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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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 *#!@...

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.