Author: Samantha Macdonald

Willows has rubberstamped our commitment to the environment with the introduction of an in-house oxygen generator.  

We have recently invested £35,000 in a deluxe compressor and state-of-the-art oxygen generator system as part of an ongoing eco-friendly campaign which has already seen our team earn prestigious national accreditation.

Last year, we earned a silver award from Investors in the Environment (iiE), the second-highest honour from the national accreditation scheme, and by purchasing and installing this hi-tech oxygen generator, we will save around 150 HGV deliveries of bottled oxygen a year alone.

The installation is the latest in a long line of eco-friendly measures installed at our hospital, which has a ‘Green Giants’ group who lead our sustainability ambitions.

CARBON FOOTPRINT

David Hindley, Facilities Manager here at Willows, said we were among the first referral centres in the country to use in-house oxygen generators for 100 per cent of its core delivery, adding: “As part of our commitment to the environment, our Green Giants group is continually looking at how we can reduce our carbon footprint.
 
“The last two years in particular have demonstrated how dependent we have been on oxygen bottles delivered to us and how fragile the supply chain can be when affected by unprecedented events such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As part of our commitment to excellence, and to uphold our reputation as a world-leading referral centre, we are incredibly excited to announce we have invested £35,000 in a deluxe compressor and state-of-the-art oxygen generator system.

“This will enable us to not only reduce our carbon footprint courtesy of no longer requiring a HGV delivery up to four times a week, but it will also support the futureproofing of our hospital by ensuring we are no longer reliant on external suppliers for deliveries of oxygen. 

ATLAS COPCO

“Our new Atlas Copco oxygen generator has been providing the hospital with high-quality oxygen without the use of gas bottles seamlessly.”

Ellie West, environmental sustainability lead at Linnaeus, said the fact Willows now has an in-house oxygen generator was a point of difference in terms of reducing its carbon footprint from operations.

She said: “Whilst oxygen generators consume electricity, the carbon emissions from transport deliveries and manufacture of oxygen are likely to be far higher. This set-up models a way that our sector can move towards sustainable practices in even the largest of practice types.”

Other measures which have been adopted and introduced as part of our eco-friendly work with the iiE include switching all lighting to LED energy-saving lights by the end of 2021, creating new waste streams and reducing single-use items, such as saving 4,000 surgical hats from going to landfill by providing all clinical team members with washable hats. The commitments made by the Willows team have seen significant results, with an eight per cent overall drop in electricity usage across the hospital, a seven per cent fuel reduction and a 12 per cent rise in recycling with the hospital now creating 14 tonnes a year of recycling.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of a highly experienced RVN and Nursing Manager as our new Hospital Director.

Tom Reilly has taken up the management role here at Willows having joined from our parent company Linnaeus, where he was Referral Field Nursing Manager.

The appointment is not Tom’s first experience with Willows, however, after he first joined us back in 2011 as a member of our Medicine and High-dependency RVN team.

Tom subsequently established the role of Patient Flow Manager, before working as Deputy Nurse Manager and then moving to head of Clinical Support Services in 2019, during which time he also led our efficiency group.

Tom moved from Willows in 2021 to take up the referral nursing manager position with Linnaeus, which entailed overseeing nursing across Linnaeus’s 17 UK referral sites.

His return to us caps a remarkable career journey and highlights once again Linnaeus’s commitment to opening up a broad spectrum of career pathways for its nursing community across the group.

Tom said: “I am really pleased and privileged to be returning to Willows to work alongside the amazing Hospital team.

“The opportunity to undertake this role highlights Linnaeus’ commitment and progressive outlook to veterinary nursing as a profession.”

Willows Managing Director Toby Gemmill said he was delighted to welcome Tom ‘back home’ to the practice, which was voted Best UK Referral Centre winner at this year’s Best UK Vet awards.

He said: “I am incredibly excited Tom will be ‘coming home’ to Willows as our new Hospital Director.

“He will play a vital role in leading the Hospital forward over the coming years and will without doubt be an absolutely outstanding addition to our team.”

Tom is also an RSPCA trustee, has been involved with BVNA as a council member and on the advisory board, has sat on the BSAVA Congress and programme committees, and was chairman of BSAVA Congress from 2021-22.

Our Head of Dermatology here at Willows has been praised after successfully treating a dog’s long-running skin complaint which had caused widespread crusting and scabbing.

Dr Richard Harvey revealed the eight-year-old Hungarian Vizsla was suffering from an autoimmune condition called canine exfoliative cutaneous lupus erythematosus (ECLE).

European Specialist Dr Harvey’s accurate diagnosis and swift treatment produced a remarkable recovery in the dog, called Jasper, and his owner Victoria Proctor, from Lichfield in Staffordshire, said she was extremely grateful her beloved pet’s long-running skin problems had finally been solved.

Victoria said: “It was such a relief to finally know what the problem was with Jasper.

“Prior to seeing Richard, we’d taken Jasper to another Vet and tests had been carried out but we were none the wiser regarding what was going on.

“It was a worrying time. Jasper was very uncomfortable and hadn’t been himself for a long time, but Richard was amazing and so quick to act.

“Going to see him at Willows has made all the difference and, subsequently, whenever I have had a question, I have been able to e-mail him and receive quick responses.

INFLAMED

“Since his diagnosis, I have been able to reduce his medication and currently he isn’t taking any tablets at all and I have been able to do this all under Richard’s guidance.

“Jasper still has bald patches from the scarring, as he scratched his skin when it was inflamed, but his skin looks so much healthier now and he’s much happier, far more energetic and back to being a normal vizsla. I’m very grateful.”

Dr Harvey said the underlying cause of ECLE was unclear but the result is the body’s own auto-immune system attacks cells within the skin, causing erosions, hair loss and accumulations of crust and scale.

He said: “Canine ECLE is one of a number of variants of canine cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Although Jasper’s clinical history and examination were suspicious of ECLE, a definitive diagnosis is necessary for three reasons.

“Firstly, the disease is likely to require long-term treatment and, secondly, ECLE is one of the variants which has, historically, proved very difficult to manage successfully.

SKIN BIOPSY

“Furthermore, because any treatment is likely to be long term, this raises questions of side-effects.

“Diagnosis of ECLE requires a histopathological examination of a skin biopsy which is sent to a specialist pathologist for analysis.

“Jasper’s histopathology was consistent with ECLE but, luckily for Jasper, a colleague and I were aware of a novel treatment for this condition which is associated with very much reduced side-effects. 

“We immediately began this course of treatment and happily it has proved a real success.”

Dr Harvey has subsequently used Jasper’s case, and six others that he has treated, in a case report entitled:  Effective treatment of canine chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus variants with oclacitinib. To find out more about Willows Specialist Dermatology services click here.

A novel new treatment delivered here at Willows has helped cure a dog who had endured four years of sporadic lameness and limping.

Eight-year-old Labrador Ben first injured himself while chasing a ball when he was just three years old and had never fully recovered – until now.

Thanks to our multi-disciplinary approach and pioneering care, Ben has finally bounced back to his best.

Firstly, Willows managing director Toby Gemmill, an RCVS and European specialist in small animal surgery, addressed Ben’s elbow dysplasia.

Toby then handed over care to colleagues Jacques Ferreira, an RCVS and European specialist in anaesthesia and analgesia, and veterinary physiotherapist Emma Box, who combined to complete the Labrador’s recovery.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Jacques said: “Ben’s elbow dysplasia had been previously diagnosed and managed by Toby using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy.

“An examination by Emma and myself confirmed the presence of chronic pain which was secondary to his ongoing elbow osteoarthritis.

“This had caused severe, intermittent left forelimb lameness which was frequently preventing Ben from being able to enjoy his walks.

“We looked at pain relief and control and started Ben on Bedinvetmab which is a monoclonal antibody therapy targeting nerve growth factor, and on Amantadine, a chronic pain medication.

“Bedinvetmab was only launched a year ago and is a novel, highly-selective pain killer which is administered via injection once a month and uses the body’s own immune system to provide pain relief for sore joints.

PHYSIOTHERAPY

“Emma supplemented this with a series of exercises and a gradual re-introduction of walking and the combination of treatments worked well.

“By reducing Ben’s pain, we were able to improve his core strength and mobility through the physiotherapy plan and this has enabled Ben to enjoy his walks again.

“We saw a good improvement within 28 days and Ben has maintained and increased his activity levels and can now walk without lameness or limping.”

Grateful owner Paul Bates, from Stamford, Lincolnshire, said Ben continued to make incredible progress.

He said: “I’d recommend Willows without any hesitation. In fact, I’ve already done so with my son, whose own Labrador has been through the same process recently.

“As for Ben, his walking improved to normal within a week. We built him up very carefully, though, as he had lost muscle strength due to the lack of exercise.

“Now he’s doing a total of 100 minutes on average a day, over three walks, with no detrimental effects. There’s not been a single adverse reaction.”

Over the last year, we have seen our costs increase significantly and we have absorbed the majority of these additional costs to try and support our customers during difficult times. However, with costs continuing to escalate, our prices need to increase to offset at least some of these higher costs.

These changes will be implemented from 14 November 2022.

Please note that all existing estimates prior to 14 November 2022 will be honoured for four weeks.

If you have any questions, please speak to a member of our team.

Thank you for your continued support.

The team at Willows are delighted to see one of our Specialists appointed to the clinical board of parent company Linnaeus in the newly-created role of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) subject matter expert.

Fergus Allerton, RCVS & EBVS® European Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine here at Willows now leads the group’s response to the threat of AMR.

Fergus has embraced a national, collaborative approach to addressing AMR. He is leading a major study into the use of antibiotics to treat canine urinary tract infections (UTIs) in female dogs and aims to gather more than 900 cases from primary care vets across the UK.

As part of his new role, Fergus is also coordinating an antibiotic amnesty with NHS England (Midlands), Linnaeus sustainability lead Ellie West and other veterinary organisations in November. Linnaeus’s UK network of primary care and referral sites will be taking part.  

During the amnesty, pet owners will be encouraged to return out-of-date and unused antibiotics for safe disposal. For veterinary pharmacies, this involves accepting animal antibiotics while directing human medicines to NHS pharmacies.

Fergus said: “AMR is a global issue that extends across human health and animal welfare. Taking a coordinated approach with others can only strengthen our response to this problem.

‘SIGNIFICANT IMPACT’

“I want to hear from other veterinary practices interested in taking part in the SOS trial and the antibiotic amnesty so we can make a significant impact together as a profession.”

Professor Séverine Tasker, Chief Medical Officer at Linnaeus, said: “Congratulations to Fergus on his well-deserved appointment. His expertise in AMR will help to inform our clinical board as well as our teams working in clinical practice around the UK and Ireland.

“Fergus will also be liaising with our colleagues at Mars Veterinary Health to engage in global conversations about AMR.

“The growing problem of AMR is a key priority for the Linnaeus clinical board and Fergus’s insight will be highly valuable for us all.”

Commenting on Fergus’s new role, Ian Battersby, Global Pharmaceutical Stewardship Lead for Mars Veterinary Health, said: “Having worked closely with Fergus during my time at Linnaeus, I am really pleased to see him take on the mantle of AMR lead for the group.

“His knowledge and enthusiasm set a strong example to others. I look forward to collaborating with him as we undertake a coordinated, global response to AMR.”

The Linnaeus Safeguarding Antibiotics programme shares resources with its associates to promote preventative care and reduce the need for antimicrobial drugs. Between 2021 and 2022 to date, practices across Linnaeus reduced the average milligrams of antibiotics purchased by 19 per cent due to the group’s focus on addressing AMR.

To get involved in the SOS project or antibiotic amnesty, contact fergus.allerton@willows.uk.net.

Meet Tucker, a 12-year-old Labrador who was referred to Soft Tissue Specialist Will Robinson, for investigation and management of suspected laryngeal paralysis.

Laryngeal paralysis is a rare condition where the nerve supply to the larynx (voicebox) is affected which reduces the animal’s ability to open his vocal chords when breathing in, resulting in exercise intolerance. In severe cases this can result in respiratory distress especially when the weather is hot or they are overly stressed.

In the majority of affected patients this is part of a more widespread neurological degenerative condition without a clear cause. It often occurs in older dogs and as the changes are usually subtle and slowly get worse the signs are often mistakenly confused with old age.

Diagnosing laryngeal paralysis can be challenging and involves looking for laryngeal movement when an animal is breathing in. Most animals won’t tolerate this when they are awake and require a short anaesthetic. The challenging part is making sure they aren’t too deeply anaesthetised as it would falsely look like paralysis when their laryngeal function is normal. In Tucker’s case we could confirm that he was suffering from paralysis.

Unfortunately for Tucker both sides of the larynx were affected so the decision was made to proceed with surgery. Tucker’s surgery involved permanently tying one side of the larynx open via a delicate procedure through the side of the neck. Following surgery Tucker recovered in our Intensive Care Unit under the supervision of our team of Emergency and Critical Care Specialists and he was able to go home the following day.

We are delighted to share that Tucker has recovered well and is making excellent progress at home and is back to enjoying life chasing tennis balls!

Well done Tucker!

A cat called Tanqueray who had been plagued by a chronic ear condition has received a real tonic after a being treated with dog medicine.

The six-year-old Maine Coon had been struggling for six months with an acute ear infection and was eventually referred to us here at Willows.

Our renowned head of dermatology Dr Richard Harvey took charge of the case and confirmed that Tanqueray was afflicted by a rare, bacterial infection.

Dr Harvey, a UK and European recognised specialist in dermatology said: “Tanqueray was suffering from a serious case of what’s called ‘bilateral gram-negative otitis externa’ which is very rare in cats.

“It affected both external and middle ears. The case was complicated further as Tanqueray was also found to have a heart murmur.

“Luckily for Tanqueray, Willows has a specialist cardiology team who were able to perform an ultrasound on him straight away to ensure that general anaesthetic could be administered in order to investigate fully what the problem was.

“The infection had ruptured Tanqueray’s eardrums, inflamed his ear canal and caused a build-up of fluid in his middle ear as well as some discharge from both ears. The bacteria, called Pseudomonas, was shown to be resistant to all antibacterial agents that were available to us to use in a cats’ ear.”

Owner Tom Duncan, from Hampton in Arden, West Midlands, was relieved to finally have a definitive diagnosis, although admitted he was surprised by Dr Harvey’s innovative treatment.

ANTIBIOTICS

He explained: “It was such a relief to have a clear diagnosis and a path forward that wasn’t essentially just trial and error.

“Dr Harvey also said the condition could be treated with a selection of unconventional antibiotics.

“Unconventional in the sense that Tanqueray is a cat but roughly the size of a Jack Russell dog, so physically more suited to medication for dogs, however, this isn’t commonly prescribed.”

Tom embraced the novel idea and said Tanqueray subsequently made a spectacular recovery.

He quipped: “He’s back to what we remember and is currently snoring on a windowsill!”

Tom is full of praise for Dr Harvey and his expertise, adding: “Richard is an incredibly clear and direct communicator.

“After the initial consultation I didn’t feel worried at all for the first time since Tanqueray’s problem had started some months before.

“His ability to explain exactly what was wrong to someone who is not medically minded was incredibly reassuring.

“He showed us the evidence of the symptoms and told us how he could be certain that this was the cause of the problem.

“He also explained how there were a number of paths forward which we could take simultaneously which was a huge relief.

“Finally, his awareness that this is a family member and not just a pet was wonderful. We are extremely attached to our cat and it was lovely to see other people appreciate and understand that.

“We were looked after extremely well and I’d absolutely recommend Dr Harvey and Willows to other pet owners.”

One of our amazing Veterinary Nursing team members here at Willows has spoken of her immense pride at being a volunteer at the recent Commonwealth Games.

Jo Vale was one of 14,000 volunteers chosen from 46,000 applicants to help keep the 2022 games in Birmingham running smoothly.

Jo, who said she had ‘grown up’ with us at Willows having spent the first two decades of her career working in the banking sector before making the switch to veterinary nursing, turned 50 earlier this year and said she was inspired to apply as part of her birthday celebrations.

She said: “To mark my 50^th birthday, I did a ‘50 things to do’ list, with going to the Commonwealth Games and doing volunteer work both on there.

“We’d managed to get tickets to the games as spectators for two days but I thought why not apply to volunteer as well.

“That was September last year and I had to go to the library in Birmingham for an interview where they went through my CV and had a chat about what my skills were and how they could relate to a volunteering role.

“I heard I’d been successful in February and then had to attend a training course so they could decide which area I’d be most suitable to support in.”

Jo, who is from Sheldon in the West Midlands, spent 11 days as part of the ‘Games family’ based at the NEC, helping delegates and dignitaries.

She also attended the opening ceremony at the Alexander Stadium, seeing the likes of former world champion swimmer Mark Foster and BBC presenter Hazel Irvine to their seats, along with international dignitaries from the likes of Tonga and Samoa. 

While volunteering at the NEC, which played host to sports such as boxing, netball, table tennis and weightlifting, Jo also met the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

She said: “The whole experience was just the best time. The atmosphere was brilliant and to be part of it all was very special, as the games won’t come here again in my lifetime. I’m just so proud of Birmingham for hosting such a brilliant event.

“I actually enjoyed it so much I have already applied to volunteer at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Australia!”

Jo has worked here at Willows for 12 years, having started out as a Veterinary Care Assistant (VCA).

She said: “I’d previously worked for the Halifax for 21 years and was made redundant. I’ve always been an animal lover and Willows had just moved to its current state-of-the-art hospital in Solihull, so I decided to put myself through college to complete a VCA course and then applied to join Willows.

“You could say I’ve grown up with Willows. Over the past 12 years, I have progressed from a VCA through to a registered veterinary nurse. I love the job and being part of such a great team here.”