We've just finished the first month of our collaboration with Davies Veterinary Specialists and find ourselves looking back and asking 'How was it for you?'.
Davies London W2 brings specialist vets right into central London as a service to London vets and their clients to make it easier to have access to the highest level of veterinary excellence without the hassle of having to travel for hours to get to a hospital out of London.
For us, it's been great - world class veterinary specialists working as colleagues right here in our clinic. A fantastic source of information and encouragement for the whole team, helping to raise our standards and enthusiasm for excellence every day. Sometimes I can't quite believe the progress we've made in this last 12 months...
And what about London's other vets? What have they been saying?
1. 'What a great idea!' Thanks - that's what we thought!
2. 'Really good service, convenient and good communication'. That was the idea. We're glad it's working well.
3. 'I'm worried that Hyde Park Vet is going to steal my clients' - that's just not going to happen. This is a Davies project, and all the arrangements are made in exactly the same way as if the patient was being seen up at the main Davies hospital in Bedfordshire. Other vet's clients are definitely NOT registered at Hyde Park. Davies just use our space.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Diets for dogs with cancer
A client of ours has a dog who has been diagnosed with cancer and has recently completed a course of chemotherapy. She's only young and one of her owner's important questions was 'What can I feed her to try to keep her as healthy as possible?'
We talked about some of the basic issues and she also went away and did a lot of her own research.
The immune system is constantly vigilant for the abnormally dividing cells of cancers. When people and animals 'recover' from cancer, this is partly the surgery, medication or radiotherapy and partly the hard work of the immune system cleaning up afterwards.
To provide 'immune support', you want foods that are rich in natural antioxidants and high quality proteins and strictly limit the carbohydrates, because tumour cells generally thrive on simple sugars.
There are commercial pet foods that will achieve much of this, but an alternative is to at least consider raw food feeding (with our guidance of course) for all its natural health benefits. As you probably know, we stock and recommend the Natural Instinct range of raw foods for pets.
If you want to put together a diet yourself, go for a mix of meat and bone, and densely coloured vegetables such as broccoli, kale, carrots, raw beetroot and lightly cooked tomatoes, with small amounts of turmeric and garlic. Go easy on fruits because of the sugars, but try blueberries and pomegranate juice for their high levels of antioxidants.
For several years we have also been using the nutritional supplement CV247 for our cancer cases. It contains a combination of powerful antioxidants and salicylic acid and has been shown in many cases to be very helpful in these cases. So we were pleased to see that new research recently published in the Lancet lists yet more health benefits of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).
This time simple aspirin has been shown to be important in cancer prevention. Don't hesitate to call us on 020 723 0453 if you need any more information
We talked about some of the basic issues and she also went away and did a lot of her own research.
The immune system is constantly vigilant for the abnormally dividing cells of cancers. When people and animals 'recover' from cancer, this is partly the surgery, medication or radiotherapy and partly the hard work of the immune system cleaning up afterwards.
To provide 'immune support', you want foods that are rich in natural antioxidants and high quality proteins and strictly limit the carbohydrates, because tumour cells generally thrive on simple sugars.
There are commercial pet foods that will achieve much of this, but an alternative is to at least consider raw food feeding (with our guidance of course) for all its natural health benefits. As you probably know, we stock and recommend the Natural Instinct range of raw foods for pets.
If you want to put together a diet yourself, go for a mix of meat and bone, and densely coloured vegetables such as broccoli, kale, carrots, raw beetroot and lightly cooked tomatoes, with small amounts of turmeric and garlic. Go easy on fruits because of the sugars, but try blueberries and pomegranate juice for their high levels of antioxidants.
For several years we have also been using the nutritional supplement CV247 for our cancer cases. It contains a combination of powerful antioxidants and salicylic acid and has been shown in many cases to be very helpful in these cases. So we were pleased to see that new research recently published in the Lancet lists yet more health benefits of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).
This time simple aspirin has been shown to be important in cancer prevention. Don't hesitate to call us on 020 723 0453 if you need any more information
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Rabies in Holland
You read it here first: back in October I flagged up the potential problems we would face with the relaxation in the Pet Travel Scheme regulations.
I suggested that it would only be a matter of time before we had cases of rabies, and WHAT A SURPRISE!
A news report in the Veterinary Record this week tells the story of a puppy imported from Morocco via Spain, who went on to develop clinical rabies on its arrival in Holland. It had to be put to sleep, along with three other animals that had been in contact and 45 people had to have treatment for exposure to rabies.
How did this happen? The customs officers on arrival in Spain, on departure from Spain AND on arrival in Holland ALL failed to spot that this dog had not had a rabies blood test and had not waited the required 3 months in Morocco before export.
The moral of the story? The regulations are too complicated (at the clinic we deal with them all the time and still we have to keep referring to the documentation), and most importantly, rabies is still around, and sometimes quite close to home.
I believe that the decision to lift the requirement for a rabies blood test before issuing a PETS passport from the UK was a big mistake.
5 out of every 100 dogs do not respond fully to their first rabies vaccine. Without a blood test you have no idea which those 5 are.
And when the UK issues over 40,000 new passports every year, that's 2,000 pets who are eligible to travel but will not be protected against rabies.
As I said, it's just a matter of time before we have an outbreak of rabies in the UK. Make sure it's not your pet: even though the law does not require it any more, we strongly recommend rabies blood testing for ALL pets that travel.
I suggested that it would only be a matter of time before we had cases of rabies, and WHAT A SURPRISE!
A news report in the Veterinary Record this week tells the story of a puppy imported from Morocco via Spain, who went on to develop clinical rabies on its arrival in Holland. It had to be put to sleep, along with three other animals that had been in contact and 45 people had to have treatment for exposure to rabies.
How did this happen? The customs officers on arrival in Spain, on departure from Spain AND on arrival in Holland ALL failed to spot that this dog had not had a rabies blood test and had not waited the required 3 months in Morocco before export.
The moral of the story? The regulations are too complicated (at the clinic we deal with them all the time and still we have to keep referring to the documentation), and most importantly, rabies is still around, and sometimes quite close to home.
I believe that the decision to lift the requirement for a rabies blood test before issuing a PETS passport from the UK was a big mistake.
5 out of every 100 dogs do not respond fully to their first rabies vaccine. Without a blood test you have no idea which those 5 are.
And when the UK issues over 40,000 new passports every year, that's 2,000 pets who are eligible to travel but will not be protected against rabies.
As I said, it's just a matter of time before we have an outbreak of rabies in the UK. Make sure it's not your pet: even though the law does not require it any more, we strongly recommend rabies blood testing for ALL pets that travel.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Homeopathy - what a ludicrous idea?
I see Rod Liddle has been pontificating in the Sunday Times about the madness of the government spending £4 million a year on homeopathy within the NHS.
He says that he swallowed an entire bottle of strychnine (nux vomica in homeopathic dilution) and lives on to tell the tale. And then proceeds to fall into the classic argument trap which runs something like this:
"I don't understand how homeopathy works, therefore it can't work, therefore it doesn't work, therefore it's a waste of money."
It's the train of thought we have to battle with all the time both within the veterinary profession and wider medical fraternity.
The problem is, I partly agree in the sense that I cannot for the life of me see how homeopathy could possibly work. It makes little rational sense, and I'm not keen on explanations that involve phrases like 'vibrational energy'.
I'ts just that we keep seeing cases where homeopathy appears to make a difference. Animal patients where their symptoms change and improve when the only thing we've done is give them homeopathic remedies.
What's that all about?
I remember years ago seeing a BBC journalist trying to crack a homeopathic doctor outside the Royal Homeopathic Hosital in Glasgow. The doctor's, with increasing exasperation finally came out with
"Look, I'm a doctor. People come to this hospital feeling ill. They have symptoms. We examine them, make a diagnosis and the only medication we give them is homeopathic. They go away feeling better, with their symptoms resolving. This is my work as a doctor. What more do you want?"
He says that he swallowed an entire bottle of strychnine (nux vomica in homeopathic dilution) and lives on to tell the tale. And then proceeds to fall into the classic argument trap which runs something like this:
"I don't understand how homeopathy works, therefore it can't work, therefore it doesn't work, therefore it's a waste of money."
It's the train of thought we have to battle with all the time both within the veterinary profession and wider medical fraternity.
The problem is, I partly agree in the sense that I cannot for the life of me see how homeopathy could possibly work. It makes little rational sense, and I'm not keen on explanations that involve phrases like 'vibrational energy'.
I'ts just that we keep seeing cases where homeopathy appears to make a difference. Animal patients where their symptoms change and improve when the only thing we've done is give them homeopathic remedies.
What's that all about?
I remember years ago seeing a BBC journalist trying to crack a homeopathic doctor outside the Royal Homeopathic Hosital in Glasgow. The doctor's, with increasing exasperation finally came out with
"Look, I'm a doctor. People come to this hospital feeling ill. They have symptoms. We examine them, make a diagnosis and the only medication we give them is homeopathic. They go away feeling better, with their symptoms resolving. This is my work as a doctor. What more do you want?"
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Elderly cats and overactive thyroid glands
Hyperthyroidism in older cats typically causes weight loss, restlessness and increased appetite. Some of these cats become really grumpy and difficult to deal with, so it not only wears them out, it can wear you out, too. In addition, if untreated, it often leads to a type of heart disease that certainly is life threatening, and not a nice way for her to end her days.
Treatment usually starts with tablets once or twice a day, otherwise there is a fairly straightforward operation to remove the over-active thyroid gland, or a few specialist centres offer course of radiotherapy. Interestingly and slightly controversially, recent research suggests that restricting the iodine intake in the diet can reverse hyperthyroidism
So the short story is that hyperthyroidism is no fun. If your cat could be affected talk to us about having a blood test.
Treatment usually starts with tablets once or twice a day, otherwise there is a fairly straightforward operation to remove the over-active thyroid gland, or a few specialist centres offer course of radiotherapy. Interestingly and slightly controversially, recent research suggests that restricting the iodine intake in the diet can reverse hyperthyroidism
So the short story is that hyperthyroidism is no fun. If your cat could be affected talk to us about having a blood test.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Professional training for vets in London!
Today is the first of a series of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) evenings for London's vets, given by the specialist team at Davies London.
Each month, a speaker will be sharing their cutting edge knowledge and experience with a select audience of top vets from the London area.
The theme tonight is the Ultrasound Examination of the Dog and Cat, presented by Francisco Llabrés-Diaz, DVM MRCVS DVR DipECVDI RCVS & European Veterinary Specialist in Diagnostic Imaging.
The events are at the Marylebone Hotel at 47 Welbeck Street, and are free of charge to vets. For more information, please contact Davies London at 0207 535 0444 or visit the website at http://bit.ly/yl3L7V
Each month, a speaker will be sharing their cutting edge knowledge and experience with a select audience of top vets from the London area.
The theme tonight is the Ultrasound Examination of the Dog and Cat, presented by Francisco Llabrés-Diaz, DVM MRCVS DVR DipECVDI RCVS & European Veterinary Specialist in Diagnostic Imaging.
The events are at the Marylebone Hotel at 47 Welbeck Street, and are free of charge to vets. For more information, please contact Davies London at 0207 535 0444 or visit the website at http://bit.ly/yl3L7V
Thursday, March 8, 2012
How often should a pet have booster vaccinations?
Diseases that we vaccinate against include canine parvovirus gastro-enteritis which can be rapidly and unpleasantly fatal, and cat flu which can be recurrently debilitating throughout a cat's life, so it is very important that our pets are protected.
Equally, diseases like distemper are now so rare that many vets in practice have never seen them.
So how often should we vaccinate and against what? The manufacturer's Data Sheets give a recommended booster interval, and depending on the brand, this can vary from 12 months to 4 years. Oh, and to make it worse, the same vaccine can have different recommendations in different countries, so that's not much help.
The homeopaths (and no, they're not all mad) would say vaccinate as little as possible. I might also ask you when you were last vaccinated...
So what to do? You either follow the book and do as you're told, or you ask us about vaccine titre tests so that we only give booster vaccines when the antibody levels tell us that as vaccine is really needed.
Equally, diseases like distemper are now so rare that many vets in practice have never seen them.
So how often should we vaccinate and against what? The manufacturer's Data Sheets give a recommended booster interval, and depending on the brand, this can vary from 12 months to 4 years. Oh, and to make it worse, the same vaccine can have different recommendations in different countries, so that's not much help.
The homeopaths (and no, they're not all mad) would say vaccinate as little as possible. I might also ask you when you were last vaccinated...
So what to do? You either follow the book and do as you're told, or you ask us about vaccine titre tests so that we only give booster vaccines when the antibody levels tell us that as vaccine is really needed.
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