A Touch of FROST

Sarah Webster • 14 November 2019

Learning that your dog or cat has cancer can be one of the most distressing pieces of news you will ever face. It is something that our Founders, Jim and Fiona Hindle are sadly very familiar with. Today’s owners have many more options than ever before to help their companion animals. The Rumba Ambassadors were invited on a tour of the Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology and Soft Tissue hospitalto discover how the experienced cancer specialists are leading the way through innovative techniques and better understanding to maintain or improve quality of life post-diagnosis.

Two is better than one

Friends of The Rumba Foundation will know that we have made a number of donations to fund equipment for the University of Surrey’s Veterinary Cancer Research Programme to support clinical research at FROST- Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology and Soft Tissue hospital - but you may not know much more about this extraordinary facility and its pioneering work.

It is one of two specialist animal hospitals founded by Professor Noel Fitzpatrick. His vision was to create centres of excellence in veterinary medicine and animal care for companion animals. The Fitzpatrick Referrals Orthopaedic and Neurology in Eashing, Surrey accepts referrals for musculo-skeletal, brain and spinal conditions, whereas over 70 percent of the dogs and cats being treated at the Oncology and Soft Tissue hospital have been diagnosed with or are suspected of having cancer.

A hospital like no other

On first impressions, we were impressed that the facility did not look or even smell like a veterinary hospital! The Front of House area is beautifully designed, with the needs of both the owner and pets thought out in detail. The hospital has also been awarded the gold standard Cat Friendly Clinic award from International Cat Care, with a separate cat waiting room and consultation room, meaning cats can be spared even a whiff of a doggy odour!

Canine patients are greeted with “love seat” style booths incorporating shields, so that the more nervous patients are given privacy at the family’s feet to avoid potential stress or eye-eye contact with other patients.

It is clear that health and wellbeing are at the heart of the hospital’s care programme. The whole hospital is flooded with natural light and even the lightbulbs are natural day light bulbs, all to improve the wellbeing of both the patients and the team working there.

The separate cat and dog wards not surprisingly are state-of-the-art, with silver impregnated surfaces to keep bacteria to a minimum. Both hospitals have strict protocols against kennel doors with bars - all have glass doors. This also allows the nursing staff to write all the patient details on them and vital clinical instructions. It’s clear from the time we spent in the wards that the staff treat the in-patients like they were their own. Although in-patients are not allowed to bring their own belongings due to infection risks, toys and snuggly blankets are provided and all patients have regular interaction with staff to make sure they fill their cuddle quota!

Going the extra mile

Although the Oncology and Soft Tissue hospital opened its doors in September 2015 the team started treating patients at the Eashing practice whilst the new hospital was being constructed. This means the service has been running since 2014 in which time they have seen approximately 6,500 cats and dogs, at around 160 new cases per month. One in two humans will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetimes, and there are similar ratios in pets. The longer we live, the more our cells mutate and so cancer is the inevitable downside of longevity, but it need not be a death sentence.

Many of the owners bringing in their beloved pets, will have an idea that they either have cancer or could have cancer. Unsurprising, this can lead to an incredibly emotional time, as treatment can be ongoing. The ambassadors spoke with Professor Nick Bacon, Clinical Director and a Specialist in Surgical Oncology, about caring for both owners and pets during treatments.

“We are very aware that we are treating family members, and so naturally emotions can be high. We have members of the team in place to be able to look after our clients as well as we look after our patients.”

Nick explained to us that great client care is key in achieving this goal and it’s something that the team continue to innovate.

“We have deliberately hired non-clinical members for front of house staff with experience in hospitality, and have a designated point of contact in place for those clients who need extra care.”

Nick also talks about de-mystifying common cancer assumptions.

“Many owners still aren’t aware of the new techniques available to benefit their pets with cancer. The effects of chemotherapy are a great example. In humans, chemotherapy can be a gruelling process and have difficult side effects. When treating pets we give much lower doses. If you met most of our chemotherapy patients you would have no idea that they even had cancer. Our number one priority with all our patients is that they have a great quality of life.”

Shared learnings

There are many parallels between the treatments being received by the animals at Fitzpatrick Referrals and that of human cancer patients. In fact, one of the consultant radiologists from Guildford’s Royal Surrey Hospital regularly attends operations at the veterinary hospital to advise and compare.

Having been struck by the incredible degree of attention paid in every room and by every member of staff, we were left in no doubt that this state-of-the-art facility, its ground-breaking therapies and its insistence on the very best conditions for cancer treatment and recovery, are what puts Fitzpatrick Referrals right at the forefront of veterinary medicine.

Seeing some of the equipment donated by Rumba working in situ to facilitate the amazing advances being achieved at the hospital was a hugely rewarding experience for us. But it reminded us that we can only continue to support the University of Surrey’s Veterinary Cancer Research Programme at Fitzpatrick Referrals and other leading veterinary establishments through the generosity of our donors. If this has inspired you to make a contribution to help fund our next life-enhancing purchase, you can donate here . Your gift will be enormously appreciated.

You’ll be able to read more about Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology and Soft Tissue’s world-class equipment and therapies in Part 2 of this blog, coming soon.

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Putting animal cancer care first

by Fiona Hindle • 26 December 2022

We’re delighted to announce a newly forged partnership between The Rumba Foundation and world-leading veterinary care centre, AURA Veterinary. This move elevates our support of animal cancer treatment, a mission that has always been at the heart of what we do.

A real high-flyer

by Sarah Webster • 7 June 2019

We’re immensely proud of Rumba Ambassador Simon Rymes, who launched himself out of plane on Sunday 26th May in a sponsored skydive for The Rumba Foundation. Read Simon’s account of his amazing adventure, and the story behind it: “This wasn’t my first skydive; in 2011 I made a jump to raise funds for the NSPCC, but this time it was a lot more personal. I lost my beloved dog Alfie to prostate cancer last year. I had taken him to three specialists in the hope of finding a cure, but the only treatment available would have prolonged his life for just a few weeks. Even so, I knew that cancer doesn’t always have to mean a death sentence for pets. So, in honour of Alfie, I decided to lend whatever support I could to organisations working to save or extend the lives of other animals. And that’s how my partner Sherry and I came into contact with The Rumba Foundation. Having researched several charities, we were really impressed by the way that money raised by Rumba goes directly to fund pioneering research and therapies for animal patients. We’d found our home! When Rumba’s Founding Trustees, Jim and Fiona Hindle, invited us to become Ambassadors for the charity we were delighted. I was keen to start contributing to its fundraising mission as soon as possible. Which is why, a few months later, I found myself climbing into an aircraft and preparing to take that 13,000 ft leap. I really wanted to do my best for Alfie and the charity. First-time skydivers have to undertake a ground training session. This covers general safety guidelines and shows you how to leave the plane and land. Having done it before, though, I didn't need much preparation, except to book the day, turn up and jump – and this is one of the reasons why it seemed the most attractive fundraising route for me. The skydive had originally been scheduled for a few weeks earlier, but when the day came, the jump had to be cancelled due to bad weather. And even when we got the go-ahead for 26th May, we had to wait around for several hours to make absolutely sure the conditions were right. During those tense hours, my emotions were pretty mixed as we didn’t know for certain that the weather would let us do the jump, so it was a relief to finally get the all-clear. In the plane on that day were four students, four tutors and two cameramen – these were for the jumpers who were having their skydive filmed (me being one of them). My nerves were calm until I got near the door of the plane and then I had a flutter of panic. But once I was flying through the clouds, it was obvious there was no turning back. I just kept thinking about Alfie during the 60 seconds of free fall. I’d love to say the whole exercise was a stroll in the park – but to be honest, I don’t like heights, so even doing that second jump was a big challenge for me. But once I was back on the ground, I was overjoyed to have been able to raise a substantial amount of money for The Rumba Foundation in Alfie’s name. It was so worthwhile – and who knows, I may even consider having another go in the future. Watch this space …” Simon covered the costs of the skydive himself and succeeded in raising almost £2,000, including gift aid. On the day, he was supported by Rumba Founding Trustee Jim Hindle, as well as his family and friends. Everyone at Rumba sends heartfelt thanks to Simon. The funds he has raised will have a direct impact on the lives of animals. What a brilliant tribute to his special dog, Alfie! If you’ve been inspired to support Simon’s skydive, you can do so via his JustGiving page .

Meet Daisy

by Sarah Webster • 8 April 2019

The first in our series of profiled special pets

Interview with Rumba Foundation Founder Fiona Hindle

by Bronte Farenden • 3 April 2019

How much do you know about Fiona Hindle, the founder of the Rumba Foundation? Read on to discover more about what inspired her to set up the charity, her lifelong love of animals and what exciting projects she has had the pleasure of working on as part of Rumba.