and regurgitation, and severely increases their risk of heat stroke in warm weather.

The diagnosis is made from clinical signs and a physical exam.  Our nurses can perform a tolerance test to see how they cope with a short period of exercise, which will help guide us as to whether your dog could benefit from veterinary intervention e.g. surgery.

Please note the aim of BOAS assessments is to help us provide guidance on your pet’s healthcare.  If you require an official score for breeding purposes, you will need to be referred to a Kennel Club-registered “Respiratory Function Grading Scheme” assessment centre.

Sadly, many of our patients are nervous for all sorts of reasons.  Luckily, we have our lovely nurses on hand, who run Confidence Clinics for petrified pooches and cowardly cats!  At Priory, we want to make every animal’s experience of the vets as stress-free as we can, and if possible, a positive and fun experience (yes it is possible!)  In these clinics, our nurses build confidence through the use of treats, praise and play, to make it a less stressful and upsetting experience.  We work up from meeting outside, up to coming into the consulting room and finally allowing a clinical exam.  Our nurses are also happy to discuss cat cases over the phone, and give advice and tips about how to reduce stress before you’ve even arrived.

We usually recommend that you bring your pet’s favourite treats and any toys they like.  A blanket that smells of home can also help to make them feel more relaxed.

Once our nurses have met your pet and seen how they initially respond, they will be able to advise you on how often you should come to see them.  Usually, this is every few weeks, with behaviour modification techniques to practice in between at home.  Obviously, every animal is different, and some come around a lot quicker than others. Building trust and confidence in our patients can be a slow process requiring commitment – but it’s so worth it!

Jess Hall is one of our experienced RVNs who has a particular interest in animal behaviour.  Having gone through many of the trials and tribulations of owning a puppy (twice!) she is very keen to share her experience and give advice on those initial puppy teething troubles you may be experiencing. For more information, please head to our ‘puppy clinics’ page.