At Martin and Carr, we have 5 fully qualified veterinary nurses and 4 SVN’s (nurses in training), ready to see your pet in one of our Nurse Clinics.

The aim of these clinics is to provide our clients with a familiar and friendly face, with whom they can discuss any issues involving their animals. Nurses are happy to spend as much or a little time as necessary with pets and owners and provide:

• Pet Health Checks - for all ages and species
• New puppy or kitten checks and advice, pre-puppy party
• Information on fleas and other parasites
• Information on diets of all types, including prescription food
• Routine dental checks, and dental care advice. Includes rabbits and guinea pigs
• Geriatric/Older pet Clinics - a basic health check with optional blood test, blood pressure check
• Diabetic Support Clinics. We are happy to discuss any issues surrounding diabetic pets and can help with blood glucose monitoring
• Small animal husbandry advice for rabbits, guinea pigs and other small furries
• Basic training and behavioural advice for young or old. Our Puppy Party Team are particularly specialised in this area
• Administration of medicines which have been prescribed by a Vet - all nurses are happy to do this and it is useful for example, with difficult cats
• ECG’s which have been recommended by a Veterinary Surgeon
• Blood pressure checks/routine monitoring
• Administration of routine wormers or flea treatments
• Suture removal and post-op checks
• Dressing changes
• Weight management consultations for over or under weight pets
• Tick removal
• Ear cleaning
• Routine blood sampling
• Heska (allergy) injections
• Breeding advice
• Nail clipping for cats, dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs
• To discuss euthanasia - A sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on, or just someone to explain the procedure and options available

Nurse clinics are usually by appointment only between 11am and 3pm Monday to Friday. This allows us to make nervous pets an appointment at a quiet time where necessary. For people who find these times difficult, we will do our best to accommodate.

For further information, please contact us.

Socialising your puppy is a very important and the earlier they can start to experience all aspects of life, the better. If a dog is not properly socialised it may not learn what is appropriate behaviour when faced with new people, dogs or situations. This is why we invite new puppies to attend our Puppy Parties.

The parties are run for two consecutive weeks for an hour each time. During the party, the puppies will be able to meet and play with other puppies and people in a safe environment. There will also be time with the nurses to discuss all aspects of having a puppy, from house training to nutrition. At the end of the second party the puppies will be awarded with a certificate of attendance and a goody bag that includes the “Good Puppy Guide” written by Erica Peachey.

We hope that by attending the parties, the puppies will start to become a little more confident while learning about the big wide world and all the new things they will come across. Remember, visits do not only have to be when something is wrong we actively encourage social visits, it may be for a weight check, to collect wormers or to just say “hi”!

If you have a young puppy, or are thinking of getting one soon, and would like more information on attending our parties then please call and speak to one of our nurses.

Full pain management assessment and control: Acupuncture has been used for many centuries and is the painless positioning of very fine needles to specific points of the body, with good effect. Most used for its pain-killing effect, with animals there can be no placebo effect. The needles act on the nerve impulses at the affected site.

Acupuncture can be used to alleviate pain caused by:

• Arthritis
• Muscle spasms
• Back pain

Acupuncture is usually performed in a normal consultation appointment, needles are placed place in the animal and left there for 5-15 minutes. Acupuncture is normally performed weekly for an initial period of 3-4 weeks, after which the frequency is adjusted to suit the patient.

Animals are assessed for suitability for the treatment before embarking on a course and to check that they will be comfortable with treatments.

Appointments can be booked as consultations with the owner present, although your pet can also be admitted as a day patient if this suits you better.

Monica Jackson is especially interested in acupuncture.

James Garland RCVS is an advanced practitioner in general small animal surgery.

Entropian: This is a genetic condition where some of the eyelid folded inwards. It can cause an eyelash or hair to irritate and scratch the surface of the eye, much like when you or I get an eyelash in our eye but permanently! This can cause serious issues with the eye. It can also cause dark-coloured scar tissue to build up over the wound (pigmentary keratitis). Surgery helps to remove the physical irritation of the eyelash or hair on the eye's surface.

BOAS (Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Sydrome): 

Read more: Canine brachycephaly: breathing problems in brachycephalic dogs.

Laryngeal tieback: This procedure is needed when a dog is suffering with respiratory problems due to problems with their larynx becoming paralysed. Signs that there may be an issue are:

• Increased inspiratory noise (loud rasping noise during breathing in)
• Coughing
• Weight loss
• Reduced exercise tolerance
• Collapse
• Reduced tolerance of increased temperature (less able to pant)
• Altered phonation (bark/mew sounds different)
• Problems swallowing food and/or water – affected animals have a tendency to cough and splutter
• Sudden respiratory distress, particularly when subjected to a warm environment

Unfortunately, left untreated this condition is often life threatening.

Perineal hernia: A perineal hernia (sometimes called a perineal rupture) is a weakness or separation of the muscles of the pelvic diaphragm. The pelvic diaphragm is formed from a group of muscles that are situated around the rectum and form the caudal (back) wall of the abdominal cavity.

A perineal rupture is an abnormal hole in this diaphragm or sheet of muscles that allows fat or organs from the abdominal cavity to bulge into the area surrounding the anus (the perineum).

Tumour removals: The word ‘tumour’ refers to an abnormal growth of cells that results in a lump forming. Tumours range widely in significance from harmless growths (described as 'benign') to aggressive, life-threatening lumps that seed cancer cells to other parts of the body (described as 'malignant'). For many lumps, it is best to err on the side of caution and treat them early. Depending on the type of tumour, the options include surgical removal, chemotherapy, or radiation treatment.

Advanced tibial tuberosity advancements offered in house - TTA (tibial tuberosity advancement) is used to help fix ligament ruptures (cranial or anterior cruciate ligament ruptures) in the knee joints of dogs. These kinds of ruptures are the most common cause of lameness.

James Garland RCVS is an advanced practitioner in general small animal surgery.

Digital x-ray facilities

Much like traditional x-rays, this form of imaging uses x-ray plates to capture the images of what is happening inside your pet. Because it is digital, the machine transfers the image to our computer system as soon as it is taken, allowing us to diagnose issues quicker.

Dental x-ray facilities

Much the same as our digital x-rays but for your pet’s teeth and mouth. Did you know that the visible tooth is less than 50% of the whole thing? Once the image has been taken, it is immediately available for us to examine what is going on inside the tooth and below the gum line, helping us to diagnose any dental issues quicker.

Ultrasound Facilities

This form of imaging uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the part of the body being scanned. With this form of imaging, there is normally no need to sedate your pet and we can use it to diagnose abdominal issues and check for pregnancy, etc.

We have advanced diagnostic imaging equipment and a dedicated operating theatre and amongst our specialisms we have:

• Diagnostic imaging: we use ultrasound extensively within the practice
• Minimally invasive surgery:  we do more key hole spays than any other practice in the county
• Cruciate surgery: we offer the advanced tibial tuberosity advancement procedure and have performed in excess of 50 of these. We also offer a full orthopaedic service and have access to referral for MRI examinations for spinal cases.
• Soft tissue surgical procedures: we offer entropian surgery, laryngeal tieback surgery (upper airway surgery), perineal hernia surgery and general abdominal surgery, including tumour removals.
• Laparoscopies. We have the latest Karl Storz endoscopes including 5mm straight scope, 30 degree 2.5mm scope, arthroscope, and a 1.1metre 11mm flexible scope for gastroenterology.
• Acupuncture: we offer a full pain management assessment and control
• Endoscopies: gastroscopies and colonoscopies. Transurethral cystoscopies (for female dogs) 

Vets are assisted by our professional veterinary nurses. The nurses also have special interests that complement the practice:

• Puppy and kitten behaviour and socialisation
• Obedience training
• Rehabilitation post operatively
• Dietary advice