Towcester Vets

Towcester Vets We provide our own out of hours emergency service and have nurses on site 24 hours a day. We also have a practice in Weedon.

A modern, friendly dog, cat and small animal hospital with the latest equipment and facilities including keyhole surgery to provide excellent and compassionate care for your pets by our experienced vets. Our website contains information and video on many aspects of small animal care or you can contact us with any queries about the practice or your animal's needs. towcester-vets.co.uk/small-animal/ weedon-vets.co.uk

🌟🌎🩸WorldBlood Donor Day!🩸🌎🌟🐾Today is World Blood Donor Day, an opportunity to celebrate those who selflessly donate bloo...
14/06/2026

🌟🌎🩸WorldBlood Donor Day!🩸🌎🌟

🐾Today is World Blood Donor Day, an opportunity to celebrate those who selflessly donate blood to provide life-saving treatment🏆

🐾Did you know that our pets can be blood donors too?? Both dogs and cats can donate blood in order to help other pets. Blood and blood products can be useful in trauma and surgical cases but also for a variety of other medical conditions.

🐾Blood can be collected by us at the surgery and immediately administered, but this does require us having a suitable donor available.

🐾For dogs, as with humans, there is a charitable organisation that collects and stores blood products and can provide them to veterinary practices across the country very quickly when they are needed. This service provided by Pet Blood Bank is extremely valuable and since it launched in 2007 has saved countless lives. Unfortunately so far they only provide canine blood, although in a dire emergency their products can be used on cats too!

🐾Pet Blood Bank run donation sessions regularly around the country. They rely on volunteer dogs who will sit for their equivalent of tea and biscuits: lots and lots of treats! They also receive treats and toys to come home with as a thank you!

🐾Dog donor requirements:

🔺Fit and healthy

🔺Between one and eight years old

🔺Weigh more than 25kg

🔺Have a good temperament

🔺Have never travelled outside of the UK and Ireland

🔺Not previously received a blood transfusion

🔺Not on any medication

🐾Cat donor requirements:

🔺Fit and healthy

🔺Between 1 and 10 years old

🔺Weigh more than 4kg

🔺Up to date with vaccinations

🔺Up to date with flea and worm treatments

🔺Not on any medication

🔺Have never travelled abroad

🔺Have never had a blood transfusion

🐾We would love to see photos of your pets if they have previously been donors! Vet Hannah’s Pongo is looking very proud after his donation! His housemate Strider was just along for moral support and to get used to the process!

🐾If you have any questions about being a blood donor please ask! Or check out the Pet Blood Bank’s informative website.

https://www.petbloodbankuk.org/

🐾 Staff Pet Sunday! 🐾🐕 Vet Maddie has a new doggy nephew! This lovely boy is 5-year-old cocker spaniel Indiana Jones, kn...
14/06/2026

🐾 Staff Pet Sunday! 🐾

🐕 Vet Maddie has a new doggy nephew! This lovely boy is 5-year-old cocker spaniel Indiana Jones, known as Indy!

🐕 Indy grew up in the Cotswolds but after the sad death of his owner, he now lives in London with a family member, Maddie's brother and his girlfriend.

🐕 Indy loves any body of water, puddles and ocean alike, he does not discriminate. He loves snuggling and being blow dried and can do lots of tricks including dance, spin and weave.

🐕 Indy has lots of friends he plays with on the beach of the Thames and loves chasing pigeons! He is just as happy relaxing in a pub though!

🐕 We have spoken before about the importance of having plans in place for what happens to your pet if the worst should happen. Indy has thankfully fallen on his paws with a second wonderful life.

13/06/2026

🤕🤢 Symptom Saturday! 🤧🤒

🌟 Prolonged Capillary Refill Time 🌟

🐾 A capillary refill time is a quick check that can be performed on our pets to assess circulation. Light pressure is applied with a finger tip to a pink area of gum or lip until it blanches white. The pressure is then removed and the time taken until the pink colour returns assessed.

🐾 A normal capillary refill time is 1-2 seconds.

🐾 A prolonged capillary refill time indicates that circulation is compromised in some way. This is generally due to low blood pressure caused by shock, dehydration, blood loss, or heart disease. It can also result from low temperatures.

🐾 Any increase in capillary refill time is likely to be accompanied by other symptoms such as lethargy, depression, weakness or increased respiratory rate, but even if it's the only symptom it should be investigated.

🐾 If you have any concerns about your pet’s symptoms, gum colour or capillary refill time please get in contact.

🐾 Pet of the Week! 🐾🐕 This gorgeous boy is 11-year-old Springer Spaniel Timmy, owned by Ian who is the IT and facilities...
12/06/2026

🐾 Pet of the Week! 🐾

🐕 This gorgeous boy is 11-year-old Springer Spaniel Timmy, owned by Ian who is the IT and facilities manager at Towcester Vets.

🐕 Ian brought Timmy in to see vet Jen last week after some recently investigated mild incontinence was persisting. Timmy was otherwise happy and bright with no other indication of urinary concerns. On palpating Timmy’s abdomen however, Jen unfortunately could feel an abnormal mass.

🐕 Timmy was immediately admitted for an ultrasound scan which confirmed her suspicions, there were two masses within the abdomen, likely associated with the spleen.

🐕 Vet Cat anaesthetised Timmy, taking some x-rays of his chest initially to determine whether any thoracic masses were present. Timmy had also been experiencing some back pain so spinal x-rays were taken, demonstrating some mild age-related changes. Thankfully his chest appeared clear and so Timmy proceeded to surgery.

🐕 An exploratory laparotomy was performed to allow Cat to visualise all of the abdominal organs. The spleen had two abnormal masses on it, one of which looked close to rupture. A splenectomy, removal of the spleen, was indicated and experienced surgical certificate holder Cat performed the procedure quickly and efficiently.

🐕 More than 50% of splenic tumours are malignant (cancerous), most commonly haemangiosarcomas, aggressive tumours of the blood vessels. Sadly, prognosis with these tumours is extremely poor, particularly if spread to the chest or liver is already detectable.

🐕 The alternative is a benign overgrowth of splenic tissue which can lead to haematomas (swellings filled with blood). These are still very dangerous, as if they rupture the internal bleeding that results can prove fatal, but removal is curative.

🐕 Unfortunately the malignant and benign masses are impossible to distinguish visually and so Timmy’s spleen was sent to an external laboratory for histological examination. There was a huge amount of relief for all when the results came back this week confirming that Timmy’s mass was benign.

🐕 Timmy recovered very well from the surgery, initially under the excellent care of vet nurse Pip and then at home under the watchful eye of his big sister, lab cross Big Dog!

🐕 Timmy was lucky that his mass putting pressure on his bladder caused mild incontinence and his owners were very proactive at getting him checked! Bed wetting potentially saved his life!

🌟 What We Do Wednesday! 🌟🩸Monitoring for High Blood Pressure 🩸🐾 The pressure of blood circulating within the blood vesse...
10/06/2026

🌟 What We Do Wednesday! 🌟

🩸Monitoring for High Blood Pressure 🩸

🐾 The pressure of blood circulating within the blood vessels in the body should ideally stay within a controlled range. Several things can affect the pressure and cause the pressure to drop or rise to unsafe levels.

🐾 Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common medical problem in cats, particularly as they get older. It is thought that a huge 40% of cats over 7 years old are suffering with the condition.

🐾 Cats can develop hypertension as both a stand alone, primary problem and secondary to some of the other very common diseases that older cats are prone to developing, like kidney disease and hyperthyroidism. Primary hypertension is rare in dogs but their blood pressure can rise as a result of another disease such as Cushing’s disease.

🐾 The blood being under too great a pressure as it circulates throughout the body can cause damage in a number of areas. Most commonly hypertension causes damage and detachment of the retinas at the back of the eye, bleeding in the brain, destruction of nephrons in the kidney leading to renal disease and the heart having to work too hard leading to heart disease.

🐾 Unfortunately, it can be extremely difficult to tell when an individual’s blood pressure is rising. Often there will be no outward sign of any problem until something dramatic happens. Sadly, that is often the pet's retina detaching leading to sudden blindness! By this point it is also likely that other organs have experienced damage.

🐾 In order to try and prevent cases like this, it is recommended that all older cats have their blood pressure monitored every six to twelve months. Luckily this can be performed easily by a Vet or Vet Nurse in a completely non-invasive way. Most of us have had our blood pressure checked at some point and the method is very similar for our pets with a miniature cuff around their tail or limbs. The vast majority of cats and dogs tolerate the procedure really well, distracted easily with fuss or treats!

🐾 Early detection of hypertension allows treatment to be started, minimising the damage and hopefully preventing the serious complications of blindness and brain damage. Medications can very successfully control blood pressure, giving our pets a new lease of life and giving us more time to enjoy with them.

🐾 This Summer, in June, July, August and September, we are offering all cats over 7 years old free blood pressure monitoring to allow as many of our older feline friends to be checked as possible. If you would like to book your pet in to make sure they are not currently at risk or would like to add a blood pressure check to your pets booster appointment then please speak to our fabulous reception team who can arrange a suitable appointment.

🐾 If you have any further questions a member of the team will be happy to help ☎️

🎩 Top Tip Tuesday! 🎩 🏵️ Poppies 🏵️🐾 At the moment splashes of red are brightening up verges, field edges and gard...
09/06/2026

🎩 Top Tip Tuesday! 🎩

🏵️ Poppies 🏵️

🐾 At the moment splashes of red are brightening up verges, field edges and gardens, beautiful poppies growing in groups or alone.

🐾 Poppies are still used to obtain chemicals that can be used to create medications and illegal drugs. These drugs, known as opioids, include morphine and methadone used as strong painkillers in both human and veterinary medicine and the illegal drugs o***m and he**in.

🐾 These chemicals can cause issues for our pets if they ingest any of the poppy plant. Contact with the plants is not believed to be problematic, but ingesting any part is for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, most tortoises and others.

🐾 Signs might include vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, lethargy, wobbliness, tremors and collapse.

🐾 Food-grade poppy seeds can also be toxic. Half a teaspoon of seeds is enough to cause symptoms in a small dog, 1 teaspoon in a medium or large dog. They are most likely to eat them on baked goods.

🐾 If you believe your pet might have eaten any part of a poppy plant or some poppy seeds or they are demonstrating symptoms please call us urgently ☎️

🌟🫂 National Best Friends Day! 🫂🌟🐾 However amazing our human friends are, many of us have pets that we would award the ti...
08/06/2026

🌟🫂 National Best Friends Day! 🫂🌟

🐾 However amazing our human friends are, many of us have pets that we would award the title of our best friend.

🐾 Our pets can be our constants, providing companionship, reassurance, support and joy.

🐾 Our pets may have a strong bond with us, but can also become best friends with other pets of the same species or other species. For some types of pets, friendship is really important for them in order to live a happy life, dogs need company, human or canine, rabbits tend to be happiest with a bonded friend, guinea pigs, mice and rats live happily in gangs and many bird species bond for life.

🐾 Other pets are less social. Hamsters would prefer to live alone and often inflict injuries on other individuals, cats are often solitary although many like attention on their own terms and can live harmoniously with other pets and most reptiles are best kept singlely.

🐾 Does your pet have a best friend? We would love to see photos! Here are just some of the Towcester Staff Pets with their friends! 🥰

🌟 Staff Pet Sunday! 🌟🐴 So far on staff pet Sunday we have only shared our small animals with you, but many of our team h...
07/06/2026

🌟 Staff Pet Sunday! 🌟

🐴 So far on staff pet Sunday we have only shared our small animals with you, but many of our team have much loved equine or farm pets too!

🐴 This gorgeous gang belong to Weedon receptionist Helen. All four are all currently companion horses, enjoying their retirement relaxing and socialising.

🐴 Billy in the Zebra print is 28-years-old now and Helen describes him as the love of her life. After riding a lot as a child, Helen decided to return to horses when she reached 40, and Billy held her hand through learning to ride again. Unfortunately, with a few health concerns he is now retired but still loves spending time with Helen and his new friends.

🐴 Cheeky Pancho (cuddling Helen), Beautiful black Conker and nosy grey Neville are all rescues who are now living their best life! 🥰

🤕🤢 Symptom Saturday! 🤧🤒👁️ Sudden Onset Blindness 👁️🐾 Occasionally our pets can demonstrate signs that their vision has d...
06/06/2026

🤕🤢 Symptom Saturday! 🤧🤒

👁️ Sudden Onset Blindness 👁️

🐾 Occasionally our pets can demonstrate signs that their vision has deteriorated quickly. We would always recommend getting these patients assessed by a vet as quickly as possible, as quick attention may allow vision to be saved and some conditions are very painful.

🐾 Older patients whose sight gradually deteriorated tend to adapt fairly well, using their other senses to direct themselves and are often not distressed by their lack of vision.

🐾 In sudden vision loss however, pets are often stressed by the change and may appear distressed, anxious or even aggressive. They may be jumpy and unsettled and might struggle to move around furniture or to jump onto surfaces.

🐾 Sudden vision loss can have a variety of causes including damage to the retina within the eye due to high blood pressure, damage caused by high pressure within the eye (glaucoma), trauma to the eyes or inflammation of the eyes, nerves or brain.

🐾 In cats, high blood pressure is the leading cause of sudden onset blindness. As 40% of cats have high blood pressure sadly complications can commonly arise. Ideally high blood pressure would be detected and treated before retinal damage results, but signs can be very subtle and so vision loss may be the first sign that owners notice.

🐾 Routine blood pressure monitoring can enable changes to be detected early. Currently all cats over 7 can have their blood pressure checked free of charge, see Wednesday's post for more details or call the surgery.

🐾 If you are concerned your pet’s vision may have deteriorated quickly please get in touch with us urgently ☎️

🐾 Pet of the Week! 🐾😺 This gorgeous 8-month-old Ragdoll boy was a firm favourite with everyone when he was in for castra...
05/06/2026

🐾 Pet of the Week! 🐾

😺 This gorgeous 8-month-old Ragdoll boy was a firm favourite with everyone when he was in for castration this week.

😺 He loved us too, enjoying all the cuddles and fuss!

😺 As well as being beautiful and adorable, he also has the best name: Crumpet!!

😺 Crumpet is likely to only go outside with his owner on a harness, reducing the risk of injuries or disease transmission from fighting, being injured on the roads, roaming too far or fathering unplanned litters that is the risk with keeping male cats entire.

😺 However, castration is still recommended in indoor cats in order to make them better roommates! Entire male cats can find the desire to escape to find females and to protect their home from other male cats hard to ignore and often scent mark their territory. Even normal urination can be very pungent!

😺 We loved meeting Crumpet and are glad he enjoyed his stay with us! 🥰

Address

Burcote Road
Towcester
NN126JW

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 12pm

Telephone

+441327350239

Website

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