A VETERINARY nurse with 25 years-experience has been bringing her expertise to Ayr pet owners’ homes with socially distanced appointments during lockdown.

Rachael Dixon, 48, helped spot cancerous lumps on one owner’s dog which she then referred to the vet.

While vets are only open for emergency cases, Rachael offers a service to take care of minor issues for pets .

She spent 10 years at Dalblair Vets, Ayr, launched her Home Vet Nurse service in 2012, and spent years as a dog walker.

But with coronavirus pandemic changing up how frequent visits to the vets have become, she noticed an increase in demand, and has been spending the past few weeks visiting pets in their own garden.

Rachael told the Advertiser: “I worked at Dalblair Vets for 10 years, but I left to start up my own service in 2012.

“I thought it would be good to offer a service for owners with mobility issues who couldn’t make it out to the vets as regularly

“I have been doing a lot of dog walking and dog training, but I had to stop that when social distancing measures came into effect.

“A lot of people might not want to go to the vets at the moment due to regulations. They are only dealing with cases that are treated as an emergency.

“But there are lots of minor things such as claw clipping, knot/ matt removal, ear plucking and other services, that I can help with.

Rachael gave advice to a Prestwick dog owner, Rachel, after reading our story on the poor German Sepherd/ Lab cross, Cleo, who had damaged both its legs, and she was struggling to lift him into the car

She added: “I am trying to offer a pet taxi as well to help get them to the vets

“I messaged Rachel after seeing the story on the Ayr Advertiser, and told her some lifting techniques. Thankfully she was able to get the dog to the vet.”

Although Rachael is unable to diagnose conditions in owner’s pets, her experience has helped her to identify some issues with some animals.

And she has noticed such a difference in pets when she visits them at home.

She said: “When I’m there I just give them a quick check over. If I find something wrong I refer them to a vet.

“It’s really very rewarding, I love the job. I spent years in a vet where I would see a lot of animals who are sick or stressed

“The pets are just so much more relaxed because they are in their home environment.”

You can find out more at: www.homevetnurse.co.uk

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