How to preserve a pug’s eye?
Eyes are special in so many ways. And for a pet to lose an eye feels like a real fail. We tried so hard to save Robbie’s eye, but in the end, it was too badly damaged and he was in such pain, we knew it could not be saved. Robbie is a gorgeous cuddly […]
Ruptured diaphragm
In my first year as a qualified vet there were so many new experiences. Sadly, it was fairly common to have cats rushed to us, who had misjudged the moment to cross the road. These would have potentially suffered both visible external and invisible internal injuries. A common internal injury following a road traffic collision […]
It’s lambing season again.
It’s lambing season again. I was very fortunate as a vet student to learn my lambing from a patient Cotswold farmer. The most heavily pregnant ewes were quietly brought into an enormous open-sided barn a week or so before their due dates. All interactions, including moving them are taken very quietly, to avoid startling them […]
Not your everyday tummy upset
Max the cat had been sick, and was refusing food. After a careful assessment, he was given a simple injection to hopefully settle his stomach, and sent home to recover. But two days later he still did not fancy his food. He had suddenly dropped in weight, was still retching a little, and he now […]
Hunky vet and cat cuddles
One winter I was staying with my godparent’s family in Birmingham, so that I could see practice nearby. I was a student, harbouring a bit of a crush on the vet, Dave. He always wore a pressed white shirt, with a wool tie, the ends of which he would tuck between the buttons of his […]
An evening emergency
It was five minutes to home time. It was the first evening in months where the special appointments that we save at the end of every day had not filled with urgent appointments and sick animals needing attention. But then the phone rang. “Dora has just come in, and I can see there is something […]
A Christmas Miracle
I first met Lucy, a beautiful German Shepherd, when she was two years old. She was a little nervous of strangers, and it took her quite some time to learn to trust me. I saw her through all her doggy needs for the next 12 years. Here is her story, in the words of her […]
Dog Vestibular Disease
I bought some Aspods recently, and passed one to each of my team. Mine is now proudly on my keyring, and contains two dispersible aspirin. I’ve been telling everyone that if I come across a person having a heart attack, I could improve their chance of survival with one tablet by 20 – 25%. This […]
Joey the chihuahua’s hip
Once it was quite common to see small dogs that had to hop on their hind legs. Thirty years ago, I even met a Jack Russell who preferred to walk in a handstand, because both his hips were so tender. Many of these individuals were suffering from Legg-Calve-Perthe’s disease. Luckily this is now a rare […]
My profession changing over the decades
Last week I observed Lisa, one of my RVNs (Registered Veterinary Nurses) place a cannula into the vein of a six kilogram Dachshund at the first attempt. What skill! The small size of the patient means small veins, and its breed means short legs with awkward anatomy, yet she did it with relative ease, and […]
Fever of unknown origin
An old collie called Gemma came to me during the heatwave last month. She was rising thirteen, and had been experiencing a good retirement, until a few daysearlier when her owners noticed she seemed lethargic. As the weather was extraordinarythey were not too concerned at first, but when she refused her food, they knew it […]
How I became a vet
I know there are a lot of young people wondering right now where their lives are going and how to get qualified for the roles they may fulfil one day. I was about fifteen, when I became serious about becoming a Vet. It might have seemed an odd decision for me, as we had very […]
Brave little Tom survives RTA
“Help! Tom’s been run over!” I stopped what I was doing, and, as I descended the stairs to reception, I could hear othersin my team approaching too. A distraught lady was clutching a bundle wrapped in a towel. Leaving a colleague to talk to her, I gently took the patient straight into our theatre. Aroundme […]
Always Learning
As we went into lockdown, one of the very few patients I saw in personwas a miniature Dachsund. At nine years old, she had already had her fair share of surgicalproblems, including a slipped disc, but she continued to be a cheerfullittle soul, offering kisses and cuddles as I snuggled her. But this time she […]
Last week I saved a life
My patient was a nine year old Bichon Frise. She was new to me. I have known some petsfor their whole lives, and can read how they are feeling, being familiar with their foibles. But this pet behaved like an ancient. Her head and tail were down, and she was hunched up.Her owner said her […]
How a rainy day activity helped shape our future
When I was a kid we had a summer holiday every year in the same town in Devon. For just two weeks we had sand, sea and rock pools. Some years I got terribly sunburnt, but one year it just would not stop raining. We were allgoing stir crazy, confined to a small house, getting […]
Barrier nursing
As a business owner, I am currently focussing my mind on how to bring my team back fromfurlough safely. This means risk assessments. Luckily, veterinary professionals have a good understanding of the concepts of diseaseprevention, but even so, drawing up new protocols is a dull task. Whilst my mind was wandering, I suddenly remembered the […]
‘Donkey’ or ‘Hamster’?
This month is National Pet Month, in which we celebrate our lives with our pets, and promote responsible pet ownership. It reminds me of my fourth year at University, when we finally started getting hands-on with pet topics. Our very first assignment was to write an essay on the reproductive cycle of one species. We […]
How old habits need to change
I have an odd obsession. If I clean something, like the laundry, it really upsets me if it gets mixed back up with dirty washing. I’m the same with clean crockery and dirty. I wonder if this is a consequence of being a surgeon. There is an important principle of surgery that once you are […]
Freddy’s strangely nice experience
I get a great many compliments about pets who just love coming to see us at the Clinic. This might be because the nurses always have treats hidden under the reception desk. Or because we all make a big fuss of the pets and treat them gently once they have arrived But, sadly, there are […]
A Staffie’s Stifle Disease
I spend all day trying to ensure that pet owners understand me. I consider it the role of a good GP to help pet owners to consider options for their pet’s care, and make appropriate decisions that are best for the pet, and the budget available. This means using words and phrases that do not […]
As a kid I was mad about horses
As a kid I was mad about horses. I thought I was going to be a horse vet, and spent much of my student holidays working with racehorses to gain experience. One winter I was at the Curragh in Ireland. This is the Newmarket of Eire, where every other household has some connection to the […]
Nearly no Christmas cheer for Roo
It was the last full week before the festivities when we heard that a sick kitten was on his waydown. Roo, and the rest of his litter, had been found abandoned in a street in London. Homes hadbeen found for two in a loving home in Sussex just two days earlier. The larger of these […]
A day of opposites
A day of opposites My days are rarely routine. When I was thinking about a potential career as a teenage schoolgirl, I realised that I would hate to be stuck behind a desk pushing paper nine to five. I am not sure how this intention translated into a career in veterinary medicine, but I am […]
