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