Tag: Vaccination
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’Tis the season to (not) be shopping…
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There are many traditions with Christmas – some you like and some you don’t. The annual onslaught of impulse puppy and kitten purchases hits us all in one way or another: there’s the heart-stopping emergency consults with the sickliest ones, the vaccine consults where you question the validity of that rabies certificate, and the disappearance…
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Reflecting on the good moments
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As me and my (non-vet) partner sat down for a rare mid-week breakfast together, I made an offhand comment about “having” to vaccinate 15 puppies that day. “What do you mean ‘have to’?” was his response. “Most people would love that, and you get paid for it.” I considered this – and, while I’m more…
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Importance of pet MOTs
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The annual vaccination appointment is important for a number of reasons, there’s no denying that. However, it should be considered an annual health check or pet MOT, as many owners like to put it, rather than a yearly visit to the vets – a distinct difference exists. By law we have to take our cars…
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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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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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How to survive your first weeks as a new grad
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You’ve done it – five long years of hard work and study have paid off and you’ve graduated as a fully fledged vet. Welcome to the veterinary community. And it is just that – a community of people who’ve all been there and had a first day as a vet. You’ll find that everyone (meaning…
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Am I still a new grad?
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I find it hard to believe students from the year below me at vet school received their finals results last week. It doesn’t feel like a year since my friends and I were sailing down the Kelvin for the infamous Glasgow raft race on results day. Well, there was more falling into the river than…
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The only way is ethics part 2: inequality
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I’ve written about one particular coincidence before on this blog. It’s not much of an anecdote, but it stuck with me because, in many ways, it gets to the root of one of the peculiar hypocrisies that pepper our relationship with animals. I had just finished my consultation with a long-standing feline patient – a…
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How to handle breeders: let battle commence
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Breeders (of any species) can be some of the most challenging clients you’ll come across as a vet, and every year Crufts reminds us why. A lot of tension always ensues as interpretations of The Kennel Club’s breed standards often contrast with the opinions of vets. Despite a well-rounded veterinary education and some excellent EMS…
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You don’t fake your appointments… do you?
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Controversial statement alert: I believe every practice I’ve worked in that has an appointments system has had someone working in it who books fake appointments for the final appointment of the day/session/week. Before you all start piling on to agree, disagree or otherwise, let me explain what this is about. I am aware booking false…