http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog Vets discuss common symptoms and diseases Fri, 11 May 2012 11:31:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I recently had to stop on the side of the road to help out a family whose trailer had rolled over, trapping their horse inside. By the time I'd got past the queue of stationary holiday traffic, they'd already done the first aid basics, and it was great to see ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/05/11/equine-er-dealing-with-traumatic-injuries/ It sounds like such a simple question, but the answer is actually far more complicated than we think. And it’s not just cat owners who struggle with this question, those of us who have studied these creatures for years still frequently miss signs of feline pain. Because when ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/05/02/how-do-you-know-if-a-cat-is-in-pain/ The government has fudged the dog laws again. A written ministerial statement from the Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs was released today, with the promising title "Tackling Irresponsible Dog Ownership". A statement had been widely anticipated but its content had only been guessed at. In the Daily Telegraph over ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/04/23/is-the-government-serious-about-tackling-irresponsible-dog-ownership/ When I was training as a vet, a 20 year old horse was considered really quite old. Now, however, I regularly find myself working with healthy horses in their late twenties and thirties - even a few that go on into their forties! That said, horses don't age uniformly - one ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/04/19/looking-after-the-older-horse/ The headline in today's Daily Mail is typically attention-grabbing: "Could the drug that cost this beloved pet its life kill YOUR dog too?" The article tells the sad story of a thirteen year old Labrador who died after taking pain-relieving medication prescribed by her vet. There's no doubt that many owners of ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/04/10/could-carprodyl-kill-your-dog/ This week I have seen two different families who each bought a puppy with very little thought or planning and then ran into problems that caused the animals to be rehomed (with one narrowly avoiding being euthanised), as neither could cope with or afford the issues they faced. What ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/03/29/thinking-of-getting-a-puppy/ Sammy is a lovely, and much loved, 13 year old moggie who has always been the picture of health. Healthy appetite, healthy weight and body condition – and he seemed pretty happy too. But a few months ago his owner noticed him at the water bowl more than ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/03/19/sammy%e2%80%99s-story-%e2%80%93-feline-diabetes-isn%e2%80%99t-as-scary-as-it-sounds/ Once you relinquish your pet to the green fairies, you may be wondering what actually happens “out the back”. Well, wonder no more. Firstly we make sure that we have an accurate weight for your pet as this is what we use to calculate the dose of the drugs that we ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/03/05/how-we-prepare-your-pet-for-anaesthetic/ It seems a simple enough task, to be able to tell when your pet is in pain but actually it can be a lot harder than you think. Animals have been programmed over millions of years of evolution to hide when they are sore or in discomfort, otherwise predators ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/02/29/how-can-you-tell-if-your-pet-is-in-pain/ I've been thinking about teeth this week - horses' teeth in particular. That's partly because my own horses are due for a dental check up, but also because there's been a report in one of my journals that really made me think how much dental work has moved on in ... http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2012/02/23/tooth-care-for-horses/