PAWS Veterinary Health Centre

02/09/2026

Since we've been posting a lot about parasites recently, we were looking to move onto other topics... However, there is one last parasite type that needs a post of their own: Ticks!

These can easily be overlooked when planning parasite control, yet they have a huge potential for problems, not only from the bacteria in their mouthparts while biting, but also through the transmission of serious, blood-borne diseases.

Ensuring that any pets who may roam through regions where ticks 'quest' have adequate protection is vital.

Products should have sufficiently rapid effect to prevent ticks from attaching for prolonged periods.

Pets travelling abroad are particularly vulnerable to encountering problematic species of tick, and it is wise to discuss travel plans in advance, should specific medications be required.

Furthermore, since these sneaky little arachnids are just as happy attaching to pet owners as they are pets, vigilance extends to also checking ourselves regularly when walking through forests, woods and grasslands.

Thanks to JAK for these interesting graphics and factoids.

01/09/2026

What parasite control is best for other pets?

Last week we looked at how best to judge what parasite control pet dogs and cats require. While we aren't aware of validated parasite risk checkers for other species, it is important to remember that other pets may require parasite control too.

Pet chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs all can suffer from different types of parasite infestations, however routine medication is not always the best route forward for them. If you are interested in learning more, then please speak to one of our vets who will be more than happy to discuss what might be required.

Some information can be found here (please note some parasite pictures may not be for the squeamish):

https://www.nadis.org.uk/disease-a-z/poultry/diseases-of-farmyard-poultry/part-4-external-and-internal-parasites-of-chickens/

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/welfare-need/rabbit-skin-and-fur-parasites/

31/08/2026

We hope everyone has a lovely bank holiday today.

A reminder that both PAWS and Whitestone Veterinary Clinic will re-open on Tuesday 1st September.

29/08/2026

A reminder of our opening times over this bank holiday weekend.

Today (Saturday 29th) we will be open for our Saturday clinic at PAWS Veterinary Health Centre between 9am and 3pm.

Thereafter we will close for the bank holiday, with both Whitestone and PAWS opening Tuesday morning.

Our timings are as follows:

Saturday 29th August: PAWS Veterinary Health Centre 9:00am - 3:00pm (Whitestone Veterinary Clinic CLOSED)

Sunday 30th August: Both clinics CLOSED
Monday 31st August: Both clinics CLOSED

Tuesday 1st September: PAWS Veterinary Health Centre 8:00am - 6:00pm, Whitestone Veterinary Clinic 8:30am - 6:00pm

Details of our out-of-hours service can be obtained from our recorded messages on each clinic's phone lines. We would like to remind all clients that Willows in Solihull are our dedicated cover, so please double check any phone numbers you may have saved.

28/08/2026

What parasite control is best for your cat?

Yesterday we asked a similar question for dogs, and while for cats the answer can often be more straight forward, some cats natural hunting behaviour can bring them into contact with a variety of different risks.

With some cats living their lives indoors, we have the ability to better control what parasites they come into contact with. However for outdoor cats, that level of control goes out the window (sometimes literally!), so peace of mind for hunting, outdoor cats can be important.

This bespoke risk checker for cats is a great starting point for assessing your cat's parasite control needs. Indeed it may suggest that less treatment may indeed be more! However we would encourage all respondents to discuss their findings with our team to ensure that the recommendations do indeed reflect reality.

Cat Parasite Risk Checker

27/08/2026

What parasite control is best for your dog?

This seems like an easy question to answer, but with so many products available and so much information and misinformation out there, parasite control can very quickly become incredibly confusing.

Safe to say there isn't one single product that is best for all dogs. Different ages, lifestyles and locations can hugely affect which parasites a dog is exposed to. Let alone the fact that some dogs take tablets better than others!

That's why we would like to encourage all dog owners to take a moment to complete a parasite risk checker such as this one, to highlight which species they need protection against. You might be pleasantly surprised that actually they need less treatment than they are currently receiving.

As ever, we're more than happy to discuss any outcomes of these questionnaires, and hope that with more targeted treatment, we can balance pet health, human health and responsible use of medications.

Use our risk checker to get a personalised report for your dog

25/08/2026

We would like to remind all clients that Willows Veterinary Centre are our designated out-of-hours provider.

Up-to-date details of how to contact them can be heard on our recorded message whenever we are closed.

If in the past you have saved any contact numbers, please double check you have the correct information, to allow us to provide the most seamless experience we can for you and your pet.

Emergency Veterinary Service - It is always advisable to bring your pet to the surgery for treatment, rather than requesting a home or roadside visit, as we have all the facilities required for resuscitation and stabilisation of patients in the practice.

23/08/2026

"Jack" had been missing for 10 years, however he was recently brought to Whitestone Veterinary Clinic, where we were able to scan his microchip and contact his owners.

It turns out that for all those years, he'd been only 8 minutes walk (human walking speed!) away from his own home.

He has now been successfully reunited with his owners and their daughter, who hadn't seen him since she was 11 years old. They all immediately fell back in love and said he looked exactly the same as how he did 10 years ago, albeit a bit chunkier from all the extra meals he'd been enjoying from all the houses that had been feeding him over the years!

22/08/2026

Thank you to everyone for their patience during our recent building works at PAWS.

As we recently announced, the work is near completion and we have returned our Saturday clinic to PAWS as normal.

While the car park remains restricted to construction vehicles only at this time, we are continuing to ask clients to continue to use the space at the front of the building and street parking if required.

We look forward to announcing final completion and a return to normality very soon.

20/08/2026

Battersea Dogs' Home recently published some slightly concerning data regarding microchipping levels.

While fewer dogs are reaching Local Authority care via their dog wardens, those that do are proving harder and harder to reunite with their owners.

From their data, 87% of stray dogs were unable to be reunited with their owners using a microchip alone because the details were missing, inaccurate or unavailable.

https://www.battersea.org.uk/about-us/press/press-releases/microchipping-all-time-low

This sad set of figures goes to show how vital it is to ensure the details associated with your pet's microchip are up-to-date.

The fact that there are so many different databases out there doesn't help and can sometimes prove to be confusing, so we are more than happy to help signpost owners where to apply to get details updated. Please speak to a member of our team if you need assistance.

Battersea’s latest survey of 50 Local Authorities across the UK found almost nine in ten (87%) stray dogs were unable to be reunited with their owners using a microchip alone because the details were missing, inaccurate or unavailable.