Ben had an operation last week to remove his enlarged parathyroid gland

This is Ben.  Ben is almost 10 years old.  He has a condition called cushings which means that his body produces too many steroids– this makes him more hungry and thirsty than normal.  He was well controlled on his treatment, but just before Christmas his owners noticed that he was drinking a lot more than usual again (about 4 times his normal amount).  We checked his medications and found that his cushings was well controlled, but on a routine blood sample we noticed that he had a raised blood calcium level and a low blood phosphate level.

We had to take some further specialised blood tests which we sent to an external laboratory.  We diagnosed Ben with a rare condition called primary hyperparathyroidism.  This is a condition where the parathyroid gland (which sits next to the thyroid gland in the neck) becomes enlarged and produces too much parathyroid hormone resulting in Ben being thirsty all the time.

He had an operation last week to remove his enlarged parathyroid gland (see photo).  We are happy to report that Ben has recovered well at home and he is already back to drinking much less than before his operation.

Louis the goat now out and about!

Several weeks after the final xray confirmed bony union, Louis was released! These pictures show him enjoying freedom in his paddock and clearly put his mended limb to good use.

Lennon on the mend - again!

Poor Lennon really has had time of it.


As an on-going complication from Lennon's accident, a small fragment of bone lodged in one of his toes, stopping it from healing properly.

Vet Tim fished out the bone and he is once again on the mend.

Here's Imogen giving him a quick cuddle behind the scenes at Larkmead Didcot.

Izzie doing well

Izzie came in for a check up of her heart on Monday. 

You might remember her, she is the cat who came in to see us at Larkmead Didcot  collapsed with heart failure earlier this year. 

A few months down the line, she is doing very well at home and taking her many heart tablets very well.

Doesn't she look lovely?

Lennon on the mend after the removal of his dew claw

Didcot Head Receptionist Imogen's dog Lennon has had a tough time.


Although his broken toe is now fixed, he developed an ulcer under his malformed dew claw which we then had to amputate.

We're glad to say he is now on the mend.

Update on Izzie

Izzie is doing very well. She has been at home for a week now and she is breathing much more comfortably at home.
We have changed her medication slightly as she is drinking a lot with the diuretics.

We will see her again in a month and let you know how she is doing.

Follow the progress of Louis the goats' broken leg - Part Four - Louis gets a kiss from Emma

Figure 1. Larkmead Vets does not endorse the activity of kissing goats.

This is Louis getting very well looked after by Practice Assistant Emma whilst sporting a very trendy covering to his Robert Jones dressing.