Welcome to Our Blog
We will be adding to our blog frequently, so please come back to this valuable resource
New breeds, in fashion?
New breeds in “fashion” In this day and age as a vet it never ceases to amaze what combinations of dog breeds are mated with the resulting very adorable puppies. The names of which vary from “jack-doodle” (jack russell x poodle), “puggles” (pug x beagle), “chug”...
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Why most vets have pet insurance for their pets……… Protecting your Pet
A lot of my clients ask about pet insurance, who are the best companies? Should we have pet insurance? What is covered on pet insurance? Isn’t it a game of luck? Often clients have either had bad experience with their pet insurance companies or have never had to...
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New Year New Diseases
New Year New diseases Since graduating in 2010 in my short veterinary career I have seen new diseases arrive in England including Schmallenberg virus in sheep/ cows, more recently Babesia in dogs not going outside of the UK and Seasonal Canine Illness to name a few....
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Doing your breed homework…..
Doing your breed homework…….. It is one of the most exciting moments welcoming a new pet into the household! You discuss whether your lifestyle can accommodate a pet then you go about choosing one… What questions should you ask yourself? Does our lifestyle accommodate...
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Please don’t replace my Veterinary Degree with Dr Google…..
Please don’t replace my Veterinary Degree with Dr Google This month I thought I would play Devil’s advocate…… I have lost count of the number of times my clients come into the consulting room and say “I’ve googled it and I think Fluffy has ……….” Having qualified in...
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Is your pet ‘one of the family’?
It is something you say. Everybody says it. “Pets are part of the family!” is a mantra of the media, the pet industry, and even the academic veterinary literature. When pet owners have been asked to draw a diagram of their family with themselves in the centre, all too...
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Workout Wednesday….
Pets and exercise All pets need some form of exercise, that is just fact. As do we for the same reasons. It is good for weight control, fitness, muscle building and good mental health – yes, our pets can become mentally and physically frustrated to the point of true...
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Tis the season to be itching!!!
Tis the season to be itching!!! It is true that warmer (and wetter) climates do encourage parasites to emerge and so our pets are at more risk in the summer of a visit from these pesky creatures (let’s not call it an infestation!) What are we talking about? Primarily...
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Feline Etiquette
Feline Etiquette In the UK there is a population of 11.1 million pet cats! The average household often has more than one cat. As vets we often see behavioural problems in cats, the signs of which can be extreme i.e. marking throughout the house to very subtle changes....
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Geriatric cats……. Not just old age.
Geriatric cat medicine – My cat’s losing weight but then it’s probably due to old age? We often see clients who bring their older cats in for a general health check and open with the phrase “I know there’s nothing you can do for him it’s just old age!” I think if the...
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Brexit…… What does this mean for my pet?
Brexit…… What does this mean for my pet? From day-to-day hopefully Brexit won’t have any impact on your pets. However if you are used to having the freedom to take your pet abroad over the summer months Brexit may have a much larger impact! We are hoping that as a...
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Parasites are back…….
Parasites are back...... Although we have all been rejoicing at the recent heat wave we have had this February we have to take a minute to remember what this will have done for our pets parasites. Fleas: Much of our time as vets is taken up seeing skin conditions...
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Responsible rehoming
Responsible rehoming There are many places to go to rehome pets – charity rehoming centres i.e. dogs trust, through friends and social media. This month we thought we would give you some useful tips when thinking about rehoming a new pet – cat or dog. We always...
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What our dogs do for us?
What our dogs do for us? We thought we would start 2019 with some reflection about our pets. With 24% of the UK adult population owning a dog that is an estimated 8.9million dogs in the UK. So why do we have dogs? The answer is that, not only do they provide loyal...
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Obesity……We have to face facts!
Is obesity a dirty word for our pets? In 2016, the British Veterinary Association surveyed over 1600 UK vets, asking them which disease was their biggest concern affecting the welfare of our pets. Overwhelmingly, almost 2/3rds of vets answered with the same answer....
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The microchipping movement
The Microchipping Movement In the UK there are 9 million dogs and 8 million cats, in 2016 alone there were 81,050 stray dogs of which 43,767 of these dogs were reunited with owners and 9000 of these reunifications were due to the dogs having a microchip. Take a minute...
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Not forgetting our small furry friends…..
Not forgetting our small furry friends….. This month we thought we should provide some information about our small furry friends – rabbits! The population of pet rabbits was estimated at 1 million in 2015, being the third most common house hold pet. Just like cats and...
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Vaccinations……Do our pets need them?
Vaccinations......... Why do our pets need them? Why do we vaccinate our pets? What is the concern about over vaccinating? Why is social media scaring owners into thinking vaccines are bad? What is the truth about vaccination…. As a vet on a daily basis we are asked...
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