Vet Times

Tag: dog

  • Helping the hounds of the homeless

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    The homeless come with a certain stigma – particularly those with pets at their side. Should we be concerned for the welfare of those animals, whose owners cannot afford to feed themselves so surely cannot adequately care for a companion? Of course we should. However, instead of claiming these pets should be removed from their owners, Ruby…

  • I’d recommend early neutering

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    Last week I removed one of the largest, most pus-filled uteri from a large breed dog that I have ever seen. I’m a bit long in the tooth now, but I still found the whole procedure a bit scary given the size and vascularity of the uterus – and this made me reflect on the…

  • Aggression as an unusual presenting sign of hypothyroidism

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    I’ve not long come across a case of a middle-aged dog that had suddenly become unaccustomedly grumpy and started snapping at its poor owners. This was uncharacteristic, as it had no previous history of behavioural problems. There were no other obvious clinical signs – perhaps it had become lazy of late, but there was nothing to put your…

  • The cases that stay with you

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    We are deep into a busy term of teaching and have veterinary care assistant students in centre, as well as nursing diploma and nursing degree groups. We are also supporting students in practice and ensuring nursing progress log (NPL) completion. It’s so important in teaching to relate theoretical and practical elements to cases. We can use standard cases…

  • The uncaring profession?

    The uncaring profession?

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    Outside my professional life I am a member of a dog walking group. However, as Hollie can’t actually walk that far, we usually meet fellow members and join in for about 20 minutes before retiring to a cafe to await their return. It’s a nice, mixed bunch, and we use social media to keep everyone…

  • Don’t do food trials in summer

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    I now try to avoid running food trials in mid-summer. Certainly on first presentation, with no previous history of allergic dermatitis, I tend to treat accordingly and wait to see what happens later in the year as vegetation dies back. Food allergic dermatitis does not have a seasonal basis, so if the signs resolve or exacerbate over…

  • Immunotherapy in atopic dogs is a valuable tool

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    My colleagues and I use immunotherapy on a fair number of dogs to treat atopic dermatitis. Research tells us it can be a valuable tool in some dogs, but at the same time up to a third of dogs respond poorly. We are lucky in our practice as anecdotally we find the majority of dogs…

  • “Hot water, soap and a towel please”

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    This line always makes me think of the James Herriot books – and I recently thought of this when I had a poor cavalier King Charles that presented with a colon impacted with numerous shards of cooked lamb bones. The poor chap was in quite a bit of discomfort and was straining without any production.…

  • Clinical EMS 101

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    At vet school, you learn some basic clinical skills and are taught how to conduct a general clinical examination to prepare you for EMS placements in veterinary surgeries. What they don’t prepare you for is making a complete idiot out of yourself. Before my first clinical placement I told the vets I would be working…

  • Sarcoptes ELISA

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    Have you ever had an atopic dog that’s really well managed but suddenly flares, becomes very pruritic and seems to stop responding to therapy? I had one such case just a couple of months ago. Skin scrapes did not reveal the presence of any ectoparasites and cytology was pretty unexciting (a bit of bacterial colonisation…