This morning I was greeted by a frog on the front doorstep of the vet clinic. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t lining up for a consult and was just sheltering from the elements, but I relocated him to the undergrowth before Read More …

The obvious answer is – are you willing or able to pay out thousands of pounds if something unexpected happened to a beloved pet? If the answer is yes then maybe you don’t need it but otherwise it can be Read More …

Fleas are the most prevalent external parasite infesting dogs and cats. At any given moment in time around 1 in 10 dogs and 1 in 5 cats will have fleas living and feeding on them. However the fleas that are Read More …

Cat cystitis is a common and sometimes problematic issue that is frequently encountered. Recently I had to perform a very complex operation on a male cat that had had repeated blockages of his bladder due to bladder stones lodging in the tip of his Read More …

1) If my dog rubs its bottom on the ground it must have worms. This is is an extremely common misconception. Although intestinal worms (especially tapeworms) will give a dog an itchy bottom there is a much more common cause! By far Read More …

Alabama Rot or as it’s actually known – Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy (CRGV) continues to strike fear in pet owners up and down the country. This year there were 29 confirmed cases bringing to a total of 112 confirmed Read More …

Henry our Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise has called it a year! He has tucked himself in and settled down to a long deep slumber that should last until the daffodils are well and truly up. It is a state that I Read More …

An over-active thyroid gland is the most common hormonal problem that we see in our feline patients. It is in fact so common that about 1 in 10 older cats will develop this disorder. It causes a cluster of classic Read More …

With the warmer weather invariably comes the summer itches, brought on by skin allergies and the increasing number of external parasites that prefer warmer conditions. Dogs start to nibble their feet, shake their ears or just scratch excessively and cats Read More …

It has been argued that ‘boredom’ is a human concept and attributing such an emotion to pets or animals leaves us open to be accused of humanising them. It is true that little scientific research has been conducted to assess Read More …

Arthritis in cats is both staggeringly common and yet frequently under recognised. Some studies have found evidence of arthritis in up to 91% of older felines. Arthritis will cause reduced mobility, activity and chronic pain but it is often missed. The behavioural Read More …

The average dog and cat has 7 bones in their neck, 20 in their back and 3 in the sacrum (bones that pass through and connect to the pelvis). They also have anywhere from 5 to 23 bones in their Read More …

There’s a vet joke that tells the story of a disbelieving pet owner who wants a 2nd opinion when he doesn’t believe what his vet is telling him. The vet retrieves the clinic cat, places it next to the owner’s Read More …

There is something ever so appealing about the appearance of flat or short nose dog breeds. Pugs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, British Bulldogs etc share the similar physical characteristics of squashed/flattened noses and large eyes. One theory goes that they are Read More …

In a recent PDSA report I read a worrying statistic that 1 in 4 pets were acquired with no research undertaken into the needs or demands of that particular pet. Other findings included that 2/3rds of pet owner were unaware of a pets Read More …