Pets, Vaccines and Conspiracy Theories

To most people, injections are about as welcome as falling asleep on the train, then waking up to find you’ve gone miles beyond your destination and your phone has been stolen and replaced with a signed photo of Piers Morgan. Even the most robust of people can be rendered a nervous wreck by the sight of that hypodermic needle coming at them. Of course, what’s slightly worse than getting jabbed with a needle is dying in a pandemic that wipes out entire populations, which is why we put ourselves through these ordeals.

Pemphigus Foliaceus - Recent Update On the Pathogenesis: Diagnosis And Treatment

Petra began this veterinary webinar by emphasizing that Pemphigus foliaceus, (PF) is unique in autoimmune diseases because it is a pustular disease. The primary lesions are pustules that develop into erosions and finally crusts, involving keratinocytes. Classically facial involvement is involved in more than 90% of affected dogs with between 40 and 80%...

Papillomavirus Disease In The Horse

Edmund Hainisch presented this veterinary webinar from the University of Vienna Veterinary School. Having spent some years training in the UK the webinar was delivered, not surprisingly, in flawless English and maintained interest throughout. He began by outlining the basic biology of the papillomaviruses. They are highly species specific and infect the basal layer of the epidermis. For this to happen wounds are necessary.

Otology In The Dog and Cat

With grass seed season upon us, cases of acute onset otitis externa will start to flood through the door and most of the time the problem is easily solved by removal of the offending foreign body. Unfortunately treating cases of chronic or recurring ear disease is not always that simple, however after watching this veterinary webinar led by Dr Klaus E. Loft DVM  covering ‘Otology in the Dog and Cat’ it may have just got a little easier.

Ocular Emergencies

For those of you squeamish about gory eye pictures, this webinar could push you to your limits, but these are photographs from real case scenarios and demonstrate some of the ocular emergencies that we could face in practice. Pip Boydell led this veterinary webinar and cited a variety of cases giving valuable advice on how to diagnose and treat a number of emergency ocular conditions.

No More Monkey Business? Should Pet Monkeys Be Banned?

Which of these exotic animals are you legally allowed to own as a pet in the UK? Capybaras Bengal cats Kinkajous (might need to Google that one) Primates including squirrel monkeys, lemurs, marmosets, tamarins and capuchins.

My Sorry Start As A Veterinary Surgeon 24 Years Ago... How Things Could Have Been Different

When I qualified in 1990 I went to a large mixed practice in Cheshire to work in their cattle department. It was during the heights of BSE and there was not a lot of work around. I was supposedly under the tutelage of a vet who thought I would cramp his style on the farm so I was under-worked and left at the practice. There were big projects like castrating and de-horning about 50 wild and over-aged Highland cattle which was fun and frightening in equal measure.

Microchipping - Are You Ready?

The microchip legislation kicked in on April 6th and I find myself wondering whether I really understand the vet’s responsibilities towards this legislation. Should we be checking the microchip of every dog as they come through the door? What happens if we don’t find a microchip? Is it then our responsibility to report these owners to some kind of authority or are we supposed to force microchipping upon our client’s beloved pet?

10 Tips For A Healthy Mind

So, you want to be happy, and you want science to help you? Seems reasonable. But what exactly should you do to give yourself the best chance for a happy life? Happiness occurs in the mind on two levels, the physical and the (for lack of a better word), spiritual. In fact, most psychologists find it’s about a 50-50 split – half of your happiness is due to how you feel about your life, and the other half is the physical mental process in your.

Managing The Pet Goose

In all honesty, the thought of seeing a goose on my list of consults fills me with fear. Frankly I would rather wrestle a 60kg aggressive Rottweiler than be confronted by a flapping and hissing angry goose. However, I remain faithful to my Thursday night veterinary webinars and decided I really should confront my fears and learn more about treating the pet goose.

How To Manage Cases of BOAS

It was only a few weeks ago when the BBC highlighted the suffering endured by some of the increasingly popular brachycephalic breeds of dog as a result of their extreme facial anatomy. I was pleased to see it was one of the most read BBC stories of the day, and I hope it will have educated many dog owners about the problems faced by these ever popular breeds.

Legalities of Treating Wildlife Casualties in Practice

Imagine a scenario, a good client (in fact you could almost call her a friend) recently set up a hedgehog rescue centre and is keen to have a stock of veterinary medicines so she can provide preventative medicine as well as treat any sick hedgehogs. She will bring occasional hedgehogs in for clinical assessment and phone for advice when necessary. What would you do? Is it okay to hand over a bottle of antibiotics, or even a bottle of pentobarbitone to euthanase a hedgehog on welfare grounds?