Maggie is a 5 year old guinea pig who was brought into our Stratford surgery, to see vet Katie, as she had been a bit quiet and not eating as much as normal. She has also developed a bald patch on her back where she has been chewing out her fur.
Katie examined her and found that she has a large mass in her stomach. This was likely to be either a cyst on her ovary or a tumour. As Guinea pigs are prey species they often hide signs of illness or pain and so it can be difficult to tell when something is up. We decided to operate to find out which it was. Luckily for Maggie is was a cyst, one huge one on her left ovary and a smaller one on her right ovary. We removed both and woke her up from anaesthetic.
Maggie went home and she quickly returned to her normal self. She is now eating normally and back to enjoying life.
Hi I’m Jaz, a student vet nurse at the Stratford surgery of Avonvale Veterinary Centres. After working with horses until the age of 25 and with a Bsc (Hons) in Equine Science under my belt, I felt it was time for a career change. I have always loved all animals from a young age and so I felt veterinary nursing may be the career for me.
ust as the winter weather was setting in a member of the public bought a small hedgehog into our Stratford upon Avon surgery. He had been found in the middle of a car park during daylight hours. At just 97g he would not have survived the winter.Denni, one of our nurses, took him in. Over winter she kept him warm and well fed. His favourite food was meal worms but as these have little nutritional value they were rationed to encourage him to eat his healthier hedgehog mix. Over the winter he has grown big and strong, now weighing in at a healthy 700g.
Leave areas of wilderness in your garden where hedgehogs can snuffle for insects. Place a small hedgehog house to provide a safe place for them to hibernate during winter. A small hole in your fence will allow visiting hedgehogs to pass through. In the past people used to mark visiting hedgehogs with a little paint so they know if they return but the paint may be harmful and also makes it easier for predators to spot them.
He was given symptomatic treatment to stop his vomiting but when he didn’t improve, vet Emily did an ultrasound scan of his abdomen to check for any underlying problems. One area of Marley’s intestine looked distended and there was some abnormal fluid in his abdomen. This made Emily suspect there may be a blockage, and she recommended surgery to look for the cause.
Marley was found to have a peach stone blocking his intestine which was the cause of his vomiting. Once the stone was removed, Marley recovered really well and went home a couple of days later.
