Hook Norton Veterinary Group

Large Animal Receptionist Laura and her dog Quince show how great training has led to them having a great bond. Plus, Quince can have some splashy fun in the process!

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks…. Or can you? Throughout this month we will be focusing on different methods of providing enrichment for your dogs. Including basic training tips, agility, scent training and behaviourist training.
Training helps to strengthen the bond between owner and dog. Teaching key life skills can allow more freedom for your pet, such as running about off lead and going on adventures with the family. Reward based training has been proven to be the ...most efficient/reliable method, using lots of treats and praise to assist as this is the best way to show them they have done what was asked.
*TOP TIP* Create a ‘Treat pyramid’. The top of the pyramid should consist of your Pets FAVOURITE thing, whether this be cheese, ham etc. This should only be given for exceptional behaviour. The higher up the pyramid the more value the treat has and less frequently given. For example, going out to the toilet may only be worth a gravy bone as this is a repeated and expected behaviour, but sitting under the pub garden bench quietly may deserve a slice of ham! You can tailor this to what your pet loves most. When starting training use your top treat item to ensure motivation, make sure you are in a quiet familiar location, keep your sessions short and sweet and always end the session with a familiar command to keep it positive.
#HNVG #petvet #nationaltrainyourdogmonth #olddognewtricks
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Merry Christmas! We hope you all have a brilliant day with family & friends! HNVG x

Only 1 more day to go until we find out if we are on the naughty or nice list! Don't forget HNVG are open for emergencies, if your 4 legged friend decides to dive head first into a box of chocolates or mince pies!
#HNVG #vets #merrychristmas

When you're desperate to see Father Christmas the tree is the obvious hiding place! 🎄

‘Rita’ was feeling very Christmassy at her Booster appointment yesterday 🎄🐶#4moresleeps #rockingaroundthechristmastree

Merry Christmas from all the nurses at HNVG. We hope your pets stay safe over the festive period 💓

🐰With the freezing weather coming in, remember to take additional steps to look after any small furry pets outside🐹
- Provide plenty of extra bedding materials for them to burry into, removed urine soiled bedding daily. - Cover the hutch in a waterproof sheet to protect from the elements. - Try moving them into a section of the house or If not possible move hutches into a shed, garage or sheltered section of the garden. ... -Check water bottles twice a day, insulate to prevent freezing over. - 'Snugglesafes' are microwaveable heat pads that can be given to sit on, (make sure any heat source is covered by a protective layer to prevent thermal burns) - Monitor faecal/urine ouput and if your pet is eating. Any caessation of these activites means you need to seek Veterinary advice.
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Star of the Month! ‘Ralph’ the Golden Retriever puppy was admitted to Hook Norton Hospital this month. He was incredibly sick with a viral disease that caused significant loss of fluid from his gastrointestinal tract. Ralph was so sick he required intensive barrier nursing in our isolation facility 24/7 over the space of a week.
Barrier nursing involves isolating the patient from the main hospital ward and following specific protocols to avoid any external contamination. Ral...phs immunity was so poor during his time of illness, we had to ensure he wasn’t exposed to the external environment. Ralph was vomiting and had severe diarrhoea which meant he was losing a significant volume of fluid and valuable proteins and electrolytes from his body, this was life threatening. As a result, a Plasma transfusion was performed by the team to aid his stabilisation as well as aggressive intravenous fluid therapy. Ralph was so sick he couldn’t eat any food by himself or even lift his head, we had to surgically place an oesophageal feeding tube so the nursing team could provide him with food. He was fed multiple times a day via the feeding tube, in an attempt to replace lost fluid and also build up much needed energy.
After 6 days we were still intensively caring for Ralph, he was making very slow improvements but we knew he needed time. Then on day 7 a miracle happened and we could hear Ralph barking!!! To everyone’s amazement Ralph had gotten himself up and was barking away wagging his tail to greet us. He took his first bite of food in over a week! There wasn’t a dry eye in the ward and we were absolutely delighted to see Ralph on his feet. After a very hard week, Ralph had defied the odds and made it. It had been a tough week for Ralph’s owners and the staff involved is his case, but seeing him leave with his owners made it all worthwhile.
This is why Ralph is our Star of the month!
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Sock Monkey is back for the festive period! We had a birthday in the Practice today & Sock Monkey presented the card & cake. Tea and cake anyone?! 🙊 ☕ 🍰

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that donated money to our vets who grew moustaches last month in honour of Movember, we raised £51.50!
The Movember Foundation have funded more than a thousand men’s health programmes, and with continued support will continue to fight for a world where men live happier, healthier and longer lives.
#HNVG #movember #menshealth

🎉🏆Huge Congratulations to Vets Harm, Will Katherine and Nancy, Equine Nurse Jenna and Harm’s partner Carly, who completed the 50mile hiking challenge, The Tour de Trigs this weekend! 🎉🏆 Only 13 teams completed from 30 starters- a reflection of the gruelling conditions and weather. They managed to come home with a few trophies and some very sore feet- well done guys!

Congratulations to equine vet Tom, who has won our #Movember challenge! Well done to all our vets who Mo’d up this month in aid of men’s cancers & in honour of our great friend Tony. Mo on! #menshealth #hnvg #vets

Student nurse Loui looking very proud after successfully applying his first bandage 😆 #studentlife #nursing #bandage

Don't forget to mop up any Antifreeze spills and keep it locked safely away. It is extremely toxic to cats!

With winter around the corner and frosty mornings ahead, many of us are topping up our vehicles with Antifreeze.
Antifreeze is extremely toxic to cats and signs of poisoning can be seen as little as 30 minutes post ingestion. Follow the link to find out more about the signs and symptoms you should be looking out for in the chilly months ahead.

Match the Mo to the Bro! This year our vets (mostly male) are growing out the upper lip and supporting #Movember. This fantastic cause helps fund research into stopping testicular and prostate cancers as well raising awareness and support for mental health. If you want to contribute to our pledge, our vets will be collecting donations on our daily rounds!
Please comment with your guesses matching the mo to the bro! We’d also love to hear your favourites!
#movember #stopmendyingtooyoung #overhalfway #hnvg #xlvets

Well done to beautiful ‘Whisky’ who over the past year has trimmed down a very impressive 8kg! Whiskys owners have been great in keeping on board with his diet and have brought him in for monthly nurse clinics. No doubt Whisky is feeling happier and healthier at his new target weight💓 If you would like to book in for a consultation with one of our nurses we will be happy to discuss how to get your pet to their optimal weight☺️

You cant put into words the care and dedication of all the team here.There is always someone who will help you out and give advice,plus the medical skill is second to non.

I have moved and cannot find a vet to come even close to the whole team.

Really looked after my dog Bella with the best care. Also the staff are really friendly and very comforting in what was a horrid situation. Bella says thank you for helping her get back on the mend. Xx plus a special thanks to Fiona and Gary x

My rescue would not manage without the care and support that I have received over the last twelve years with the wonderful vets and staff at the Hook Norton Veterinary Group.

Lovely vets and staff

I would like to say thank you to all the staff that helped us through our difficult day yesterday, they were extremely helpful and very professional in their dealings with us.

I will never be able to thank the amazing people from this vets for taking care of my little dog poppy when she was poorly. Gary for putting up with me when I found out she had lymphoma ringing him constantly asking him things about her so patient and olivier who was there when it got really tough and came to my house to put her little soul to rest. And all the poor receptionists who had to deal with me in tears at times you all showed such compassion and went beyond your call of duty always going the extra mile. It was such a hard time but thanks to you all you made this awful time so much easier to bare Thank you so much xxx

I love this veterinary practice. It really is, all about the animals. So caring and honest, I wouldn’t go anywhere else with my animals. Xxx

I just want to say a massive thank you to Katherine who came out to me when my horse Flyte broke her leg. I knew there was nothing that could be done before you got there, i just wanted to thank you for stopping her pain.i will never forget the sight of her leg.

I cannot praise Will enough for his care of my Shih Tzu; Ebony. His patience and understanding were second to none. She sadly lost her battle with ill health at a very young age but I'm sure her life would have been even shorter without Will's care and she even seemed to enjoy going to the vets to see him.

Hook Norton Vets I have used for my equine business and own horses for many many years now. They are superb vets and also on the end of the phone for advice. Great practice and will always use them and recommend them.

Good news! The sick duckies are on the mend. A special thank you to the quick response from Hook Norton Veterinary group in my hour of need. We have had no new infections and the rest of the girls are doing fine. Touch wood!

Fantastic care from the Charlbury practice for Marmite our tabby mob in his final 18 months (and ICU at Hook Norton). Thank you so much for making today as painless as possible for me and him.

Fantastic care by all team members. 5 star service. Would definately recommend.

Fabulous my dog had cancer dec 2017 gary did op cemo he had 7 out of the 8 3 infections so no more did he have tock advice from gary and the girls he loved when driving down road my boy got excited he love the girl s always being made a fuss of hes still going back wards to them hes being looked after hes so happy now .the 5 mths of treatment he was unhappy hes full of fun once more we all had lots of tears but the team kept saying he ll be ok

Cant thank them enough so 5 stars and more

Excellent service by the lovely Keeley and Robyn today, will be coming back again with my dachshund for his next nail clipping �

Can’t thank the staff at Hook Norton Vets enough. They went above and beyond for us and we are eternally grateful! All Staff here were amazing! Especially Sophie Williams and Katie! Thank you all, we are glad to have our boy home �

All the staff are very pleasant and reassuring. I had absolute faith in them whilst my cat was in their care. So pleased!

Absolutely outstanding vets and vet nurses. My dogs have been away from the practice for 3 years as I moved away, but am back now and so thankful. Other vet groups really don't come close to the care and attention the animals get here and also the vets and nurses really LISTEN to you as an owner (who ultimately are the voice for your pets).