Category: News

Willows has been crowned ‘Best UK Referral Centre’ for the third year running in the Best UK Vet Awards.

There were also further celebrations as we scooped Best Vet for the West Midlands at the prestigious national ceremony.

The awards are presented to practices across the UK with the most four or five-star online reviews in each category.

In order to select the winners, award organisers analyse more than 15,500 reviews left by pet owners on vet practice websites throughout the year.

Tom Reilly, our Hospital Director, said: “Once again, Willows’ dedication to our patients and clients has been recognised by pet owners.

“For the third year in a row, we’ve scooped ‘Best UK Referral Centre’ and, if that wasn’t enough, we’ve also picked up ‘Best Vet for the West Midlands’ for the second year running.

“Our incredible team of vets, nurses and support staff are the ones who make this possible and I am

unbelievably proud of them as they maintain the exceptionally high standards Willows is renowned for.

“It would be hard to match such a skilled, compassionate and dedicated team as the one at Willows, and I feel very lucky to be part of this award-winning team and collecting the awards on behalf of the hospital.”

Susie Samuel, CEO of VetHelpDirect, said: “The Best UK Vets Awards were established 11 years ago to reward vet practices that delight their pet-owning clients. We are so pleased this practice has been recognised and local pet owners should be reassured their pets are in very safe hands.”

For more information about the awards, visit bestukvet.co.uk.

A pet cat who was left for dead after being shot has been given a new lease of life after months of expert multidisciplinary care here at Willows.

The one-year-old Russian Blue needed emergency surgery followed by an intensive programme of Physiotherapy from our team.

Simone Anesi, a European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery at Willows, admitted he was shocked by the case.

He said: “Stanley had been shot with a pellet gun and this had caused a comminuted fracture of his left scapula (shoulder blade).

“He had surgery to reconstruct his fractured scapula, which was challenging. Although many of the pellet fragments were removed there were many which had to be left behind.

“An ongoing concern was that Stanley could still not use his left foreleg four weeks after surgery.

“The Willows’ Neurology team assessed Stanley to see if his poor progress was a consequence of severe neurological deficits but these were determined to be mild.

“We concluded his poor function was most likely due to severe fibrosis around the scapula as a result of the original gunshot trauma.

“Stanley was swiftly referred to Veterinary Physiotherapist Holly Finelli and began a prolonged period of intensive rehabilitation.”

Holly explained: “Stanley was readmitted to Willows as an inpatient for a full week purely to receive intensive Physiotherapy in order to try to avoid further surgery.

“He went through a series of Physiotherapy and laser treatments which worked really well and he made good progress.

“He is now consistently using the leg well and is back to his usual self at home but with a slight limp, as his operated leg is now slightly shorter than the other due to his injury.

“A mild lameness might persist but he’s recovered well and his owners, and everyone here at Willows, are very pleased with the positive outcome.”

Specialist Simone championed Stanley’s case as a classic example of how the multidisciplinary skills of our team often combine to ensure the best outcomes.

He added: “What is interesting about Stanley is that he was not recovering as expected until intense physio was started which highlights the need for multidisciplinary care for trauma patients.”

Stanley’s owners, Zoe and Matt Breakwell, from Bishops Itchington, Warwickshire are certainly full of gratitude for the great teamwork.

Matt said: “Willows were incredible and we would absolutely recommend them – and already have!

“Simone successfully operated as soon as he was able and Holly has been outstanding. 

“It’s obvious how passionate she is about the rehabilitation of animals and how much she genuinely cares about outcomes.

“We spent months fearful Stanley might have to have his leg amputated but, thanks to Holly, that potential outcome has been averted.

“We took him back to Willows on a weekly basis for check-ups and to receive further advice and learn more exercises we could do at home to aid his recovery.

“We know Stanley will always have a limp but he’s regaining strength daily in his injured leg and his confidence has returned so the family is delighted.”

A Gloucestershire couple have praised the Specialist Veterinary skills and leading-edge cardiology care at Willows, which saved the life of their beloved one-year-old English bulldog.  

Kat Ives and Cheralyn Wilcox, who run Newbrook Equestrian Centre in Uley, admitted they feared the worst when told their pet Beryl was in peril because of a heart defect.

However, Specialist treatment by our team not only cured the problem but did so without Beryl having to undergo major surgery.

Kat says the positive outcome was a happy ending to a traumatic period: “We were beyond shocked when we learned Beryl had a heart defect called a patent duct arteriosus (PDA).

“We were absolutely devastated. The realisation we could have lost Beryl was just heartbreaking. We were honestly beside ourselves with worry. Beryl is such a special dog, not just to us as a family but to so many people who visit our farm.

“Those days leading up to her surgery felt like a decade. Watching her every move, knowing in the back of our minds her heart wasn’t working properly, was just terrifying.”

Beryl’s full recovery is another success story for the world-renowned Specialist Cardiology team at Willows.

Here at Willows, we have one of the busiest interventional Cardiology caseloads in the country, with more than 97 per cent of dogs enjoying a successful outcome from the pioneering keyhole procedures.

Willows’ Head of Cardiology Dr Simon Swift, an RCVS and European Specialist in Small Animal Cardiology, explained: “A PDA is a common congenital heart defect in dogs and creates an abnormal flow of blood from the aorta to the pulmonary artery.

“This can result in congestive heart failure (fluid in the lungs), causing an early death, so urgent treatment is vitally important.

“This important vessel should close naturally at birth, but, in Beryl’s case, it remained open and presented a clear danger.

“Surgery is often used to solve the problem but at Willows we are experienced in using minimally invasive catheter procedures with exceptional results.

“First, we passed a catheter through an artery in Beryl’s leg and up into the heart and injected a radiopaque contrast liquid into the aorta to highlight the size and shape of the faulty vessel. We used fluoroscopy to allow us to image and measure the vessel.

“This enabled us to accurately select the correct size of plug (ACDO) and carefully insert it to successfully block the vessel and prevent the abnormal flow of blood.

“Beryl recovered well after the procedure and it was immediately apparent her heart murmur had disappeared.

“A heart ultrasound confirmed no flow through the repaired vessel and follow-up examinations confirmed that she is effectively cured of her heart disease and can now look forward to a long and happy life.”

Cheralyn said the Willows team worked wonders to mend Beryl’s broken heart and ensure her future with her loving family – and adoring farm visitors – is assured.

She said: “The whole team at Willows was just incredible, from the people we spoke to who arranged all the paperwork, to the receptionists, vet nurses and, of course, the incredible surgeons who saved Beryl’s life.

“We cannot thank them enough for what they did for us and Beryl. On our farm, we work with lots of vets, from agricultural and equine vets to small animal vets.

“That’s how we know the team at Willows is exceptional and we cannot sing their praises enough!”

An English Springer Spaniel needed almost three weeks of intensive nursing care here at Willows to survive a life-threatening attack of tetanus.

Two-year-old Rusty was rigid and immobile when he was admitted to us; however, thanks to Specialist-led care and round-the clock-nursing from our amazing team of dedicated veterinary nurses, Rusty was back on his feet and allowed home.

Vicky Maund, Head of Nursing Services at Willows, explained: “Rusty was referred to our Neurology team suffering from tetanus, which is a life-threatening neurological condition caused by a bacterial infection, which can cause muscle spasms, hyperthermia and limb rigidity.

“He was very stiff, unstable and immobile when he arrived and was hospitalised for a total of 19 days in our dedicated Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he was treated by our Specialist-led Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) team.

“Throughout this time, he was intensively nursed 24 hours a day by a devoted team of ICU Nurses and Patient Care Assistants.

“So much teamwork and effort went into keeping Rusty comfortable during his hospitalisation. He needed to be fed through a tube, given fluids intravenously, and his vital signs constantly monitored.

“There were also regular blood tests, wound management, frequent care and cleansing of his eyes, mouth and ears, plus he had a urinary catheter fitted.

“As Rusty was a non-ambulatory patient (unable to walk), he also received physiotherapy care from our expert team to help restore his mobility and stability.

“It was pretty much constant care and monitoring around the clock for the whole 19 days but Rusty battled hard and defied all the odds.

“He gradually regained the movement in his legs, started to walk again and was able to get home to his family after almost three weeks in hospital.

“It was a lovely moment and everyone was so pleased. We put a video together of his journey with us and watching it now is a reminder of just how poorly Rusty was and how determined the team were to help pull him through.

“His recovery is a real tribute to our incredible nurses and patient care assistants here at Willows, who continually provide the highest standards of care to all our patients 24/7.

“We are exceptionally proud of them and the way they go above and beyond to ensure our patients receive the best possible care. We are certainly very proud of our nurses’ dedication and commitment and their crucial role in empowering the veterinary profession.”

An experienced vet nurse is carrying on her remarkable career progression here at Willows after being appointed to a unique radiology role.

Long-serving registered veterinary nurse (RVN) Aimee Carrier has been appointed to the newly-created role of radiology team leader, heading a dedicated group of registered veterinary nurses within our diagnostic imaging service.

Aimee said working within Willows multidisciplinary hospital had given her so many opportunities to advance her knowledge and experience since joining the renowned centre almost 10 years ago, and she now wants other nurses to blossom in a similar manner.

She said: “I began my career at Willows by rotating through all of our services before moving into the lead nurse position within radiology, I then progressed to multidisciplinary team leader and have now taken up a new role as radiology team leader. 

“It has allowed me to obtain a plethora of important and crucial skills across all disciplines with an understanding and appreciation for each services individual needs. 

“Now, in this team leader position, my main responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day efficiency of the radiology service and ensuring all patients receive the highest level of care throughout their visit.

“I’ll be providing the head of clinical services with up-to-date efficiency strategies, case load numbers and highlighting where improvements could be made.

“I also need to ensure sufficient out-of-hours cross sectional image acquisition in support of our radiologists.”

Having benefited from a clear career pathway here at Willows, Aimee is particularly keen to use her advancement to help her fellow nurses to progress their own careers.

As we enter Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM), which this year embraces the theme of ‘empowerment’, Aimee added that her newly-created position was a great illustration of how our hospital embodies and supports empowerment within veterinary nursing.

She said: “I am passionate about teaching and developing our nurses’ skills matrix to showcase how dynamic our team is here at Willows.

“My role, alongside our radiology team is a prime example of the opportunities available at Willows for RVNs to expand their skill sets and the develop the scope of their careers.

“It allows nurses to be fundamental in the acquisition of imaging and running the hybrid imaging list independently.

“This is vitally important as we will be depending more and more on remote reporting in the future.

“That’s why an important part of this new role will be focusing on the acquisition and teaching of accurate, well positioned, diagnostic images using varying modalities including cross-sectional CT and MRI scans.

“It’s also a key task for me to support and lead the radiology team, including performing regular performance development reviews and creating clear career pathways for new members of the service.”

To improve our client experience and simplify things, we’re making a few changes to our Terms of Service on 2nd May. Click here to view the updated Terms of Service.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with customer.service@linnaeusgroup.co.uk or by writing to us at Customer Service, Linnaeus Group, Friars Gate, 1011 Stratford Road, Shirley, West Midlands, B90 4BN.