Trudy Chapple and Pam Manning
basket, cage or cardboard box. Anyway, when the man finally came into the consulting room and opened the case there were two six-foot-long pythons which needed worming! Firstly, she had to measure the reptiles – the python stomach is about a third of the way down its length and they did not have a dispenser long enough. They had to employ a bit of ingenuity and used a long urinary catheter to administer the ‘white drench’ liquid. Another success. Tina and Paul have nearly always worked together and are joint partners in the Melbourn practice. They have two children, a boy who is an optometrist and a daughter who is a dental hygienist, whilst neither followed their parents in the veterinary line they are both in caring professions. Tina currently has a Labrador and a border terrier, plus two cats The saddest moments come when they have to put beloved pets to sleep, especially when they have followed the animal through from puppy or kittenhood right through to old age. It is never easy, but Tina goes to great pains to soften the blow by allowing time for the owner to think it through and saying farewell. It is very seldom that she has to say, ‘this animal should be put out of its misery now’ It is a painless and peaceful process – I can attest to that for several times I have had the sad task of holding a much loved pet whilst the injection was done, and the animal normally just slips gently into unconsciousness. Funny things that have happened – lots! Paul and Tina are adept at removing strange objects from stomachs, on one occasion a Labrador had a blockage which turned out to be a 6” rubber bone. The owners were astounded, it had been missing for eighteen months and presumably had been in the animal all that time before shifting and causing the problem. On another occasion they retrieved an apple shaped brass name holder of the type you put on the table so that guests know where to sit. Dogs are the worst offenders in the swallowing stakes, if the object has gone into the stomach it is usually an operation but sometimes an emetic will make the animal vomit the obstruction – one of the memorable ones
was two odd socks and a pair of knickers! Tina said ‘That’s Labradors for you….’ The Daveys live in a nearby village and came to Melbourn because they really like the village atmosphere and being in a position to really get to know their clients and their pets - what they call ‘continuity of care’. Furthermore, in this area there is a vast source of dedicated services for referral and if they think that someone else in the area would be better equipped to deal with a specific problem they can tap into all this specialist help. On my way to the surgery I had noticed the number of pink circles highlighting spots where dogs had fouled the pavement. I raised the subject with Tina and she agreed that some pet owners were irresponsible and allowed their dogs to defecate randomly without clearing up, but sometimes in the case of elderly pet owners it was more accidental than wilful. However, there is one owner of a large dog which regularly performs along that stretch so if anyone can pinpoint an owner – it IS an offence. When they are not flat out working in the surgery (as they were the very busy morning I was there) Tina and Paul like to walk their dogs, cycle around Grafham Water and ski. Before I left, to make way for Lenin who had a bad foot, Tina particularly asked me via these pages to thank all her clients who regularly support their Christmas Raffle. Each year they put together a hamper which is raffled and the money raised this year – £466 – went to Home Start. Whatever money is raised, the surgery doubles it and in past years they have donated to the Primary School, the Ebola Crisis, and the East Anglian Children’s Hospice. Thanks to all those generous supporters. I was left with the impression of a warm hearted woman who enjoys using her skills to keep animals (and their owners) happy. What a welcome addition to our village, our own veterinary practice. Mavis Howard Tina with a patient
melbournmagazine
21
