Stan & Stella: Vaccinations are important!

These two cuties are Stan and Stella, they are brother and sister, and are owned by our wonderful nurse Sarah.

Sarah adopted them following a tough start to life from the border between Serbia and Romania, just over eighteen months ago. You can see how cute they were when they were little puppies😍Before they were brought over they had contracted canine distemper and were treated for it. They were the only ones to survive from their litter😔.

Canine distemper is a serious virus that attacks several different organs in the body including the guts, heart, immune system, lungs, brain and nerves.
Initial symptoms of the virus can begin with:

• Mucousy eye and nose discharge
• Lack of appetite
• CoughingPneumonia
• Fever (although this can come and go and is hard to detect)
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea

Nowadays it’s extremely rare, thanks to effective vaccinations, but it is still not eradicated so it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms and keep up to date with your pets vaccinations🏥 Learn more about these potentially lethal diseases!

Stella and Stan were in with us today for dental x-rays and dental work as their teeth needed some TLC. Stan and Stella both had enamel dysplasia on their teeth. If generalised it is also described as enamel hypocalcification or “distemper teeth”. It results in lesions on the teeth. Enamel is the hardest substance in the body and only covers the crown of teeth, its job is to protect the underlying dentine. Enamel can not repair itself when there is a lot of damage and this can lead to sensitivity in a tooth.

When distemper was common in the UK, these lesions were found on the teeth of pups that survived to adulthood 🦷 Stan and Stella both had teeth removed that had these lesions present on them. They both recovered very well from the anaesthetics. Stan even enjoyed a little photoshoot and lots of cuddles while Stella was still recovering. He’s definitely a ladies man 🥰. We love seeing the amazing life these two beautiful dogs are living with their amazing owner.