Tag: Companion animal parasites
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Nail clipping
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“Clip nails” It seems innocuous. It looks so simple and routine on the consulting list – no worrying about history taking, no complicated diagnoses or treatment plans – just clip the nails. A quickie that may even give you a chance to snatch a few minutes back so you can stay on time: this is…
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Screen burn: thoughts on telemedicine
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With the recent announcement that the UK’s first veterinary telemedicine service is set to launch, there is much debate over whether this type of service is a good thing. The major bugbear most vets have with telemedicine is the absence of a physical examination. While teleconsultations (or, indeed, just a telephone call) can allow a…
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The client from hell
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“Never work with children or animals,” advised WC Fields – I think I’d be inclined to add “the public” to that. While, on the whole, my client interactions have been good, every now and then you do get the occasional nutter. I’ve had drunk clients, barely able to stand up, let alone comprehend their half-bald…
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The wild
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I can recall a story a friend of the family once told me, about a baby bird they found on the edge of the pavement. It was a tiny thing – pink, featherless, barely able to make a noise. By the time they had found it, the bird was already freezing cold and very weak.…
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Pedigree prejudice?
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The decision of whether or not to get a new pet is an important one, but the decision of where to get it from might be more important. Volunteering for two weeks this Christmas at a cattery has really made me believe we, as a society, need to undergo a significant evolution in terms of…
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Dog walker insurance
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When is an insured dog not insured? I think we’re probably all pretty well versed in this: When it’s pre-existing. When the policy has been cancelled. If it’s an excluded condition. If it’s a preventable disease and a prophylaxis hasn’t been given. Yet there is an area where medical insurance may not cover your dog:…
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Corporate vet school
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The announcement of a corporate veterinary group’s collaboration with the new Keele University/Harper Adams veterinary school struck a few chords, and seemingly opened a figurative can of worms that (like their literal parasitic counterparts) just doesn’t sit well in my gut. A few points to consider here, the first of which I have written about…
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An unrecognised reliance on technology
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It’s surprising how much we rely on the internet and associated technologies. In fact, you don’t quite realise how much it helps until you find yourself without it. I experienced a weird widespread internet fault. I’m not sure if it was localised to to my geographical area, but, for a few hours, neither my mobile…
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Pet safety in an emergency
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It’s almost a year since the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London – an awful event taking so many lives and causing distress to those who survived. You may recall concern at the time for a number of pets there, as some people had tried to move their pets safely and had lost them,…
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Unpredictability: the spice or stress of life?
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It is said variety is the spice of life – although, as much as I like fiery food, I’m sometimes just as happy with a sandwich. Unpredictability isn’t exclusive to veterinary medicine, of course, but I sometimes fantasise enviously about people who know what they will be doing from the moment they enter work until…