Sunday, October 28, 2012

Pictures of puppies in the workplace..

Research in Japan has shown that having a picture of food on your desk has no effect on your work rate or productivity. Hmm. Ground breaking information, this.

However, a picuture of an adult dog can increase your work rate by as much as 5%.

And a picture of a puppy on your desk can increase your productivity by up to 10%.

Imagine the effect of having a real puppy on your desk....

I'd say that would be a reduction efficiency of about 100%. Until the puppy fell asleep, at which point, having cleaned up the pee, blown the hair off the keyboard, repaired the chewed up mouse cable and spent 10 minutes sighing while silently cooing to yourself about how cute he/she is, you might be ready to start.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Remember, remember, the 5th of... it's firework time again

Q: With bonfire night approaching quickly have you any tips for helping my 9 year old border collie/spaniel cross cope with the sound of fireworks? We keep him indoors, but the noise has him shaking uncontrollably.
A: Keep him indoors during the evenings. Make sure he has a microchip for identification, wears a collar and ID tag at all times, and give him plenty of exercise during the day.

Back at home, give him a large high carbohydrate meal before the fireworks are likely to start, and provide him with a comfortable place to hide away, such as under furniture or even in a cupboard. Close all windows and doors, draw the curtains and turn on some music to muffle the noise outside.

Remember the golden rule of training: you reward with your attention the behaviour you want to encourage, and make every attempt to 'reward' undesireable behaviour by ignoring it.

So when he's a gibbering wreck as yet another rocket goes off in your show-off neighbour's garden, do not sweep him up in your arms and tell him what a good boy he is. You can of course allow him to come to you for comfort. 

Do not even consider punishing him for his fear.

See if you can distract him with games or even a few training exercises and strongly reward any more normal interaction with you. Give him problem solving toys like a Kong stuffed with tasty food. Consider inviting one of his braver buddies round for a sleepover, invest in an Adaptil pheromone diffuser and a 'Sounds Scary' noise phobia CD (www.soundtherapy4pets.com) well in advance.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

A letter from a Sunday Times reader...

Dear Andrew
I have just read the above letter in today's Sunday Times, and I just have to respond with the following account of my dog. Please feel free to forward to Mr Reinhard.

My heinz 57 dog, (looked like a cross between a small German Shepherd and a fox!) developed a hacking cough. My first thought: kennel cough, the  vet thought the same. A month later, still had a cough so he said lets try more antibiotics, then, when still had a cough: anti-inflammatories etc etc. Lets check for a foreign body lodged in his throat. Nope, not that. During the course of the next 8 months,  I changed vets 3 times, as no one was coming up with a suitable diagnosis or treatment. The dog had x-rays and even a scan. Cost a fortune. Meanwhile the dog still suffering with a dreadful cough.   

So a friend said try a homeopathic approach. I thought a bit ridiculous, but friend explained what the vet had done for her dog. I was a bit reassured when I checked the vet out to discover that homeopathy is an additional certification undertaken by a conventionally qualified vet. So went to said vet. He took a long history of the dog, which took over an hour. He learned much more about the dog and his personality than any other vet I've been to. I asked a lot of questions about homeopathy and what 'medicines' would be best. Vet said it sometimes takes several goes to get the 'treatment' exactly right, "but when it's right, the results are really dramatic". He then came up with a plan and I went off, more than a little skeptically, I have to say, with a couple of small bottles of hocus-pocus. 

Well, within 24 hours, the dog stopped coughing. It was dramatic alright. Now, I don't know whether the dog would've stopped coughing spontaneously anyway, but I do know the dog doesn't know what a placebo is.

Oh and by the way - I have a first class honours degree in Chemistry and a MA by research, so I know all about scientific method; but I have no idea how homeopathy works or if it does. I only know 3 conventional vets failed to cure my dog in 8 months and one trip to a homeopathic vet cured the dog in 24 hours.

Sincerely, Sam Ray

Monday, September 10, 2012

Water, water everywhere, but soon there may not be a drop to drink

Now here's a thing. according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, if we all keep on eating the way we do now in the West, with 20% of our calorie intake coming from animal proteins, there will not be enough water for us all by 2050.

Which is not very far ahead in my children's diaries.

There's a whole bunch of numbers coming up, but stick with it, it's important.

I didn't realise that 70% of global freshwater use is for agriculture.

That somewhere between 30% and 50% of food is currently wasted between harvest and consumption.

That if the world population increases to 9 billion by 2050, world food production will have to increase by 70% to feed everyone.

And there won't be enough water available to sustain that.

UNLESS we reduce the proportion of animal-based foods we eat to just 5% of calorie intake. 

Then we might just be OK, providing we sort out water saving and food distribution to limit wastage.

I can confess that World Water Week passed me by this year (it ended on August 31st), but the message is clear enough.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

New Health Secretary is a fan of homeopathy

Hmmm, so Jeremy Hunt is the new Health Secretary.

And his views on complementary medicine?

Here's the text of an Early Day Motion he signed in 2007:
That this House welcomes the positive contribution made to the health of the nation by the NHS homeopathic hospitals; notes that some six million people use complementary treatments each year; believes that complementary medicine has the potential to offer clinically-effective and cost-effective solutions to common health problems faced by NHS patients, including chronic difficult to treat conditions such as musculoskeletal and other chronic pain, eczema, depression, anxiety and insomnia, allergy, chronic fatigue and irritable bowel syndrome; expresses concern that NHS cuts are threatening the future of these hospitals; and calls on the Government actively to support these valuable national assets.

Many people seem to get very animated aboutthe subject of homeopathy, either with wild excitement about the seemingly amazing improvement in their symptoms after homeopathic treatment or with a dose of wild apoplexy triggered by... well what is it exactly? Is it a fear that homeopathy might actually work despite the apparent nonsense of increasing potency with increasing dilution?

Across the world there are millions of people who feel better after being prescribed homeopathic remedies. In India, for example, over 100 million people use homeopathy as their sole method of healthcare, but despite that, the 'anti' brigade still argue that it's all about the placebo effect and is a massive delusion. But I'm a big fan of the placebo effect: if someone has the temerity to feel better, that's fine by me.

We use homeopathy alongside conventional medicine because there are times when our patients show changes and improvements in their health with homeopathic treatment. And now at last the Health Secretary, charged with the task of sorting out the NHS, seems to be relatively open-minded on the subject.

Watch this space...

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Weird statistic of the week

The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine has published a paper revealing that between 2004 and 2010, human injuries from 'exotic pets' resulted in hospitalisation for an average of 300 days per year... from a total of 760 medical consultations, 708 hospital admissions and 2121 hospital bed days.

It says that 376 of these hospital admissions were due to being 'bitten or crushed by other reptiles'. Bitten or crushed? By other reptiles? How big are these guys? And what precisely is an OTHER reptile?

I'm begining to wonder if these people up to something we weren't aware of when we set our exotic animal clinic?

Some of you will be aware that we have recently taken on vet Tim Hopkins who, apart from his work with cats and dogs, has a Masters Degree in Wild Animal Health and has a special interest in small, furry, scaly, fishy and feathered creatures. He came in on Friday, for goodness' sake, with a silly T-shirt tan from having spent the previous day down in Worthing taking swab samples from the indigenous population of sand lizards, looking for myxoviruses.

Nothing if not obscure.

You will be pleased to know that he has now been fully kitted out with protective equipment against possible crush injuries from OTHER reptiles at the clinic, not wishing to add to the already alarming national total of 1340 hospitalisation days racked up due to this particular type of injury.

He would just like me to point out that this is the Hyde Park, not the Jurassic Park, Veterinary Centre, and he is really quite good with hamsters, snakes and fish.




Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Meet the elephant man...

Richard Whitelock, the orthopaedic surgeon from Davies Veterinary Specialists who consults at the Hyde Park Veterinary Centre every Thursday (when he's not on holiday) also seems to have an interest in smaller versions of larger and more exotic animals when he is on holiday, it seems.

Moses the elephant (here at her home in Malawi) was found floating all alone on the nearby river. She has a congenital deformity of the flexor tendons of her hind legs, making walking very difficult for her at the moment.


They have constucted some padded casts to help support her legs while she grows into her tendons. Lets hope she does well...

That's Richard kneeling down, by the way. Moses is the one with the visible trunk.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Lungworm - the hidden canine killer

Watch out for the slimewave: Washout summer brings unexpected peril for dogs as number of slugs carrying killer disease trebles


The slug ‘slimewave’ sweeping Britain because of the wet weather has triggered an explosion in a killer dog disease, experts warned yesterday.
Rising numbers of pets are contracting lungworm through eating infected slugs, who have doubled, or even trebled, in number.
The disease can cause lethargy, breathing difficulties, occasional vomiting, coughing, nosebleeds and can be fatal.
Veterinarian Examining Puppy
European Red Slug
Carriers: Dogs are at risk of contracting lungworm since the slug population has soared (file pictures)
Dog charity PDSA has already seen a dramatic increase in the number of dogs who have contracted the disease this year and is now warning pet owners to ensure their dogs are protected.
Sean Wensley, a Senior Veterinary Surgeon at PDSA, said: 'The killer disease is on the rise because of the wet, humid conditions, which has seen an epidemic of slugs and snails.
'With reports of an increase in slugs and snails due to the recent wet weather, it is important for dog owners to be aware of the risks of lungworm, which dogs can catch if they eat an infected slug or snail.

 'If you are concerned that something may be wrong it is important to contact your vet, as without treatment, lungworm can be fatal.
'A regular worming programme is also vital, so speak to your vet to ensure that your dog is receiving the necessary protection.
'Your vet will understand the lungworm risk in your area and can offer advice accordingly.
'Some dogs will purposefully eat slugs and snails, whereas others may accidentally eat them when playing with toys outside, eating grass or drinking from puddles.
'If you are trying to control slugs and snails, remember that slug pellets can be poisonous to cats and dogs, so if you must use them, do so with great care.
'Alternative methods include encouraging hedgehogs into your garden, which will feed on up to 100 bugs, including slugs and snails, every night.'
Mammoth: The slug in Don Proctor's garden in Torquay, Devon
Mammoth: The slug in Don Proctor's garden in Torquay, Devon
The combination of a mild, frost-free winter and the recent cool, damp spell has allowed the population of slugs to soar, leading to the rise of the disease.
Lungworm can be contracted by dogs when they eat infected slugs, snails or faeces from other infected dogs or foxes, or when they’re bitten by a mosquito.
If not caught in time it can cause long-term heart problems, and on many occasions lead to death. It can, however, be prevented using specific flea treatments.
One recent victim was Amber, a one-year-old crossbreed who was diagnosed at the PDSA in Cardiff earlier this month.
She started bleeding from her nose just two weeks after being adopted by Lorna Black, 49, a clerical and accounts worker from Rhoose, Glamorgan.
'I’ve had dogs for 17 years and I didn’t know about lungworm,' said Lorna. 'Now, I don’t even leave her toys outside in case a slug gets on them.

The monster mollusc discovered by Don Proctor in Torquay is about twice the size of most garden slugs.

Slugs found in gardens are typically between two and three-and-a-half inches long, although measurements vary depending on the species.

There are 30 species of slug in the British Isles.

The longest is the limax cinereoniger, which can grow to almost 12 inches - making it the world's largest.

It is found in woodland and parks across large parts of Europe.

Earlier this month it emerged that the unsettled weather had caused Spanish slugs to invade our gardens.

The pest grows to more than four inches long and produces hundreds more eggs than the typical British slug.
'She’s now eating but I still feel she had to have rests, although she’s definitely perked up. All the family’s dogs have now been given preventative treatment.'
Britain’s gardeners and farmers have also faced an slug epidemic which have wreaked havoc cost millions of pounds of damage to commercial crops.
Researchers have found up to 1,000 slugs per square metre in some areas - meaning the total population in Britain could be a staggering 15billion.
Slug expert Dr Richard Meredith, of Bayer Crop Science, one of the world’s leading crop science companies, has been monitoring slug populations for years.
He believes slug populations have doubled or even tripled this year as certain breeds can lay up to 500 eggs at a time in the right conditions.
Dr Meredith said: 'At this moment in time, the conditions over the last couple of months have been really good for the slugs to reproduce.
'As long as it’s wet and warm, they just keep going.
'They like the rain and warm, and we prayed for rain, and now we’ve had months of it - and the slugs are thriving.
'If it carries on the way it is, we can expect to have a serious challenge with protecting crops.
'It’s a real threat to British agriculture as well - growers that have fields that have a history of slug damage will have to be on their best vigil to prevent their crop being lost.'
But super-sized slugs - such as one measuring more than six inches from tip to tail that appeared in a Torquay garden - prove that there are some creatures who are more then happy with the extreme wet weather.
The monster mollusc turned up in Don Proctor's garden in Torquay, Devon, having thrived on the wet weather and munching on Mrs Proctor's precious plants.
Floods and heavy rain have helped create ideal breeding conditions for the slimy molluscs, which are crawling over flower beds and destroying produce across the country.
'My wife's a keen gardener and she's noticed her plants have been slowly disappearing - now we know why,' Mr Proctor said.
'I've never seen one quite so big as this one. I think they're usually between a quarter-inch to four inches long. This one was six inches. It was a whopper.'
Menace: Mr Proctor believes the monster mollusc has thrived on the wet weather and munching on his wife's precious plants
Menace: Mr Proctor believes the monster mollusc has thrived on the wet weather and munching on his wife's precious plants
June was one of the wettest on record in the UK, with torrential rainfall causing floods in many areas around the country, and the April - June quarter was the wettest second quarter in the UK since records began in 1910.
The Met Office believes that repeated Atlantic weather systems have inflicted wind, rain and lower than average temperatures on at least one part of the UK daily since June 19.
Seaside resorts have already suffered 113mm of rain this month - almost three times as much as they would normally see during the whole of July.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of rain across the south and south west of England, saying flooding is likely due to the already rain-sodden ground.
A spokesman for the National Farmers Union said the slug infestation had been disastrous.
'On a good night a slug can munch its way through 50 wheat seeds after they’ve been planted,' he said.
'They can travel over five metres a night, they can smell food over 60 centimetres away and then they’re all over it. They’re not good news.'
Birds such as thrushes and blackbirds might disagree, however.
In a normal spring when the sun comes out and the ground dries, they have trouble finding enough worms to feed their young.
But the rapid increase in the snail and slug populations has led experts to predict a better breeding season, with many more chicks surviving to adulthood.
For more information, go to www.lungworm.co.uk

Sunday, July 29, 2012

I hate to badger you, but...

I am increasingly concerned about genocide, and we, quite rightly, are worried about TB.

Not (for once) TB the old warmonger, our ex-ex-Prime Minister, but tuberculosis, the scourge of Victorian England.

The disease has been on the increase recently, and the government has charged DEFRA with the task of doing something about it. The worry is that there is a reservoir of TB in the badger population. Badgers can pass it onto cows (if you let them have access to the cow's feed), and then the cows can theoretically pass it onto people via their milk.

Although all UK milk is pasteurised before distribution and this kills the TB bacteria, rendering it harmless. And TB in the UK is spread from person to person.

There are about 9,000 cases of human TB diagnosed in the UK each year.  Last year just 36 of these were due to the animal form. "The majority of cases are in people over 65 years old (and who drank infected unpasteurised milk in the past) or in those of any age who picked up the infection abroad." (HPA 2009)

So what is DEFRA's plan?

Let's kill the UK's badgers.

Never mind the basic biology. Badgers live in relatively small communities and don't travel much. There are those that have TB and those that don't. If you go in and slaughter all the badgers in one area, you create an ecological vacuum, into which the local males that do travel will go. If these guys come from a non-TB infected population with little natural immunity, they are highly likely to contract the disease.

Research clearly shows that where badgers have been culled or slaughtered, the incidence of TB around the edge of that area actually increases.

So DEFRA's proposed culling of badgers will kill off a population of our natural wildlife to reduce the chance of spread of a disease that is not spread to humans by pasteurised milk, and where the slaughter is likely to increase the disease incidence.

What on earth is the matter with these people?

And while we're at it, can anyone explain to me our national obsession with milk: - haven't any of you lot been weaned yet?

PS you can check the science directly from DEFRA and the Health Protection Agency

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

A breath of fresh air?

OK, we know that French Bulldogs are the latest BIG thing and that you all want one. And frankly, I can see why. They do have a certain winning way about them, and my personal theory is that owners of short-nosed dogs spend more time giggling at and/or with their chosen furry pumpkins than owners of many other breeds.

Each breed, their charm, and I guess it's probably fairly likely that each genetic weirdness (ie breed) within the genus Canis (err, dog) does attract a certain human type who would want to own one. Hence the idea that owners sometimes end up looking like their dogs. It could, of course be the other way round, with dogs seeking to emulate their owners' physiognomy by way of some exalted hero- or heroine-worship, but I doubt it.

You get a dog and generally fall in love with the endless/boundless affection and apparently uncritical adulation that goes with it. That's the idea isn't it? And so impressed are you with the wisdom of this creature that has chosen to recognise your magnificence (in a way that the rest of the human race is sometimes a little slow to catch up on), that over time, rather like those couples that end up dressing the same - always a pet hate of mine - you pick up on some of the behaviour and even the look of your canine companion.

And... hey presto! The 'Dog that looks most like it's owner' category in the Hyde Park Veterinary Centre Dog Show and countless others like it across the country.

But I digress, and apologise for it.

A recent survey (you've got to love a good survey) at the Royal Veterinary College, no less, showed that of 285 dogs referred to the hospital for awide variety of reasons, 31 were identified as being affected by the Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, which means they had difficulty breathing normally, snored loudly at night and struggled to exercise normally. Nearly 60% of their owners did not perceive this to be a problem, despite the fact that in the general population less than 2% snore.

The issue here is that many dogs, as a result of their specific breed conformation, really struggle to breathe normally, and they don't have to. Help is available to help these guys, so don't just tolerate the panting, wheezing and snoring: ask you vet and get help. It can revolutionise their lives. And yours.

If you want any more information on breed-related health problems, check the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare website.


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

A pain in the *#!@?

Teddy is a 6 year old Shar Pei dog, a breed not always known for their good health & temperament (yes, I know, Shar Pei fans, they're not ALL like that), but Teddy has been a bit extreme.

He had severe and long-standing ear infections with bacteria that were resistant to every single oral antibiotic that we had available to treat him with.

And he was extremely aggressive, to the point where his owner was completely unable to get anywhere near him to treat his ears at home. The only thing we could do was to admit him into the clinic each time to be sedated so that we could syringe out his ears and instill a medication into the ear canals.

We hated doing it because we knew that he hated the whole process. Every time he would become insanely aggressive to the point where, quite apart from our real concerns about his welfare, each time I was really worried at the prospect of one of us being very badly bitten.

Every time, it was horrible.

So earlier this year we sent him off to our colleagues at Davies Veterinary Specialists for ear surgery to remove all the infected tissue, a procedure called a Total Ear Canal Ablation. The idea is that if you remove all the infected tissue, despite the fact that they lose most of their hearing, you do remove the source of their pain. They, of course, found him a real challenge to deal with, and there were multiple complications with the management of his surgery wounds (and of course his behaviour), but eventually he did heal and went home.

He came back into the clinic yesterday with a cut on his face, just below his left eye.

Great.

Then I found myself sitting down in front of him, gently handling his face, cleaning his wound, applying a tissue adhesive, checking his ears and applying some gel to the ear flaps.

And he didn't move an inch. His owner and I could not believe what we were seeing. A total change in his behaviour, the raging psychopath turned gentle little teddy bear. Never in a thousand years would that have been possible before the surgery that took him out of pain.

Just goes to show, if someone is a pain in the *#!@, maybe it's because they actually have a pain in the *#!@...

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A blast from the past

Then just this morning,  in walked Pepito. Or to be fair he was dragged in, in a massively over-sized travel crate. Weighing in at a thoroughly reprehensible 9.24kg, he has come for some much-needed dental work.

Pepito (despite his size) is a cat, but not just any old cat. Pepito and I have a bit of shared history.

He was adopted by his current owner many years ago from an animal welfare refuge in Rabat, Morocco, right down on the Boulevard de l'Ocean, where the Atlantic waves crash on the jagged rock formations as intrepid fisherman try to avoid being swept away to an uncertain watery fate and the sun blazes down 320 days a year..


Back in the 1990's, I spent 4 years of my life in Morocco, working for the Society for the Protection of Animals in North Africa and spent many of my days working in that self same refuge.

I was responsible for a chain of charity funded veterinary clinics across the country, and my job was to tour the clinics, training and supervising the local staff, providing equipment and supplies, identifying possible sites for new clinics and helping supervise their construction.

As a result, I spent many hours in that self same refuge in Rabat, helping treat sick & injured horses, mules and donkeys, operating on cats and dogs and planning how we could best improve the facilities on our limited resources.

The idea that Pepito was just another lost and helpless cat in North Africa, who somehow found his way to a animal sanctuary - unlikely enough in itself, given the territory, that somehow he managed to persuade a passing visitor that he was the one for her, and that he and she should then follow a very varied trajectory to bring them eventually to a clinic in central London...

Small world.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Travelling abroad with your pets

I know, this is likely to be one of a hundred different articles in various magazines at this time of year, BUT there is stuff you need to know...

The Pet Travel Scheme was originally set up to be easy for pets to travel with their owners to and from France in a car, and this remains the simplest route by far.

Your pet can now have a passport provided they have a microchip and a rabies vaccine given at least 3 weeks before the date of travel. No more blood tests are required for the EU, but given that rabies is still common in many areas of Europe (including northern Italy, for example) AND and that as many as 1 in 20 pets fail to respond fully to their first rabies vaccine, we still strongly recommend that you have the rabies blood test to be certain that your pet is protected. I for one certainly would want to know.
 
To leave the UK, all you have to do is make a booking for your pet when you buy your own tickets for the tunnel or ferry, and then not forget their passport. Or yours, for that matter.

Coming back into the UK, you will have to find a vet to give your pet a tapeworm treatment betwen 1 and 5 days before the final departure for the UK, and have the vet enter the time and date of treatment in your pet's passport. And err, that's it.

The moment you start thinking about flying, it gets more complicated and expensive. For more information, check the DEFRA  website pet travel routes page

And if you want to go to a non EU country, you may find that different regulations apply, so you should either call us on 020 7723 0453 well in advance or check the DEFRA website, this time on the countries page

And finally, something you might want to take into consideration is that your pet might be exposed to a whole host of different infections and diseases the moment you leave our green and pleasant land. If you want more information on the horrors of life abroad, check the BVA's nasty diseases my pet could catch leaflet.

And finally, if you decide it's all too much of a nightmare, you could send Pooch down to the lovely Haxted Kennels for a couple of weeks in the glorious Kent countryside to spend his or her time gambolling in the flower-strewn meadows playing with their new best friends all day. No olive oil, no garlic, no policemen with guns. Bliss.


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Hyde Park Vet Dog Show 2012

Well the slightly off the wall idea of holding a dog show in the middle of what is a busy rush hour rat run London street last year seems to have taken a grip on the locals....

And so for the 2012 Connaught Street annual Summer Festival, we were asked whether we would be happy to host another one. To which we of course said yes.

And so it was, that after weeks of meticulous planning by the Hyde Park team of Leah (clinic manager), Janine (shop manager) and Susannah (doggy daycare supremo), on Wednesday 20th June 2012, the 2nd International Hyde Park Veterinary Centre Dog Show came to pass.

The street was closed to traffic. The vast red carpet was laid out. The white picket fence went up. The PA system arrived. The registration tent was erected. The stands from Natural Instinct, Lily's Kitchen, Billy & Margot and the Mayhew Animal Home were set up, and lo and behold, the people came!

Our star judges included Joanna Good and Anna Webb from BBC Radio London's Barking at the Moon and show categories included waggiest tail, best trick, most regal dog and an Olympic award for overcoming adversity.....

We were thrilled to get a shout out on Radio London the week before and to have an outside broadcast recorded from the judges podium played on the radio the day after.

And we had a blast. Over 100 dog competitors, hundreds more onlookers and piles of cash raised for our chosen charity, the Mayhew Animal Home.

If you want to see some of the photos, check out our Twitter and Facebook pages

Be there next year!

Monday, June 11, 2012

To vaccinate or not? What to do?

I'm just back from Radio London after taking part in a round table discussion on the whole issue of dog vaccinations and it made me think I should write something about it, so here it is...

We want to maintain a high level of protection against infectious disease for our dogs, but without giving any unnecessary vaccines.
.
What do we vaccinate against?
Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Leptospirosis and sometimes Kennel cough. Rabies is only given to dogs who are travelling abroad.

How common are these diseases? 
Distemper and Hepatitis in dogs are now rare in the UK, but Distemper is being seen more in ferrets. In the USA, there is a rising problem with Distemper in urban wildlife, which is worrying.
Leptospirosis is always around but is probably under-diagnosed, and Parvovirus is a common disease in certain areas of the UK.
Kennel cough is common and of most concern in small and short nosed dogs, and those who spend a lot of time with other dogs, for example with dog walkers, in day care or boarding kennels.
There is no canine Rabies in the UK, but there are still regular outbreaks in Europe.

How often should we vaccinate?
Puppies should ideally not be vaccinated until as late as 16 weeks, but particularly in an urban environment we need to get them out and about earlier for them to be well socialised with other dogs and the world around them. Most puppies are therefore vaccinated twice between 8 & 12 weeks of age in order to get them protected early so that they can start going out without being at risk.
They should then have a booster vaccine a year later. In many cases, this will give a really long period of protection to Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus, but the only way to find out whether your dog is still protected is to take a blood test to check their antibody levels.
The protection from Leptospirosis is much shorter and currently we recommend a booster injection each year for dogs who might be at risk.


Are there any harmful side effects of vaccination?
Surveys carried out suggest that somewhere between 2 and 40 dogs in every 10,000 show some side effects in the days after vaccination, but we suspect that many reactions go unreported, and there may be other as yet unidentified issues with over-vaccination.

The most recent advice from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association is that we try to increase the number of animals vaccinated but reduce the number of vaccines that each animal receives, consistent with them staying protected against disease.

Which is all well and good, but what should I as a dog owner do?
Go to a vet clinic that has a low vaccine protocol and ask for a vaccine blood test rather than giving a routine full vaccine every year. Don't stop vaccinating, just do it wisely.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

10 commandments....?



I found this today and thought it was worth a read...hopefully not too twee but rather, more food for thought.

The 10 Commandments From a Pet's Point of View

  • My life is likely to last 10-15 years; any separation from you will be painful for me. Remember that before you buy me.

  • Give me time to understand what you want from me; don't be impatient, short-tempered, or irritable.

  • Place your trust in me and I will always trust you back. Respect is earned not given as an inalienable right.

  • Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment; I am not capable of understanding why. I only know I have been rejected. You have your work, entertainment, and friends, but I only have you.

  • Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice and your tone. You only have to look at my tail.

  • Be aware that however you treat me, I'll never forget it, and if it's cruel, it may affect me forever.

  • Please don't hit me. I can't hit back, but I can bite and scratch, and I really don't ever want to do that.

  • Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right foods or I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart is getting old and weak. It may be I am just dog-tired.

  • Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old and may also need love, care, comfort, and attention.

  • Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch" or "Let it happen in my absence". Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, regardless of what you do, I will always love you.

    © Stan Rawlinson 1993


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Meditations from a Squirrel #1

'We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals... In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.' 
(Henry Beston)


In a world where we are overwhelmed by the plethora and often excess of information, I contemplate what it is that we want to read about. We surely all want to learn more things about things, stuff about stuff... More importantly, I think we just want to feel and understand what it is that is important to us. As vets, we want to provide you with information about your pets, so that you understand what it is that they need to have a happy and healthy life. We want to offer them the best of our combined knowledge and care for them, when they need us. I also think, as sentient beings, we are all concerned about what it is that connects us to them, and animals in general.

I have been asked to contribute to our clinic blog and have been contemplating what to write....where do I start? How do I visit or perhaps access these ‘other nations’? How do I combine science with something more personal, without sounding like a cliche? Should I provide you with pages of information about health and potential disease and how to attain one or avoid the other? Or should I write about what is at the heart of pet ownership? 

My inclination is the latter, although possibly a combination of the two is the ideal partnership. Hopefully, between us, Andrew and I can provide that. 
I think that just as importantly, we would like you, as our clients and pet owners, to contribute and express your thoughts and experiences. Writing a blog, words drifting somewhere in cyberspace, can be lonely without an awareness that someone is actually reading it, and feeling something. I think the thing that connects us as human beings is the ability to relate and share stories and experiences.That’s why I love quotes. To read what someone else has written and connect to it. To understand exactly what has been said, even if I didn’t have the ability to write the words myself, is enlightening. 

The first question people often ask is ‘did you always want to be a vet?’ I guess I am supposed to say yes( in capital letters), but the answer is actually...not really, maybe... I always loved animals and we always had pets at home but I was always so super sensitive towards them... I was worried about some deeper misunderstanding on my behalf, or perhaps failing them in some way. That made me just want to hang out with them and be their friends. I guess there is a safety in that. 
I wanted( naively) to be a ballet dancer or something supposedly just as glamorous. I suspect that this had something to do with wearing a pink tutu.

The strange thing is, that the writing was probably always on the wall. I was really obsessed with animals in general. I remember watching David Attenborough in a state of awe as a young child (much as I do now). ‘Life on Earth’ was one of the first TV shows I was really interested in ...I thought his lifestyle was really romantic ( and who isn't keen on romantic ideals, you know following the dream etc etc). Now I know how hard it is to even take a decent photograph of my own dog, I appreciate the patience and painstaking determination required to capture animals in their natural habitats. And so the cliches follow...Black Beauty, To Ride a Fine Horse( chosen for the title, although the subject content was not only about horses, but more about the pioneers of the Australian outback and of course the James Herriot collection. By this time(and especially after the TV series) I was pretty sure that I was going to marry Tristan Farnon! 

Once I had established my obsession with our furry and feathered friends,( and all those whose best dressed attire ranges from scales to quills), I came to the realisation that this was going to be my vocation, my life. That I was going to have to delve into the still largely evolving world of veterinary science. 

I have read that ‘ the best thing about animals is that they don’t talk much’(Thornton Wilder) and although I can understand that sentiment, (based on the fact that us humans are guilty of an excess of verbosity), I can confirm that our lives as veterinarians would be simplified, if they could just whisper something in our ears, occasionally.... as Mr Herriot alluded to in his first novel in 1970( If Only They Could Talk). I think we, well certainly I, appreciate that we can talk to them without judgement. They accept us for all of our folly and that means a great deal. Maybe Mr Wilder meant to say ‘ the best thing about animals is that they are great listeners’. 
And so, with that thought, I will sign off as I started...With the words of someone else, someone whom I respect greatly as a writer, who so succinctly states what hopefully unites us all: 

 'Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.'
(George Elliot) 

And for us humans, they seem to be just the kind of friends we need. 

 Odile Sicouri 

Monday, April 9, 2012

Davies Veterinary Specialists at the Hyde Park Veterinary Centre

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.

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

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.

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?"

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.

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

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.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Dogs in Danger

I was horrified to read that so many of our traditional dog breeds are now on the endangered list: to be on the list, there have to be fewer than 300 puppies registered with the Kennel Club in the last year.

And this is the list:

Deerhounds, Greyhounds, Otterhounds, Irish Red & White Setters, Clumber Spaniels, Field Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniels, Sussex Spaniels, Miniature Bull Terriers, Dandie Dinmont Terriers, Smooth Fox Terriers, Glen of Imaal Terriers, Irish Terriers, Kerry Blue Terriers, Lakeland Terriers, Manchester Terriers, Norwich Terriers, Sealyham Terriers, Skye Terriers, Welsh Terriers, Smooth Collies, Lancashire Heelers, Cardigan Welsh Corgis, English Toy Terriers (Black & Tan).

So stop buying & breeding so many Labradors, Cockers, Springers, Shepherds, Cavaliers and Staffies!

Be a bit more adventurous and go for some of these lovely old breeds before they diet out and we don't have the choice any more!

PS They might not be on the list, but spare a thought for the lovely English Setter...

For more information, check the Kennel Club page at http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/808

Sunday, March 4, 2012

The 10 most common health problems in pets

Another fascinating fact for you on a Sunday night: according to Petplan the pet health insurer, the 10 most common health problems in pets are:

- hyperthyroidism
- diabetes
- cystitis
- kidney disease
- kidney failure
- weight loss
- lameness
- diarrhoea
- vomiting
- abcesses

Not sure quite what you're meant to do with that information, but there you go.

Slightly more alarming is that less than half of the UK's pets get to see their vet even once a year. Now I'm quite sure that doesn't apply to any Hyde Park clients, but...

Either way, you might want to find out what the symptoms of the top 10 are so that you'll recognise them if they happen to your pet.

Just a thought.

Oh and watch this space - we'll be going over them for you in the next few weeks

Friday, February 24, 2012

My old cat has become really skinny recently...

A lot of older animals (and people) just do get smaller and skinnier with age, but medically any weight change is significant, so it's time to bring your cat in to see us.

The two commonest medical reasons for weight loss in senior cats are kidney and thyroid disease.

Older cats have older kidneys that start to leak proteins into the urine. Their pee also becomes more dilute, so they have to drink more to keep up. They sometimes feel a bit nauseous, so their appetite is less and they start to lose weight. Specific changes to their diet, medication and supplements can make a big difference to how your cat feels and, bluntly, how long they live.

The thyroid glands control the basic level of metabolism, and in some cats they become hyperactive. Affected cats typically become restless, hungry, vocal and skinny. It's a bit like them having their foot on the throttle all the time: it wears them out. This disease is also treatable, most commonly with either medication or surgery.


So get to it: book an appointment now! And as an aside, an accurate (digital) set of bathroom scales is a good investment not just for you, but for your pets.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

New Pet Passport regulations

As from January 1st 2012, the Pet Passport regulations have changed, making it easier to acquire a passport for your pet if you want to travel abroad with them.

Full details are on the DEFRA website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/.

If you're starting in the UK, all you need to do now is have your cat, dog or ferret microchipped and vaccinated against rabies, then wait for 3 weeks for the passport to be vaild for re-entry into the UK.

No more blood tests required!

The only problem that I see is that in the bad old days when your pet had to have the test to confirm that they had responded to the vaccine, about 5% of them failed the test first time around. Of the 40,000 new passports issued each year, that makes about 2,000 failures, who went on to have a second vaccine and then passed.

Now if we stop blood testing, the problem is that we won't know which 2,000 fail, and will be issuing them with passports anyway, even though they are not protected against rabies.

Just imagine how inconvenient it would be if you and your family all caught rabies during that lovely holiday...

My strong suggestion is that you have the blood test done anyway.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

It's been a big week at Hyde Park Vet...

As if last Sunday's launch into the world of broadsheet journalism wasn't enough (did I mention that I'm now writing a weekly question and answer column in the Home section of the Sunday Times - oh yes I did, sorry), Wednesday was another BIG EVENT.

It saw the launch, at the Institute of Physics in London, of a ground-breaking collaboration between the Hyde Park Veterinary Centre and Davies Veterinary Specialists in Hertfordshire.

Davies has long been at the forefront of veterinary medicine in the UK, with a huge team of specialist vets and nurses all working from a large and very well-equipped facility near Hitchin. It is one of the largest private referral veterinary centres in Europe.

They have now teamed up with us at Hyde Park to provide specialist consultations every day of the week from our premises conveniently situated as we are, right in the heart of London.

No longer a long and complicated journey out into the wilds at a time of stress and worry - you can see their top clinicians at your convenience, at our clinic.

Needless to say, we are bursting with pride that such a prestigious veterinary institution has chosen us as their partner, and particularly as it is the very first time that a referral centre of this callibre has established a base in central London, specifically to serve the pets of London.

For more information, go to Davies London. The new clinical service starts on Monday 27th February 2012.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

If your cat pees on the door mat one more time...

It could be that your cat has a medical problem such as cystitis that is causing discomfort, so you really should bring him in for a check up first.

If that is all clear, it could be a behavioural problem. Cats are by nature solitary animals and often very sensitive about their personal space. If you have several cats living together, even if they appear to get on well, they may well be subtly competing with each other for access to food, water, litter trays, sleeping areas (especially high vantage points) and points of entry or exit from rooms. Apart from the obvious signs of irritation such as hissing and general light combat, one of the classic ways they may express their frustration is by territory marking, and the front door mat is a common choice.

Make sure you provide more than one litter tray so they don't have to share one, or even worse, use one that has already been soiled. Scoop regularly, change the litter daily and scrub the tray weekly. Cats can become fussy over litter and smells, so experiment with different litter types and try an entirely new tray.
Give them a choice of feed & water bowls, not all grouped together, and allow them to feed separately. Given the choice, most cats like to graze feed as often as 10-20 times a day.

Provide a selection of raised sleeping places from where they can survey their territory.

And try using a feline facial pheromone diffuser (http://www.feliway.com/gb) to help calm reduce their stress levels.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Read all about it....

OK, I'm too excited and can't help mentioning it:

As from tomorrow morning, I am the Sunday Times vet, available for questions & answers every Sunday morning...

Rumour also has it that this week (Feb 12th) there's going to be an embarrassingly large photo of me in the Home section to launch the new column.

Sorry about that. It's probably best to disown me.

Andrew

PS still available for consultations every day at the clinic as usual: no change there!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Can I really feed raw bones to my dog?

Take the plunge! Feeding raw meat and bones has become quite a contentious issue in the veterinary and pet-owning fraternities, but the fact is that dogs have been eating raw meat and bones for hundreds of thousands of years, the last time I looked.

That's long before the pet food companies did such a good job of convincing everyone that feeding your dog anything other than something out of a tin or supermarket pack was tantamount to abuse.

Dogs are carnivores. In the wild, they hunt and kill or scavenge in order to eat meat, bone and stomach contents. They have teeth and digestive systems that are finely adapted for extracting the nutrients from the raw materials, and a metabolism that appears to thrive on the results of that digestion.

Sure, many vets can recount tales of extracting sharp fragments of bone from dog's mouths, throats and intestines, but in my limited experience (of 30 years of practice) these have almost always been bones rendered hard and indigestible by cooking.

Go raw – they'll love you for it!