Amazing Connections

Last night I had the fortune to have dinner with an amazing man- Michael Meegan. Michael has lived in Kenya for many years, working with ICROSS to improve the lives of thousands of Kenyan people. My hope is to be able to help in a small way by working with their animals..... This is only the start of a long road learning how I can best assist. Of course I'll keep you all informed!
Please check out Michael Meegan and ICROSS.
For the moment I have introduced Michael to another amazing man Luke Gamble- we trained at Bristol Vet School together. Luke has gone on to found a wonderful charity called Worldwide Veterinary Services. WVS will be in Kenya next month and hopefully connect with Michael out there....


'Compassion for animals, passion for nature'

Pet Obesity Radio Chat!

My first ever radio chat for Pet Talk Radio can now be heard! It's about pet obesity- a growing concern in developed countries. Please have a listen by following this link- http://www.pettalkradio.com.au/audio/PTR-274-Seg-5.mp3
You'll pick up some interesting information and if you have any questions please send them to me via the 'questions box' on my website www.veterinaryblonde.com .....

'Compassion for animals, passion for nature'

June is National Microchipping Month

This is Dixie on Bournemouth beach last weekend. Because she is microchipped, if she ever got lost, I know we could find her.




I microchipped Dixie the day we got her!

National Microchipping Month is a campaign that encourages and promotes responsible pet ownership through microchipping as the preferred method of permanent pet identification.

The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is inserted with a sterile needle under the skin at the back of the neck. In my experience, most animals don't really notice when the microchip is inserted.

Each microchip encodes a unique number which is picked up with a microchip scanner. All vets, rescue centers and police have microchip scanners and will check any lost animal brought to them.

Once microchipped, your pet's details and your details are logged with the unique number at a central database called Petlog. You just have to remember to update any change in contact details when neccessary.

Should your animal become lost, a microchip acts as a permanent form of identification and speeds your reunion with your beloved pet!

I have had animals presented to me at the surgery, lost and sometimes injured, when the microchip was the ONLY way we could contact their owner.

If your pet isn't already microchipped, please take him or her to the vet and get this done!

We can even microchip rabbits and tortoises, not just cats and dogs!

'Compassion for animals, passion for nature'

PET ‘M.O.T.s’- health checks and vaccination

Most people think that the vet is somewhere they take their pet when it is ill. Of course this is true but vets also play an important part in preventing illness and recognising the symptoms of illness at early stages when it is generally easier to start treatment.

As a vet, I recommend vaccination to prevent against infectious diseases where this is possible. There are currently vaccines available for cats, dogs and rabbits.

Taking your pet to the vet for his or her regular vaccination is, in my opinion, very important. Not only does your pet receive the protection from infectious disease from the vaccine, he or she should also receive a full health check. This health check, in my opinion, involves a weight check, examination of the eyes, ears, mouth, listening to the heart and lungs, palpating the neck, groin and abdomen, checking the anus and genitals and checking the general mobility and demeanour of the animal.

Taking your pet regularly to the vets when he or she is healthy and well also allows your pet to find the experience enjoyable rather then painful and frightening and aids a happy long term relationship with your vet practice. It is also a perfect time to discuss any preventative care, for example reducing the symptoms of arthritis as your pet ages.

As Cesar Millan, ‘the dog whisperer’ commented, having a positive state of mind and happy energy when taking your dog to the vet will rub off on your dog so that their experience is happy. Obviously it is easier to be in this state of mind when your pet is healthy and you are going to the vet for routine, preventative care.

Whenever pets come to the clinic I prefer to weigh them. Changes in weight can be a warning sign. Sometimes pets start to get overweight so slowly that their owner doesn’t actually notice. However the scales don’t lie and often the move towards obesity can be stopped in its tracks. Likewise weight loss, especially if consistent or rapid can also cause alarm bells to ring. Weight loss can be an early warning sign of many conditions, for example, kidney and thyroid disease in older cats, heart disease in older cats and dogs and dental disease in rabbits.

Many owners find it difficult to look into their pet’s mouth which can provide a wealth of information on general health. The colour of the gums, the smell of the pet’s breath and the state of the teeth can all be evaluated. Dental disease is common in all species and can be the cause of chronic pain. I have also found tumours in pets’ mouths at routine vaccination which could be removed quickly, before they had a chance to cause major problems.

Obviously pet owners are unable to listen to their pet’s heart and lungs properly. Diagnosing heart conditions before the pet becomes debilitated is very useful for implementing a long term treatment plan.

I have also palpated masses inside pets’ abdomens at routine vaccination which allowed investigation and treatment to be initiated before the animal had become very unwell.

The anus and penis or vulva of their pet, are regions many pet owners do not check themselves. Again the vaccination is a great time to make sure these areas are all normal.

There are no vaccinations for guinea pigs or ferrets but these animals can live for up to six and eight years respectively. Chinchillas can live for ten- fifteen years. It is therefore useful for these species to have a yearly check up too, checking for any changes that may indicate early signs of illness.

I love seeing happy healthy pets at vaccination or health checks, having a quick cuddle with the pet and chat with their owner. I’m sure other vets feel the same way!


Please visit my website www.veterinaryblonde.com

‘Compassion for animals, passion for nature’

Copyright © Shanson Ltd 2008

Pet Talk Radio

To find loads of really interesting pet related chat shows check out pet talk radio!
xxx

The Pet Photographer

I recently met an inspiring woman called Lori Cheung who is a professional pet photographer. I would highly recommend her for pics of your favourite pets!! Visit her website thepetphotographer and check out all the cute animal pics!!! xxxx

Play To Win!

I've just got home from a three day seminar called Play to Win which was amazing. It is an experiential seminar where you learn about all aspects of business and sharing visions and goals.
visit frontiertrainings for more info....
HAVE A BRILLIANT DAY!

Stick Injuries In Dogs

When I walk my dog I’m often astounded at the number of people I see allowing their dogs to carry sticks, play with sticks and fetch sticks that they have thrown. As a vet I see the potential disasters that can occur from this practice and wonder why people think that sticks are safe toys for dogs. I suppose that the main reason is that sticks are natural, abundant and can be left in the park at the end of the walk. Unfortunately sticks can cause a variety of injuries of varying severity, are relatively common in dogs and can in fact actually cause death.

The simple act of carrying a stick in the mouth can cause small splinters to become embedded in the soft tissues of the mouth- the lips, cheeks, tongue and oropharynx which is the area at the back of the mouth where the larynx and oesophagus start. The small splinters can create a problem because they drag bacteria into the tissues and create inflammation as the body tries to expel them, what is known as a ‘foreign body’ reaction. Often the dog does not show any signs of a problem until eventually an abscess forms. Then they experience pain in the mouth, go off their food and can start drooling.

The only way to correct the problem is to surgically excise the offending splinter. This is often easier said then done. Wood does not show up on x-ray at all and even with advanced imaging techniques such as MRI they can still be difficult to find.

If the veterinary surgeon can see the abscess itself then the whole area can be excised. This is often difficult because there are many important blood vessels and nerves in the face which can be damaged during surgery. If any abscess or splinter is left behind then the whole problem will re-flare at a later date.

Splinters can also migrate through the tissues of the mouth into the area behind the eye, into the neck and all the important structures there and even down into the chest. There is one report of splinter migration causing an abscess in the spine of the dog’s neck resulting in quadriparesis so the dog was unable to move any legs.

Abscesses forming behind the eyeball cause severe pain and often result in the whole eye being removed. Migrating splinters can cause intermittent symptoms of fever and pain as well as potentially resulting in release of bacteria from the abscesses into the blood causing septicaemia and death. Splinters reaching the chest cavity can cause abscess in the lungs which can be practically impossible to locate and excise This can mean that long term medication with antibiotics is required in a dog that has become chronically debilitated. Long term infection can even lead to immune mediated diseases such as diabetes occurring. All this is possible from a small wood splinter.

Catching a moving stick can be very dangerous for a dog. If the stick splinters on impact, then splinters can be sent deep into the tissues of the mouth and neck, lacerating important structures such as blood vessels, nerves and the oesophagus. Sometimes the whole stick can become impaled in the eye, mouth, neck or even chest if the dog catches it at the wrong angle.

Fatal injuries occur if the stick lacerates the carotid arteries in the neck or causes a ruptured oesophagus.

Please don’t take a chance with your dog.

It is natural for dogs to want to carry things, catch and fetch. If your dog likes these games please buy him or her an appropriate sized ball, Frisbee or rope toy- these toys are much cheaper financially then the vet bills associated with treating stick injuries and will avoid the emotional risk of having an ill dog or even a fatal accident from a stick injury.

Please visit my website www.veterinaryblonde.com

'Compassion for animals, passion for nature'

Copyright © Shanson Ltd 2008

Trottiscliffe Park, Kent in the Snow!

This is Zach, my husband with Dixie, on our walk this morning. Taken as a big pile of snow fell on my head!!
Oh, the joys of dog walking!!

Dixie in the SNOW!!

I can't believe the snow in April! We went out this morning and there was about 10cm of snow! Dixie was practically buried. Only yesterday we were in the same place and the sun was shining and the woods were full of bluebells. Is this is a sign of things to come- crazy weather all year?

Bones are BAD for dogs!

I was speaking with a veterinary colleague who had a long day in the surgery and spent over two hours working with one specific patient that I'd like to tell you about-

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier had been brought to the surgery just after Easter weekend. He was vomiting up blood and small shards of broken bone, crying and straining. When my colleague examined his abdomen he screamed in pain and she could feel a very hard, concrete-like mass in his rectum. This poor dog had been fed the left-over from Easter Sunday lunch which was basically COOKED LAMB BONE. Now the crunched up pieces of bone had impacted into a hard mass in his rectum.

He was admitted and anaesthetised. Xrays of his abdomen revealed lots of small pieces of bone in his stomach and a 'concreted' mass of bone in his rectum. He was put on intravenous fluid and given a soapy enema that took 1.5 hours to fully soften the faeces and allow it's removal. My colleague was really worried about the damge to the rectum from the sharp pieces of bone and concerned that it may perforate and lead to an infection of the abdomen. Thankfully this didn't happen. Over the next few days the small pieces of bone in the stomach moved through and the discomfort was controlled with pain medication. Happily the Staffi made a full recovery.
HE WAS LUCKY.

Perforation of gut by sharp pieces of bone can happen and can result in death. Pieces of bone can become stuck at any point along the gastrointestinal tract, causing inflammation and pain, possible obstruction and possible perforation. Obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract causes severe debilitation and must be corrected surgically. This is of course a horrible experience for the dog, distressing for the owner and also expensive.

So, please DON'T feed your dog BONES of ANY description. Lets PREVENT problems like this from happening in the first place.


please visit my website www.veterinaryblonde.com

'compassion for animals, passion for nature'

Copyright © Shanson Ltd 2008

veterinaryblonde on film!

Today I was filmed for a short presentation to be posted on my website in the next few weeks... after editing etc. It was a bit nerve-racking intially and weird speaking to a camera! I had to imagine the camera was a friendly 'alien' that was having a chat with me! So, I imagined the camera was 'E.T.'! Wasn't that a great film!? Anyway it was fun in the end and I hope you enjoy it when it's posted...