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Some of the sickest and most seriously injured pets in the country come through the doors of our Vets Now Newport clinic.
And as we mark our milestone fifth anniversary, one of our vets, Bianca Bassanello savours bringing her skill to bear to save lives and ease suffering.
But even when she heads home at the end of a busy shift, Bianca always has a connection to the clinic – thanks to the poorly cat she recently adopted.
“He’s a big ginger cat that came in as a stray and there was nowhere for him to go,” said Bianca, who has been a vet for 16 years and at our Newport clinic since its first day.
“I took him home by fostering him for a bit, and despite us trying all avenues, we didn’t have a lot of success in finding a new home. He’s absolutely lovely, so I decided to adopt him, and Paulo Fernando – named after my grandad – has become part of the family.”
Since it opened in the spring of 2020, our Vets Now 24-hour emergency clinic in Newport has gone from strength to strength, expanding both staff numbers and facilities to meet the fast-growing demand.
Owners can bring their poorly pet in at any time, and Bianca and her fellow vets, nurses and animal care assistants see emergency cases right through the day and night and form a close bond with the animals under their care.
On a day shift she’ll be in at 7am, getting updates on any overnight patients before seeing a flow of new arrivals. On nights, there’s often an evening rush before potentially an early hours’ lull allowing her to do tests or treatments for the incoming day team – and maybe even grab a reviving cuppa.
“I love that it’s not an appointment system like a normal vet practice with tight time slots,” said Bianca. “If a consult takes 20 minutes, then fine, if it takes an hour then you don’t feel rushed.
“You can give the pet your full attention and go over anything that may be wrong and the owner doesn’t feel pressured over any decisions.
“We have all the equipment and surgical set-up to deal with all kinds of emergencies.”
Although there are so many cases, each one is individual and personal and happy stories come readily to mind.
Like Chester, a dog that came in recently with rare tetanus and needed two weeks of intensive care. Initially, he couldn’t stand, required feeding tubes, fluids, antibiotics and wasn’t even up to wagging his tail.
“His great joy in life was his ball and when he, happily, got better and came back to visit us it was so lovely to see him playing with a brand-new ball.
“He’d roll it under a cupboard, and we’d have to take turns getting down to fetch it for him.”
Although it can be full-on and pressured at times, Bianca says she became an emergency vet because she loves the sheer variety of cases, never knowing what might come through the door next and, of course, that feeling of making a real difference.
There’s frequently heart-stirring joy and stunning successes, but when nothing can be done despite everyone’s best efforts, she says there’s sometimes just one thing to do – have a good cry.
“It’s not a case of going home after a tough night and having a weep at home, I often do it in the clinic,” she adds.
“We all really care and, while I try not to, when I have a cried in front of owners at least they can see how much it matters to me.
“And since I’ve been here, I’ve never seen so many thank you cards. Owners are so grateful and lovely.”