The first ever national guinea pig awareness week
I truly dislike using a microscope. When I was a student, I had to learn. I spent many hours a week in my first few years at Vet School attempting to identify specific cells, and then specific illnesses, germs and parasites. But unfortunately, it always set off my motion sickness, making it hard to concentrate. […]
This Saturday 20th February is national love your pet day
Of course, at The Mewes every day is a love your pet day. But I am happy to have an extra special day announced by the RSPCA to celebrate the special bond between people and their pets. It gives us an excuse to show our pets how much they mean to us. One of our […]
We have a new vet
His name is Dr Nick Paleologo, and he is from Greece. We are extremely lucky to have found such a lovely man to join our very special team. It will mean that we will soon be able to offer significantly more appointments per week, pandemic permitting. He will join our established team of vets consisting […]
The year of the pup?
You may have noticed that I am an animal lover. So you won’t be surprised that I can be easily distracted by a cute puppy or kitten. The other evening, I was consulting outside. This is our new way of communicating in the veterinary profession. As I cannot be within two metres of a client […]
New Year’s resolutions
Are you and your pets shut indoors and gaining weight? At this time of year, our thoughts turn to how to reverse the excesses of the recent festivities. But being told to stay at home is not helping with our waistlines. We need inspiration, and one of my patients may be the girl to provide […]
A time of hope
I hope that none of us will ever have to experience another year like 2020. For an agonising few months I was literally prevented from performing my role as a vet. I was forbidden to see any but the most desperately ill pets, and it felt awful. Then for several more months, we were permitted […]
Fundraising success
Congratulations to Hugo and his family! This wonderful portrait of Labrador puppy, Hugo in his smart bow tie, was the overall winner in our 2021 calendar competition. The Mayor of Haywards Heath, Cllr Alastair McPherson, picked this gorgeous photo. Hugo won 2 large bags of puppy food, and the honour of being the cover superstar […]
The Mewes Vets remains open
Thank goodness, vets are being considered an ‘essential business’ this time around. When the first lockdown looked likely, I was anxious about the welfare of the pets under our care. I made a commitment with my team, that no animal would go uncared for, if I could help it. The restrictions placed on us in […]
Plans change
Tomorrow I was expecting to be a zoo-keeper for the day at Drusillas Park. It was a gift for a recent birthday. I’m still a big child inside, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with creatures I usually only get to see from a distance would have meant a lot to me. […]
Dog Acupuncture still available
Lockdown has been tough for all of us. For some it has meant a painfully long period of separation from friends and family. For others having to risk their lives to continue providing a necessary service. And for others still the enforced inactivity was hard to bear. Pets have also experienced changes. Many may have […]
Why we are not letting any clients into the premises. Last day for calendar competition entries.
Last call for pet photo competition entries! We have had some wonderful entries for our pet photo competition already this year. The competition closes tomorrow at noon. So if you have not yet entered – do it now! Our pet calendar 2021 will be packed with the prize winners, and sold in aid of the […]
Calendar Competition Launch
Most years the Mewes Vets team are frequently out in the community at events raising awareness about responsible pet ownership. But COVID19 has put a stop to almost all of that. There is just one event we can hold with a clear conscience and social safety: our 2021 calendar pet portrait competition. We are excited […]
All in one rabbit vaccine
In some ways lockdown has been a special time for me as a vet. Many people have had time to reflect, and decided that this is a great time to acquire a newpet. I have been seeing lots of lovely kittens, puppies and baby rabbits joining localhouseholds. This has brought happiness and cuddles to our […]
New pet cancer treatment
We are living in extraordinary times. Whilst most of us are focussing on coping with all the changes caused by the internationalcoronavirus pandemic in people, Virbac have been launching a brand new pet cancertherapy. The new drug is extracted from the seed of a shrub – Fontainea picrosperma – found in therainforest in northern Queensland, […]
Working with Social Distancing
“Aww! He’s so cute!” Our next patient was a nine week old black kitten, called Sooty. He had a thirty minute appointment for his first ever health check and vaccinations.I reminded the nurse that, immediately after this appointment, we needed to anaesthetiseFreddie, a sick cat. We were going to skip our tea break to get […]
Great News
At last! I can report something of a return to our former levels of service. Since late March we have been responding to various guidelines from the government andour own veterinary professional bodies. But now we are permitted to see all cases that needus, as long as we can create a safe environment to do […]
Pet Owners are COVID heroes too
My team are so impressed. Pet owners all over Mid Sussex are stepping up to the mark in a way that has amazed us. In the normal world, we vets and vet nurses deal with hundreds of pet problems, many of which are quite minor. We are happy to help – it’s what we are […]
COVID-sense returns
I am so excited! For three weeks during the initial COVID lockdown I have been forced to follow guidelines that seemed to conflict with my principles to help any and all suffering animals. But now, my profession’s governing bodies have negotiated with the powers-that-be, and we have permission to return to another new normality. The […]
The New Corona-Norm
The whole country is adapting to a new norm. At the Mewes Vets our priorities are to follow guidelines, stay at home, protect the NHS and to care for our pet patients’ health and welfare. To achieve this we have had to make changes to our normal routines. Our professional body, the British Veterinary Association, […]
Crying over the corona crisis
My heart is breaking. I joined the veterinary profession to care for those that cannot express their pain – animals. When I completed my training and proudly joined the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons I took an oath. In a public ceremony I solemnly promised that above all, my “constant endeavour will be to ensure […]
Benefits of Acupuncture
When a pet owner takes the trouble to write us a thank you letter, it means so much to us. Recently we received this lovely letter: “I would just like to thank you for introducing me to Angie and her laser acupuncture treatment. My dog, JJ, who is 16 and a half years old, suffers […]
Cancer affects animals and humans alike
This month I am raising funds for Cancer Research’s Walk All Over Cancer Month. I lost my Dad to cancer, and of course have to deal with it with my patients on a regular basis, so it felt right to join in. Ty is a beautiful long haired cat belonging to one of our nurses. […]
Talking to local groups
In a fortnight I will have the privilege of addressing one of the local U3A groups. I regularly attend events like this, but I am always a little nervous. Last term I was asked to give a careers presentation at Warden Park School, and felt pretty confident about meeting with six or eight young folk […]
The Mewes vets launch online booking service
It was just getting dark on Sunday evening a few weeks ago when Smokey’s owner, Sue, heard the cat flap. Later Sue went to put the kettle on and noticed a few specks of blood on the kitchen floor. She found Smokey curled up as usual on her bed, and saw a little more blood […]
