We are thrilled to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to Olivia Grice, our new ophthalmology vet.  Olivia Grice PGCertSAOphthal MRCVS Olivia starts on this exciting journey with us here at Bridge Referrals as we expand our Ophthalmology department. Already a valued addition to our team, we are eager to continue to build upon exceptional care we offer to our ophthalmology patients and their devoted owners. As a member of our hospital family, Olivia’s dedication to enhancing animal welfare will be a great addition. Olivia’s passion for ophthalmology will undoubtedly make a significant difference in the lives of our patients,…

Mitral Valve disease (MVD) is the most common heart disease we see in dogs, primarily affecting small breed dogs with some breeds such as Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Miniature Poodles and Shih Tzus highly represented. In 2009 the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) created a staging protocol for the disease based on the equivalent in human medicine. This was updated in 2019 to take account of changes in diagnosis, treatment and our knowledge of the disease.   In this blog I’d like to go through the categorisation of stages and what differentiates them, particularly B1 and B2, and…

At Bridge Referrals, we are always investing and expanding the hospital services that we can offer the patients that are referred to us. In September of 2023 we introduced an additional treatment modality to our oncology department, called Electrochemotherapy. This made us one of only a handful of centres in the UK to offer this and the first in the North East! Electrochemotherapy unit at Bridge Referrals What is electrochemotherapy? Poppy - The first Electrochemotherapy patient at Bridge Referrals Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a treatment aimed at localised cancers that combines chemotherapy and electric pulses that can amplify the local anti-tumour…

Meet Bernie, a beautiful cockerel who was found abandoned up a tree a few years ago. He was rescued by Rachel Sharp, from Durham who brought him back to full health. However, recently he was found with his left leg stuck in wire hanging roughly a metre off the ground, no one knew how long poor Bernie had been stuck like that.   Bernie the Cockerel Animal lover Racheal had taken to him Wrights’ Vets who x-rayed his legs but couldn't do anything else other than give pain relief. Rachel had asked about laser therapy for Bernie after searching for…

Bridge Referrals are delighted to announce that Mark Gosling, a European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, has joined the team at Bridge Referrals. Mark joins as Head of Soft Tissue Surgery at Bridge Referrals.   Mark Gosling MA BSAVA PGCertSAS VetMB DipECVS MRCVSEBVS© European & RCVS Specialist in Small Animal surgery Mark moved up to the north east after graduating and has worked here ever since! He spent five years in primary care practice, during which he completed the BSAVA certificate in small animal surgery. He then moved to a large referral centre in 2016 to undertake a surgical residency…