Sometimes darkness can help treat patients
A parrot’s beak is designed to crack the toughest of nuts. And its long claws are talons that put a cat’s weapons to shame. So how does a veterinary surgeon protect their fingers from being fractured or raked by a sickly feathered friend? Especially when they will attempt to fly away at the first opportunity? […]
How our nurse mobility clinic helped Crestie
About six months ago, after much thought and many training session, our nursing team at the Mewes launched their mobility clinics. Our intention was to provide free of charge support to owners of cats and dogs whose mobility was becoming impaired through advancing age, or injury. I wanted to find out how this was helping […]
The case of Lotus and the fat balls
At this time of year, it’s good to spare a thought for our wildlife. That’s what Lotus’ owner had done, but she never expected it to make Lotus so poorly.Lotus is one of a group of four small dogs who share an organic garden. One morning shefell really ill. She had terrible diarrhoea, and began […]
How facing your fears can pay off
They say it is healthy for us to challenge ourselves. That every do we should do something that scares us. If this is true, then operating on Beans was definitely ticking that box for me. Beans had been a healthy three year old beige and ginger puss, until he misjudged crossing the road. The previous […]
Memories of my boatie days
As the clocks go back this weekend, my mind goes back to my early years at University. I was in the College bar, at the beginning of my second year at Vet School in Cambridge. Some rowing types were reminiscing nearby, and as I tuned in I realised that I could only understand about one […]
Blood can heal eyes
Certain breeds of dog are sadly more prone to eye damage than others. We have been seeing a number of pugs and other short-nosed breeds with damaged cornea recently. One, little blackie, even lost an eye after the damage was just too severe for us to save it. It makes my eyes water now, even […]
Popeye – the escaping parrot
How not to pinion a parrot John has just inherited a wily African parrot called Popeye. Popeye had already escaped once by flying out of the window. They had been lucky to catch him quickly before he flew too far away to retrieve. John asked Peter, the vet I was seeing practice with, to pinion […]
Sabre and the stick that got stuck
The phone rang and my heart sank. I had been on call three nights out of the last six, and had been hoping for a quiet evening. I couldn’t relax with a glass of wine when on call, but I could at least relax “My German Shepherd Sabre’s got something wrong with his mouth. He […]
Hope that heart disease in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels could one day be preventable
I used to know a family called Harris. Not only were they delightful people, but they had a passion for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. In their prime they kept five of these delightful pets, who were regular visitors. The Cavalier has been a favourite pedigree for a long time. They generally have excellent temperaments, are […]
A guinea pig and a pesky thread
I was still in my first year after qualifying when I met Biscuit. Biscuit was a gorgeous bronze Abyssinian guinea pig, who arrived in a shoe box. His owner had noticed that he was screwing up one eye tight, and was obviously in pain. I did a quick review of everything I knew about guinea […]
The tale of a kittens tail
“I think she has broken her tail!” I hear this often enough. Cats quite regularly get issues with their tails, and sometimes it is a fracture, although just as often it might be a bad bruise or a bite wound. I have a stuffed toy cat called ‘Pilchard’ who accompanies me when I talk to […]
When I had to leave Hannah the student behind
I love having vet students with me. It keeps me on my toes, helps me to remember to articulate the thought processes in my mind, and forces me to re-question each step that I take. Sometimes they update me on new thinking or ideas, and I find that I tend to get as much from […]
Jazzy and the crab
One summer a few years ago we took ourselves to a caravan park on the beach in Somerset. The days were long, hot and lazy, perfect for winding down. One evening, as the sun went down we took Jazzy outfor a walk, exploring the beach. We were hopping from rock to rock with the tide […]
Graduation Elation
Teenagers in many families will be holding their breath next week. It is results week for GCSEs and for A Levels, and the results received will affect college and career choices for many. In my day, there was no email, of course, nor were we given the option of popping into our school for our […]
I am constantly reminded in my job of the goodness of some people
A particular example came to my attention a few years ago. A couple living in rural Sussex decided to adopt a rescue collie they called Storm. They knew he would need a lot of love because he was a very nervous person, and needed to build up his confidence. But after just a few days […]
The Walk of Shame
One summer, on holiday from school, I thought I was a sufficiently competent rider to offer my services to exercise other people’s horses. I had arranged a daily program in which I cycled six miles to a stables over a massive hill, rode out a horse that was being under-used by its owner, and cycled […]
This July is Dry Eye Awareness Month
Many people and about one in twenty dogs suffer from Dry Eye, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca. It is even more common in certain breeds, including the West Highland White Terrier, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel, Pug, Bulldog, Lhasa Apso, Shih-Tzu, Yorkshire Terrier and Pekingese. For these the risk may […]
Pets don’t complain about pain
It’s a strange thing, but whereas some people will winge and fuss about having a problem or pain, pets very often do not. This can be very confusing for their owner carers. How can you know when a pet needs help if they don’t tell you? I see examples of this regularly. A loving cat […]
Studying in the sun
Exactly 30 years ago it was my last summer holiday before leaving school. I had made a commitment to work towards entry to Vet School, and was due to sit the Cambridge University entrance examinations in a few short months’ time. I had thought about this decision very carefully, trying to imagine other lifestyles, and […]
A day out at the seaside makes a wonderful family memory
Unless something goes wrong. Sammy’s owners decided to take her for a day out in Newhaven one summer many years ago. A sleek speed merchant, she was young and full of life, and had a particular joy in seeing off the birds from the fields near her home in Ditchling. I was on call that […]
All that itches is not fleas
Stanley, the Jack Russell terrier, started out in life living on a farm with lots of other animals. But then the fleas joined them. Poor Stanley seemed worse affected than any of the others. He went bald, and had very reddened skin with lots of scabs from all the itching he was doing. We de-flead […]
Did you know that guinea pigs replace the crowns of their teeth every month?
I was counselling a sad owner who had lost his beloved guinea pig, Wilma, at just three years old. He just could not believe that she could sicken and die so fast. He was beginning to convince himself that Wilma’s love of sweet things had caused her tooth problems, resulting in tooth decay like we […]
“Move away from Muesli”
This week is Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW), a time when we raise awareness about pet rabbits and their very special needs. This year the focus is on what rabbits should be eating. This is an area that I have been educating my rabbit owners about for years, so I am glad to see it becoming […]
Is it heat stroke?
I was called to a dog show in progress on a fabulous sunny day. Art, a black greyhound, was collapsed in a large puddle of water. He was laid flat out on his side, still breathing, but unable to even raise his head. Before he reached this state he went through several stages. First of […]
