Sunday, December 13, 2015

In case you wondered why we blood test your dogs at vaccine time...

Regular visitors to our clinic will know that when it comes to your dog's 'booster vaccination' visit, we are more likely to have a conversation with you about taking a vaccine antibody test before deciding whether to vaccinate or not.

What you might not realise is just how unusual this is for a veterinary clinic to take such a strategic and well-considered approach to vaccination, to focus our efforts on making sure that your dogs remain fully protected rather than just vaccinating away with little regard for any possible adverse consequences.

We are proud that for many years we have been so far ahead of the rest of our profession, and it was gratifying this week to read an article this week in the Veterinary Record (the weekly journal of the British Veterinary Association)  about vaccination  against parvovirus, the often fatal virus gastro-enteritis that affects dogs.

Here are just a few direct quotes from the paper and it's accompanying editorial piece:

- vaccination may be unnecessary if an animal already has antibodies against the infectious disease, but usually vets do not know the immune status of their patients

- antibody status against canine parvovirus should be determined instead of periodic 'blind' vaccination  to ensure reliable protection with unnecessary vaccination

- such an approach could prove useful in reducing the adverse effects of vaccination, such as hypersensitivity and immunosuppression

- obesity is considered a chronic inflammatory state that can lead to impairments in innate and adaptive immune functions

- Riedl and others have helped to develop a new concept; to evaluate the immunity of a dog before it's first and subsequent vaccinations

- with cat calicivirus (flu) infections, serological data in predicting protection are limited

- transient side effects to vaccination are common and can be indicative of an adequate immune response

- transient side effects occurred in 37% of dogs: lethargy 17%, gastro-intestinal signs 12%, increased thirst 1% or a combination of problems 5%. Injection site reactions with local swelling or pain 2% and lymph node enlargement 20%

The final recommendation was that:

- antibody status should determined instead of periodic re-vaccinations to avoid unnecessary vaccinations in adult dogs.

The Hyde Park Veterinary Centre - way out ahead in appropriate pet health care!



Monday, December 7, 2015

LGBT vets led by our very own Mat Hennessey

Vets come together to support LGBT colleagues

18 September 2015
Vets across the country are coming together to back a new initiative that will support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender colleagues in the veterinary professions and provide a support network promoting fairness and equality for all.
The new British Veterinary LGBT group (BVLGBT) will meet at the British Veterinary Association (BVA) headquarters at the end of September in London to bring together supporters and start to plan activities for the coming year.
Vet Mat Hennessey started the group after noticing a medics banner at the Pride in London parade and realising that there was a need for representation and support for the LGBT community amongst vets. BVLGBT is open to anyone who wants to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights within the veterinary professions, whether studying or working, and already has nearly 300 members.
Mr Hennessey said:
“Seeing that banner brought to the fore something that I had been aware of for some time – the need for a visible and supportive community for veterinary professionals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and the colleagues who want to support us and promote equality.
“Veterinary professionals are a supportive bunch, but there has not been an open culture for LGBT vets on campus and in practice and that should change. The nature of veterinary work also means that vets can be located in remote, rural regions, without an LGBT community to plug into and this can be a very lonely and isolating experience. BVLGBT wants to engage with all colleagues who could benefit from the group and we are particularly keen to reach out to vets working in those rural areas without an LGBT community to feel part of.  We are here for you.”
John Blackwell BVA President commented:
“This is a forward thinking and much needed initiative and one that BVA is proud to support. Veterinary surgeons and our veterinary nurse colleagues work within a close-knit community whether it is practice based or otherwise and the formation of BVLGBT sends a clear message out that the veterinary professions and organisations such as BVA welcome diversity and will fight for equality. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our LGBT colleagues and look forward to marching with them at Pride in London in June 2016, having achieved much in the coming year.”
To find out more and become involved in BVLGBT, please emailbvlgbt@gmail.com  
The BVLGBT/BVA meeting in September 2015 is by invitation only. Please email bvlgbt@gmail.com

Monday, November 2, 2015

I'm a Jack Russell, a breed not a type

I see that the Kennel Club has finally given in and added the Jack Russell terrier to the list of official pedigree dogs. This is a rare honour indeed - since 2008 only a handful of breeds have been added to the list, most of whom I suspect you will never have heard of. The ever popular Turkish kangal and greater Swiss Mountain dog to name just two.

As a previous Jack Russel owner myself, I know I am biased but it always seemed a bit odd that this most recognisable of dogs should not have been granted that privilege decades ago.

But apparently all this time they have not been a breed but a 'type'.

All Jack Russell Terrier births will now be registered and a breed standard will be set describing their size, exercise requirements, temperament and grooming needs, all in the name of  'protecting it's future as a much-loved traditional working dog and popular pet'.

My mind wanders back to one of my very early canine patients who - somewhat incredibly - had been hit by a train and survived. I was in the operating theatre trying to put the various bits of this poor little creature back together again when the senior partner of the practice popped his head around the door (in a haze of pipe smoke - those were the days) to mutter a few words of support for my efforts with the immortal phrase:

"He'll do fine - you'll see. When you're dealing with Jack Russells, my boy, you'll find that you have to redefine words like tough..."

He was right.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

3 things you ought to know?

One:
    This Thursday (29th October) it's the Hyde Park Vet Halloween Pet Party from 6-8pm at the Pet Boutique at 63 Connaught Street W2 2AE. Dress yourself up, peel the kids away from the television and come along for a Halloween Fancy Dress moment. Judges for the event are the irrepressible Jo Good and Anna Webb, the Barking Blondes from Radio London's 'The Barking Hour'  (you can listen in to BBC Radio London 94.9FM every Thursday 3-4pm for all that's dog in London).

 
Two: 
    Last week, Codie, one of our veterinary nurses, climbed 5,895 metres to the very top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and in the process she and her friend Sophie Holmes, who has cystic fibrosis herself, raised over £10,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. If you want to chip in, click on their Just Giving page
We think it's a pretty amazing achievement and and are very proud of them both.

Three: 
    We're about to start the dreaded Firework season. Loads of fun and games for the people setting them off and having firework parties, not so much or you are an anxious or noise-phobic pet. There's lots you can do to help them cope better and make the whole experience a bit less of a nightmare. Take a look at our Firework Advice page for more information or come and talk to one of our veterinary nurses about how you can help them.

    Look forward to seeing you on Thursday evening from 6pm

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Vegans in a hamburger joint

Sitting in a local burger joint last night with the family, one of them posed the question to the waitress



"Which is your favourite cheese in a cheeseburger?"

Imagine my surprise when she replied

"Well it used to be the blue cheese but I don't eat cheese any more because I'm a vegan."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh yes, there are several vegans on the staff here - three in fact, plus one vegetarian."

"Anything to do with the food?"

"Oh no, I just couldn't help feeling sorry for them,"

The animals, I assumed she meant. But apparently management don't like them mentioning that bit.






                   =

Monday, August 3, 2015

Killing lions for fun

Isn't it weird?

A highly paid medical health professional pays £££ to go all the way to Zimbabwe to kill a lion.


And - oops, the country's most famous one.

I know I'm a vet, so maybe it's a bit different for me, but I still find it astonishing that anyone - particularly in this day and age of environmental sensitivity - would WANT to do such a thing.

And then put it up on Facebook as a matter of pride.

Maybe in the hope that his patients, as they sat in his dental chair, would gaze admiringly at his manly, latex-gloved hands and think 'Hmm those are the fingers that cradled the rifle and then pulled the trigger. Those are the hands that belong to a man of courage and sensitivity, just the type of hands I'd like in my mouth, fixing my teeth.'

Not sure whether he necessarily deserves to have to close down his clinic as appears to be happening, but you would think he could find something better to do with his time...

Monday, July 6, 2015

Pet Owners and Trainspotting

I see that the Blue Cross has commissioned a survey to see if there are any benefits to owning pets. Apart from the obvious, that is.

And the results?

From what is admittedly a fairly small sample (1000 people out of the billions on the planet, of whom 13 million are classified as pet owners living in the UK), came the following conclusions.

If you are a pet owner, you are more likely to:


- have a job (40% of non pet owners were unemployed)
- spend more 'family time' together
- enjoy your job
- be fitter, taking at least 2 hours more exercise a week
- earn £3000 per year more
- manage an average of 5 people in your work (against 2 for non pet owners)


I'm not sure what to do with this astounding information, but if it's representative of the real situation, rehoming centres like Battersea Dog's Home and the Mayhew really ought to be empty.

When Irving Welsh wrote that now infamous sequence in Trainspotting, maybe he missed something (and I paraphrase in case there are children watching):

"Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life… "

Maybe if this data had come out sooner and he had bothered to read it, some of the nihilist gloom could have been avoided.

Choose a dog would be my advice.



Or a cat.






Thursday, June 25, 2015

Sara Cox and Scott Mills at The Hyde Park Vet Dog Show in aid of Pets As Therapy

We did it!

The weather held and we basked in glorious sunshine all afternoon.

So many dogs and people, it was a great fund raising event in aid of Pets As Therapy


Sara Cox and Scott Mills were joined by Hanna Attwell (owner of one of last year's winners), James Lacy (Lily's Kitchen), Jennifer Dubois (Pets As Therapy) and Michelle Middleton (Carter Jonas) on the judging platform.

They picked clear winners for the waggiest tail, mixed breed dog, puppy, senior dog and dog the judges would most like to take home.

Carter Jonas are very generously going to match our fundraising efforts, so if anyone wants to make further donations to this very worthwhile cause, cheques or cash donations can be made at the clinic any time over the next two weeks.



Many thanks to our other sponsors and benefactors who helped make the day such a success: Lily's Kitchen, Royal Canin, The Pets Pyjamas, Natural Instinct, Red Dingo, The Dog House, Vetplus, Canagan, Pet London, Protexin, Kruuse, Bayer, Novartis, Kong, MSD and Agria Pet Insurance.

We'll keep you posted with the total raised...

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Pets win prizes at the Hyde Park Vet Dog Show Wednesday 24th June



Everyone's a winner at the 

in aid of Pets As Therapy!

Wednesday 24th June 2015, 4.00-6.00pm


    Download your registration form now at Dog Show 2015 


    But let's just cut to the chase... This is what you can win! Our various sponsors have
helped put together some fantastic prizes for Wednesday's Dog Show:

    In each category, the First Prize includes an engraved silver cup, a Lily's Kitchen Hamper, a Red Dingo Collar and Lead set, 3 months supply of Milbemax and Advocate, a £20 voucher for the HPVC Pet Boutique and a Pet London toy.

    The Runner-up gets a Royal Canin Gift Set (including a slow feeder, a small bag of lifestyle stage dry food, and a treat handle), a Carter Jonas Lead and a pack of Natural Instinct Lamb Lites.

    The Goodie Bags for the first 50 entrants includes a 500g bag of Canagan Free-range Chicken, Pet food can covers, Stationery (pens, sticky notes, note tabs), a Frisbee, a Flea comb, a pack of Poo bags, a 500g Natural Instinct tub, Lamb Lites and Rogzlites.

    So hurry up! Register now using the downloadable entry form


    There are 5 competition classes:

1: The dog with the waggiest tail

2: The best crossbreed dog

3: The best newcomer for dogs under 18 months old

4: The best golden oldie (dog, that is) for those over 8 years old

5: The dog that the judges would most like to take home


    We ask for a minimum donation of £5 for each entry, with all funds raised going to Pets As Therapy, a maximum 2 classes per dog, one person only in the ring with each dog, Sara Cox and Scott Mills, will be joining the judging panel!


    If you need any more information drop in at the clinic, email us on hydeparkvet@aol.com or call 0207 723 0453, otherwise, we look forward to seeing you on the day

    And don't forget to register now at Dog Show 2015

Thursday, June 18, 2015

How to be happy?

Is it time for a reworking of this (reputedly) Chinese saying?

"If you want to be happy for a day, get drunk 
If you want to be happy for a week, kill a pig
If you want to be happy for a month, get married 
If you want to be happy for life, have a garden"

In this world of Health & Safety concerns about binge drinking, suggestion 1 can no longer be recommended.


As for suggestion 2, it may well be considered OK if you're a Bear Grylls wannabe faced with that or starvation, but if you're just on some weird voyeuristic reality TV show featuring people in bikinis looking hungry, I don't think it works for me. The pig was virtually tame, for goodness' sake. 

No further comment on Suggestion 3

And now I'm old and grey, I'm allowed to sit and admire my small garden and take delight in seeing healthy bees do their normal bee things while in the rest of the world, the mighty agro-industrial business does it's best to kill off the natural world around us. We need more bees.

But luckily there are plenty of variations on the theme:

"If you want happiness for an hour -- take a nap. If you want happiness for a day -- go fishing. If you want happiness for a month -- get married. If you want happiness for a year -- inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime -- help someone else." 

Or try this

"If you want to be happy for an hour, get drunk; If you want to be happy for three days, get married; If you want to be happy forever, make a garden"

Curiously, the English version is quoted as being:

"If you want to be happy for a year, plant a gardenIf you want to be happy for life, plant a tree"

Some would say that getting a puppy would do the trick

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

What to do if you get Woodcock in Soho

Being over 50, I think I'm allowed a certain degree of cynicism about social media, and Twitter in particular. I subscribe to the viewpoint that the clue about Twitter's utility lies in the first 4 letters. But I may yet be wrong.

And yes, I am aware of the logical inconsistency of writing about it on social media.

Picture this: a young man has lived for 4 years in London and on the morrow is leaving, possibly forever, to make his way elsewhere in the big wide world.

How better than to spend one's last lunch in the capital in the company of friends in a nice restaurant in Soho?

Approaching the door of said establishment, he scans the terrace (as was his habit) and sees, to his surprise, a very pretty bird sat over in the far corner. What can she be doing here, he asks himself and goes on in for his lunch.

Emerging into the afternoon light a few hours later, he sees her still there, looking decidedly ill at ease. Full of cheery bonhomie and determined to do one last good thing, one final fanfare, one parting shot for London, he approaches her.

Her feathers are a little ruffled, she makes no attempt to escape him as he approaches. Boldly, he sweeps her up into his arms and heads for the exit.

A few moments later, thanks to the marvels of modern technology, he has located the nearest veterinary clinic and makes his way to us.

"I've found myself a bird."

"Indeed you have."

"What is it?"

"Err."

"I'm leaving London, I have to pack my flat, my bags, get to the airport, I can't possibly look after her..."

We took her in as the clinic was closing. What to do? I eyed up her long beak (she had already acquired gender, as you may have noticed, but without the benefit of major ornithological insights) and was reminded of Aesop's fable of the fox and the stork. Would we need to feed her with the aid of a long necked vase?

Some bright spark suggested we take a photo and put it up on Twitter with a request for identification and assistance.

Within half an hour, we had two correct answers: one from Clive Elwood (managing director for Davies Veterinary Specialists) and the other from the brother in law of one of the clinic staff. They had spotted the tweet and identified her as a woodcock. In Soho. Imagine.

Migrating, apparently, and sometimes they get confused over cities and fly into buildings.

The following morning, she was collected by those wonderful people from the London Wildlife Trusts so that they could take care of her and gently rehabilitate her back into the world she came from.

Twerp twats herself on a building, vet tweets on Twitter and all is well...

Monday, June 15, 2015

Chips with everything

Pet identification microchips. There's a dull topic for you.

We already encourage all dog owners to have their dogs microchipped. It forms the essential basis of identification for a pet passport, potentially confirms the ownerhip of a dog in case of dispute, but on a more cosy domestic note, it allows for the reuniting of lost pets with their owners.

Our best story from the clinic was of a Westie than ran out of the owner's front door IN LONDON one evening and disappeared, not to be found despite a thorough search of the area.

Gloom and despondency in the home.

Unbeknownst to them, the following day a little old lady was walking in her local park IN COVENTRY and spotted a slightly bedraggled little Westie wandering around, but thought no more of it.

Until the next day in the same park, the same dog was still there, now cold, wet and hungry. She took her home, delighted with her new companion. All went well until a couple of weeks later, her new little dog slipped on the stairs and started limping. She took her to the local vet who found the chip and contacted the original owners. They were reunited on.... Christmas Eve.

Joy in the home!

So chips work. And it's worth mentioning that from April 2016, all dogs will have to be microchipped and registered on a central database by the age of 8 weeks old. Not quite sure how that's going to work, but it's there in the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2014, so watch out.

Friday, June 12, 2015

Badgering the government

I very much appreciate the widely held concern about the fall in wholesale milk prices and 
the poor returns that dairy farmers are able to achieve in the current market.

Add to this the on-going difficulties with TB control and the farce of the badger culls, and we 
have a beleaguered industry in quite a state of crisis.

Milk is a great source of energy, protein and calcium if you don't have anything else to eat. And a cow is a great way of converting vegetation that is relatively indigestible for humans into a steady supply of such nourishment. It's also mobile and fresh, which is especially useful when you don't have a fridge. But the above have limited value in our society and I can't help noticing that our shops are now full of skimmed, low fat or even non-dairy dairy products, partly because many of the base constituents of milk are actually quite bad for us as adults, especially given the relativeabundance of other food types. Is the elephant in the room not the issue that we all consume far too many dairy products anyway and that the industry is therefore bigger than either our economy, health or environment can sustain? Last time I checked, I was weaned when I was about six months old.


Thursday, June 11, 2015

Rabies, Tollwut, Rabia, even Rabbia, it's all the Rage

We're lucky in the UK in that we don't have rabies to contend with. Unless you're a Daubenton's bat, in which case you apparently have a 10 in 12,000 chance of having the rabies-like European Bat Lyssa Virus.

The last recorded death from handling an infected bat in the UK was in 2002, so we effectively don't have rabies, and yet most of us really don't realise just how lucky that makes us.

As animal lovers, if we come across an unknown dog or cat, our concerns mostly centre on whether we're going to get to say hello properly, or whether they'll try to avoid us.

We don't have to worry about whether there's a risk of an unprovoked and uncharacteristic attack that could give us a fatal illness (rabies), which is how it is in many other parts of the world. In fact, world wide about 100 children die of rabies every single day.

Hence the Mission Rabies campaign, actively supported by our colleagues at Davies Veterinary Specialists.

It might seem as if rabies is a far distant problem, but just across the water in France it's a different story. In fact most years they have a case or outbreak and this year is no exception.

Last month, a seven month old puppy that had initially been illegally imported into France from Hungary without identification or vaccination, was then taken to Algeria where he escaped, but was eventually found again and brought back to France.

Once there, he had contact with numerous people, several of whom he bit and was finally taken to the vet who correctly suspected rabies. He was placed under quarantine but died overnight.

The standard regulation zone that has to be set up around a rabies incident restricts the movement of all cats, dogs and other carnivores and any unvaccinated animals simply have to be euthanased.

So... if you're going abroad, remember rabies vaccination for pets is essential, particularly if you want to bring them back to the UK. Back in the day when we used to have to blood test them all, as many as 1 in 20 used to fail after the first vaccination, so although the law does not require it, you might want to ask your vet to take the blood test anyway.

It's better than rabies.

Monday, June 8, 2015

"Shock figures reveal the menace of out of control dogs"



"Shock figures reveal the menace of out of control dogs" was today's front page headline in the Evening Standard.

And then, later in the same article it says "the number of dangerous dogs seized by police fell from a peak in 2009/2010.."

So less out of control than 5 years ago, then?

And this in the context of a headline from the same august journal almost exactly a year ago (11 May 2014), which said "Huge rise in number of dangerous dogs seized, figures show".

But still less than in 2009/10. You've lost me now.


Sunday, June 7, 2015

Boxing clever when you have pets

Boredom.

Not something I have a great deal of time for, I have to admit, but I wouldn't mind, now and again, to be able to sit staring at the wall, going errr.....

But for many urban pets, boredom can be quite an issue. It's OK if your canine or feline boredom threshold is very high and a lack of anything immediate to do triggers rapid onset of a deep and satisfying sleep, but if not, there lies trouble ahead.

Bored dogs pine, bark, chew and destroy. Cats over-groom and stress themselves into cystitis, and most pets will be more likely to over-eat and stack on the weight. Not a good combination.

The curiously-named Temple Grandin, quite apart from being famous for her autism, is one of the great animal behaviour gurus, and amongst many other things, loves cardboard boxes and paper bags. And this is why:



- They are cheap, easily available and destructible, and are great for environmental enhancement for pets. Try these: 

- Use paper bags to hide small bits of dry food or treats so they have to work a bit for their next snack.

- Cardboard kitchen or toilet roll inners can have food held in place by a piece of scrunched up paper at each end.

- Use sheets of cardboard to hide the sight of something scary such as a neighbouring predator cat.

- Hide food treats amongst scrunched up paper in a cardboard box

- Cardboard boxes are great to get into and out of, hid in, pounce out of or sleep safely in.

Hiding places are particularly important for our pet 'prey species' so make them simple and easily replaceable hideaways. Bunnies and guinea pigs really don't like a high visibility lifestyle.

And if you find yourself with enough time to be staring at the wall, check out Temple's Ted Talk


Saturday, June 6, 2015

Seals of Approval

As we make our weary ways to and from work in the busy, polluted and often dangerous (for those of us who cycle) streets of London, it's easy to forget that we are surrounded by wildlife.

The birds, the bees and urban boxes might be more obvious, but The Zoological Society of London report that the seal population of London is on the rise.



They're in the Thames, obviously, but numbers counted have risen from a previous level of 685 to last years figure of 938. And they've been spotted as high up the river as Teddington Lock.

Find more about the ZSL seal survey work

And if you want to make your garden or terrace more wildlife friendly, try these top tips:

1. feed the birds
2. provide water for them to drink and bathe
3. grow stuff, ideally native species with flowers. We need to be especially nice to the bees
4. avoid garden chemicals
5. plant a tree. If you don't have space, join one of the schemes that will do it for you elsewhere
6. let your garden get a bit untidy  - don't weed too much

Now you don't need to do a Joanna Lumley and invite the foxes into your front room, but for the hardcore, you could do worse than joining the London Natural History Society


Thursday, June 4, 2015

The Hyde Park Vets Summer Dog Show June 24th 2015!!!!

Every year for the last few years, coinciding with the Connaught Street Summer Fair when the street is closed to traffic, the vet clinic has held a dog show. 

White picket fencing, red carpet, prizes, celebrity judges and loads of dogs with proud owners prancing up and down the runway... Check out the photo gallery of the 2014 Dog Show  with celebrity judges Jennifer Saunders and Claudia Winkleman





And this year, with Sara Cox and Scott Mills as part of our celebrity judging team, it could be you on show!

But before we go any further, click here for your Dog Show entry form

Apart from being a piece of urban madness, we do it for charity. In the past we've raised money for The Mayhew Animal HomeThe Street Animals of Morocco and The Cinammon Trust.


This year it's all in aid of Pets As Therapy a national charity that provides therapeutic visits to hospitals, hospices, nursing and care homes, special needs schools and a variety of other venues by volunteers with their own friendly, temperament tested and vaccinated dogs and cats. There are currently around 4,500 active PAT visiting dogs and 108 PAT cats at work in the UK. Every week these calm friendly dogs and cats give more than 130,000 people, both young and old, the pleasure and chance to cuddle and talk to them. They visit a staggering half million bedsides each year.


Even better, our opposite neighbours Carter Jonas have offered yet again to match every penny of the first £1500 we raise - so roll up, roll up, every ten pounds you donate costs an estate agent a tenner.


It doesn't get better than that.


Mark the day in your diary. Wednesday 24th June, 4-6pm


Be there!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Can I get a disease from being scratched by my cat?

Can't help noticing that AOL - for some reason best known to itself - has chosen to feature a piece on Cat Scratch Fever this morning.

Always love a good scare story.

So what it's all about?



Cat scratch disease is an infection caused by a bug called Bartonella henselae that can be carried by cats. But dog and monkey bites, pins pricks, thorns, splinters, ticks and human to human contact have all also been suspected as sources of infection, so it's a bit harsh to blame it all on the cats... 

Signs of  infection are redness or swelling around a skin wound a few days after the injury, followed by swollen local lymph glands and in many cases a fever, headache and a general feeling of being unwell. 

If in doubt you're best to see your doctor: treatment is likely to be a simple anti-inflammatory medication and sometimes antibiotics.

Cat scratch disease is nothing new - it's been around for years and we see it VERY rarely, so no need to panic

General advice for animal owners is quoted as:


  • keep your cats free of fleas (but that's a good idea anyway).
  • try to avoid getting bitten or scratched by your cats, and especially by kittens (also a good idea). 
  • If you do get bitten or scratched, wash the wound straight away (hmm, also a good idea)
  • don't let your cats lick any open wounds you might have (you know this, surely).
  • if you feel unwell, go to see your doctor (but that's quite good advice under any circumstances)
  • err that's it