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
Fireworks can send your pet up the wall – so give The Mewes Vets a call! As I’m sure you’re aware, all pets have different personality traits that make us love them as a part of the family. Some pets can be cheeky and bound around confidently, and some pets are quieter and have a […]
Don’t make a ‘dog’s dinner’ out of your dog’s diet: How to tell if your pet is the right weight
“Am I feeding him the right amount?” I get asked this question a great deal in the consulting room, so I know that it is something that pet owners are constantly anxious about. At the Mewes Vets we have now been a Royal Canin © Approved Weight Management Clinic for well over a year. This […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Many people aren’t keen on foxes, but sometimes they just need a little TLC too As a newly qualified Vet I had to follow my boss’ rules. She was a chicken keeper, so to her all foxes were vermin. She told us stories about how a fox would creep into her chicken coop at night […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Good things might come in small packages, but that doesn’t make them easy to operate on! Today I was asked to spay two sister mini rabbits. Each weighed just over 1kg. It is incredibly important to me that every patient of mine gets the same high level of care and the same rights to good […]
This is a great time of year to find a new kitten
Cats prefer to breed in the spring, so kittens are likely to be available in every rescue centre right now. Try contacting the Paws and Claws Animal Rescue Service (The Mewes Vets’ chosen charity of 2017), Raystede, the Cats Protection or the RSPCA if you and your family are ready to give a forever home […]
Claws for paws: nails for doors. Watch where you keep your nails!
I’ve got this thing about sharp nails. It’s not a phobia exactly, but I am a bit obsessive about not leaving them lying around. It might have something to do with an early experience I had as a young Vet working in Burgess Hill. We received a phone call towards the end of the day […]
Rabbit Awareness Week and what you should be aware of
This week is Rabbit Awareness Week, RAW. RAW is organised by a coalition of experts, organisations and welfare charities who have come together with a mission to improve rabbit welfare. I am particularly thrilled that this year RAW are focussing on a message that I have been banging on about since I was a young […]
The Every day dangers for our feline friends
As I walk my dog along the pavements I am constantly surprised about the number of rubber bands I spot. Could it be that the postmen are unaware how dangerous these are to cats, dogs and wildlife? Or are they just too busy to care? Young animals will pick things up and play with them […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Danger on the Downs: don’t let those beautiful views distract you from your safety This is a lovely time of year for hacking on the Downs. The heat of the summer is behind us, and so are the accompanying flies and sweat. And the cloying mud and finger numbing cold are yet to come. But […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Look after your pet’s pearly whites this National Pet Smile Month “Yuk! Jazzie, your breath stinks!” I was trying to have a lie-in one quiet Sunday morning, but my husband had left a door open, allowing my 2 year old Labrador Jazzie to sneak in illegally. At least she hadn’t leapt onto the bed! Poor […]
Genetics of the gentle giant
One day, I was shadowing a very experienced Vet, Mr. Grigsby, and his patient was a Great Dane called Samson. Great Danes are the ultimate gentle giant. This one was no exception, but he had lost the gorgeous beauty we associate with a Dane. Samson’s back sagged, his bones were showing, his head drooped and […]
Special Offer: Fixed Price Dentistry for your Dog in February
On a wet Sunday in November I was busy learning how to improve my dental extraction skills. My entire team attend lectures and courses regularly, and this winter we have been focussing on dentistry. To better help our patients every year, we are constantly learning and updating our skills. We invested in brand new dental […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy – Don’t forget to make sure your pet is properly taken care of if you’re off on holiday this summer!
It’s the summer holidays – time for many of us to seek a little sunshine, but what about our pets? Many of us pet owners have to depend on catteries, kennels, pet sitters or boarders to help us out for holidays and busy days. There are now plenty of options, and we keep a list […]
Jumping isn’t just for the horses at the Royal Windsor Horse Show
Back in the late 80’s I was a Vet student and a referee at the Royal Windsor Horse Show every May. The marathon was part of a 3 day trial for drivers and their horses. It involves a 2-3 hour drive to test the horses’ endurance, followed by a series of complicated obstacles to be […]
Cat hyperthyroidism: the signs, the symptoms and the staff
A really good veterinary nurse is brilliant. They help me in so many ways, and become very familiar with the patients, owners and types of condition that we see most often. So when one of my five Registered Veterinary Nurses says to me I think this cat might have developed hyperthryroidism, I know to trust […]
Caring for your dogs this Easter, and caring for bunnies in the past
The Easter bunny will be visiting many homes in Mid Sussex this weekend, I imagine, bringing along many a chocolatey treat that can sadly be harmful to our canine pets. As the Easter bunny visits, please be careful, dogs have great chocolate-seeking noses, but get really sick if they eat too much, so keep them […]
Press Release: Annual Cuckoo Fayre may be last of its kind
If you want to read more please see link to the Mid Sussex times online feed.Read More…
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Starting to lose your ‘get up and go’? The same thing might be happening to Fido… I have reached the age now when, as my friends lovingly predicted, “Ah! That’s when you start to feel the aches and pains!” I’ve always shunned any idea that this was going to happen to me, but oh dear, […]
Cat Bite Abscess and World Antibiotic Awareness Week
“Careful: she bit me when I touched her there!” Cassie was hunched up, and became anxious when I tried to touch her left hind leg. Her claws were a little shredded, and she was running a slight temperature. When I ran my fingers gently through her coat I identified a swelling over the back of […]
