How To Get Your Pet To The Vet

Posted on May 11, 2012 by admin

Because I’m a home visiting vet, I obviously believe that having your pet examined at home is a good idea. But sometimes it’s not possible, or practical. In the UK, there are not yet enough mobile vets, so in some … Continue reading →

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How To Get Fleas.

Posted on April 26, 2012 by admin
flea-life-cycle-demonstration

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It’s that time of the year again- Flea Season. There are reports of flea infestations all over the UK with this spring. It may be wet, but it’s not cold and these conditions are perfect for fleas to reproduce. But … Continue reading →

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Help! I’ve Lost The Vaccination Card.

Posted on March 20, 2012 by admin

If this is your problem, don’t panic. You are most likely to need to show your pet’s vaccination card if they go into a kennel or cattery. Some dog training classes will ask for proof of vaccination as well. A … Continue reading →

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Which Pet Insurance?

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

If you are reading this, hopefully you will have read my previous post, here, and already have a short list of recommended pet insurance companies that you think might be worth checking out. Now is the time to ring around a few … Continue reading →

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Pet Insurance: Is It Worth It?

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

This is a question I get asked time and time again, but one that I find impossible to answer  concisely.

There are so many things to consider.

So, I’m doing the sensible thing and writing a blog post on the topic.

First of all, pet insurance is a gamble. You  pay out money each month and you might get it back in payouts or you might not; but since 1 in 3 pets will visit their vet unexpectedly each year, there is a fighting chance of you being able to claim.

But Pet insurance is not essential. If you can find at least £400-500 in a hurry if your pet has a horrible accident, or becomes seriously ill, then you may not need it. But if this amount is out of your reach, or you’d prefer to be able to claim the money back again, then you should take out insurance. Continue reading →

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The Phone Calls.

Posted on January 1, 2012 by admin

Any vet who has ever had to man the after hours phones will be able to sympathise with the RSPCA, who have released a list of some of the stranger calls they have received over the course of 2011.

Examples include:

A caller rang to complain that a neighbour’s power shower caused their dog to go to the toilet.

A concerned resident who thought gulls were in their area were radioactive – it turned out that nearby garden lights were illuminating them and turning them green.

A lady phoned in to complain that the blackbird in her garden didn’t sing.

—One caller rang to cancel a visit as their dead tortoise had ‘come back to life’.

Another caller rang in concerned about the talking meerkats on the Compare the Market advertisement. Continue reading →

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Young James Herriot.

Posted on December 17, 2011 by admin

I’m sure a large percentage of vets in the profession today owe their career choice to James Herriot, the star of ‘All Creatures Great And Small’.

The television series was incredibly popular in the late 70′s and the 80′s, and was not-so- loosely based on the books by Alf Wright. Alf Wright, was, of course the ‘real’ James Herriot and his books were semi-biographical. Something you’d have to be very careful about doing in today’s society.

I adored these programs and have tried to indoctrinate my children into their simple charm with little success. Continue reading →

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I’m Off To The London Vet Show.

Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin

When people find out what I do for a living, they often talk about how long it takes to become a vet. 5 years! they say.  Isn’t that longer than it takes to train a doctor?

And it does seem a long slog at the time. But as with most professionals, a vet’s education doesn’t end at graduation.

All practising veterinary surgeons must maintain and continue to develop their professional knowledge and skills, in order to make continuous improvements to the standard of service they provide to their patients and clients.

Currently the recommended minimum CPD is 105 hours over three years . This is an average of 35 hours per year. Continue reading →

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Thundershirt: A Review.

Posted on November 15, 2011 by admin

I have blogged about our sound-phobic collie in the previous post, ‘About Dogs and Fireworks’, here.

The Old Boy is not severely phobic. He doesn’t destroy things, but he does follow us from room to room painting and holding his tail between his legs. When he really can’t cope, he goes upstairs and hides in the shower.

We’ve always just managed his fear by ignoring his behaviour and letting him follow us around when he wants. I’ve tried a DAP diffuser, but it didn’t seem to help, and I don’t want to try drugs as his last blood test showed he has raised liver enzymes.

His behaviour doesn’t really  impact on us, but it’s clear that he’s scared by fireworks. So when I read about Thundershirts, I thought they might be worth a go. Continue reading →

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Dogs And Fireworks.

Posted on October 20, 2011 by admin

The days are getting shorter, the leaves are tumbling from the trees and pretty soon the firework season will be upon us.

We live in Greater London and fireworks are no longer confined to one night, or even one weekend. They go off for months around here! They usually start in October, carry on through November and December and tail off after January.

We have a sound phobic collie so for him that’s 4 months of terror. Our poor old dog stays upstairs, either under our bed or in the shower(!), unless the fireworks are very close. Then he comes downstairs and sits pressed up against us and pants.  Continue reading →

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