When science sounds fictional / How animals help medical research
Have you heard of fluorescent felines? They have been genetically engineered to try to help our understanding of viral diseases in people. One of the most recent human viral outbreaks was the AIDS epidemic. It sparked an enormous amount of charity fund-raising to support the effort to find cures for viruses. It was noted that […]
Bunnies and Winter
With winter just around the corner, let’s spare a thought for our hutch friends. Experienced rabbit and guinea pig owners will be used to watching out for signs of frost or freezing weather. This could cause our hutch friends’ water bottles to freeze, putting them at risk of dehydration. Consider using a water bottle ‘warmer’, […]
Ermie and his purse string suture
At twelve years of age, Ernie is a cat of strong opinions. For instance, he knows he prefers vets kept at claws-length. He wants our relationship to be strictly hands-off! But when he started passing blood and diarrhoea, and getting more sickness than usual, his owner knew he needed us. And although he was reluctant […]
Celebrate Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month with us
Outside of the consulting room, most of the attention and medical care your pet receives is at the hands of a veterinary nurse. It is this we celebrate each May, as Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM) gives us an opportunity to talk about our role in caring for your pets. In any given day a […]
Thoughts return to university days
At this time of year, my thoughts return to memories of my early days at University. My first two years at Vet School involved taking many of my lectures with the students training to become doctors. We shared Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology and Pharmacology lecture halls. Only for the Anatomy classes were the Veterinary students separated […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
The tale of a dog and a doggy bag! During one holiday period in my training years, I was scheduled to see practice for three weeks with an equine Vet in Eire. As a typically poor student, I was slightly concerned to find my budget not going very far. I stayed in a Bed and […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Join The Mewes Vets team for a barking mad dog show at Haywards Heath’s annual Town Day My lovely team at The Mewes Vets have the rosettes and prizes ready, we just need your company and your precious canine companion, of course! This Saturday 17th September is our annual Dog Show, held as part of […]
Paws and Claws: Give Generously for a Wonderful Cause
“There’s an injured cat on the way in!” The message reverberates around the clinic. My experienced team quickly reorganise themselves from routine GP work ready to become A&E. A Good Samaritan arrives with a black and white stray cat that looks close to death. The poor soul did not have the strength to lift her […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
A not-so-merry Merrie and a simple twitch to save the day “My horse has got colic. Come at once!” This was perhaps the scariest phone call a newly qualified Vet can receive. My brother Alastair was visiting. I had spent the last 8 years studying, but he had spent them working with racehorses. Alastair and […]
As a student I only used to let my gerbil roam so far, until he took a journey inside a sofa
When I was at Vet School there were often many patients staying in the hospital. Some needed the constant care of the final year Veterinary students. To be readily available we were provided with accommodation we lovingly called ‘the hut’. In those days I had an illegal pet. It was completely against the rules to […]
My path to Finals: Part one
The end of June signals the end of exams for most students. For me, back in 1989, this meant relief from hard studying, and terror at the prospect I might not have done enough. I had committed my life to becoming a Veterinary surgeon at the age of about 14, in about 1979. I had […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
30 seconds of tooth-brushing a day keeps the vet away I hate extracting teeth.If I’d wanted to look inside mouths all the time, I would have become a dentist. But being a professional is a bit like being married: you have to accept the rough with the smooth. All I want for my patients is […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Sometimes the internet is the best place to turn to, even in a veterinary situation! We were really worried about Frank. A rabbit can only go a very short while without eating, no matter why they are off their food, before their extremely delicately balanced intestinal systems hand in their notice. Frank had been poorly […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy – Pets can sometimes suffer similar conditions to humans, so keep an eye on their health and wellbeing
Robert is a race-horse trainer. It is from him that I learnt the phrase ‘racing-fit’, which I use occasionally to describe a pet, person or racehorse who is ready for peak athletic performance, all muscle and no fat. About six months ago Robert discovered that he has hip dysplasia, which led to premature arthritic changes […]
It’s great to invite friends over for a barbecue, but don’t invite your pets!
Summer is here! But I have only just got the barbecue out. If you are a new pet owner, and, like me, you are preparing for the BBQ season, please be aware of the extra pet risks this can create. Every time I barbecue I cannot help remembering a party we held years ago. It […]
The crying cat – Part 2
Last week, I described the arrival of Alfie at the Clinic with a life threatening urethral obstruction. He was crying out in agony, with a bladder overfilled and on the point of rupturing. Luckily, Alfie, a fine black and white feline, was sensibly insured, and thoughts of the cost were not an issue. I hate […]
Think before you breed
“A stitch in time saves nine!” When I was a young veterinary student seeing practice in Watford, this slogan was prominently displayed on a picture of a mother cat being followed by nine cute kittens. It took me a few moments to work out that the stitch referred to the repair of the small incision […]
Diabetes: The need for regular check-ups
“I cannot bear to see Tatiana suffer: please put her down!” Tatiana was ill, but I was shocked when her owner requested euthanasia. We were only a few minutes into our consultation. I suspected I knew what her problem was, but had not yet had time to confirm anything. So I was unprepared for such […]
Are you scared of snakes?
A few years ago, my son was on a field trip with students from his primary school, bonding in Wales. It seems that he has not picked up much in the way of wildlife respect from his mother, the vet. He noted the profusion of grass snakes, and that the girls in his class had […]
Pupdate
6 chihuahua pups born in the British Chihuahua Club Rescue on the 5th September. The Mum is a bit on the big side, and they are likely to be the same. Just been inoculated and microchipped and ready to go to approved homes. Very lively!Please contact Margaret Foote, 01444 400384 for further details.
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
A story of a horse that wouldn’t say boo to a goose With Easter approaching, I wonder if you are thinking of goose for your special Easter Sunday roast? I am not fond of geese, although I see that they have their place. In particular they are famed as ‘guards’, sometimes better even than a […]
BB’s story: a complex little person, Part 1
For this story, I am handing over to Clive, a long standing client: “We rescued BB when she was about a year old. A mix of Chihuahua and Norfolk terrier, she is as soft as a marshmallow, until crossed. “At only 3 years of age BB had needed both her cruciate ligaments repaired. This markedly […]
Snap into action with the Mewes Vets for Smokey Paws!
It’s the time of year we all look forward to at The Mewes Vets. We have once again begun our Pet Photo Calendar Competition! For those of you who aren’t aware of our Calendar Competition, owners are invited to send in their favourite cute, action or funny photo of their pet, to enter them into […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Let’s not forget, cats can get dementia too! Cleo was driving her owners mad with the volume of her mewing – especially at night. They just could not seem to make her happy, or figure out what she wanted. Nothing helped her to settle down: not food, fresh water, a cuddle or a trip outside. […]
