Julia’s Weekly Column for the Middy!
Donkeys in the Desert This Christmas Eve I would like to share a story with you about some donkeys from my holiday in Morocco, an Islamic country. I was fascinated to see donkeys being ridden, carrying burdens or drawing carts. They were very obviously an important part of the local economy, and as such every […]
Julia’s weekly column for the middy
A Vet’s life certainly isn’t always glamorous! “Don’t panic! Don’t panic….” My brain had frozen, I was in a cold sweat, and everything was going horribly wrong. I was a final year Vet student, proudly conducting one of my first solo consultations. My patient was a portly Staffie, and I was taking his temperature. Another […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Our Pyramid of Care is built to support ageing pets just when they need it They say you know you are middle-aged when you sigh just after you have sat down. Or is it when you wince as you get up? Perhaps doing both is focusing my mind on arthritis and mobility issues in my […]
Julia Mewes Weekly Column For The Middy
Life as a Vet student was hard work but presented some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities too! My time at Whipsnade Zoo was a magical experience for me. I spent some weeks living within the zoo, sharing a run-down old bungalow with other like-minded students. We were within an enclosure, but its only inhabitants were some awful peacocks […]
Julia’s Column for the Middy!
Nausea in pets can be the result of several different causes, but fortunately we have the equipment available to investigate any problems Chino is a magnificent Ragdoll pedigree cat, just 12 years old, and exceptionally gorgeous. But he just couldn’t stop being sick.It had been going on for months. At first his owner blamed it on fur […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Could your pet be living with diabetes? Some of my favourite patients are diabetics. These little cats and dogs teach us about dignity and patience in the face of a long term illness, some of them even reminding their owners when their insulin injections are due! November is Pet Diabetes Month at The Mewes Vets […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Are you one of the many people who don’t believe in the healing properties of acupuncture? I didn’t either, until I tried it for myself… “How can you be such a baby? You are always giving pets injections!” Ok, so just because I am regularly on the giving end of a needle does not mean […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
“She doesn’t much like being poked about…” I’m not generally too pleased when a loving owner shares this with me at the start of a consultation. Does my paying customer really think that I am ‘poking their pet about’? I imagine that what they are trying to tell me is either “My pet will bite […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Staying slim is as important for your pet as it would be for you… “Marley is in fabulous condition!” It’s what all pet owners want to hear: that their pet is fit and healthy, and that I am going to help them make sure he stays that way. Marley is a gorgeous black Labrador, with […]
Julia’s Weekly Middy Column
Are you free next Wednesday 30th September? I’ve got a big event coming up that I would love your support with… I am getting a bit nervous now. I’ve booked the hairdresser, bought a pretty dress and written my speech, but I am still anxious. Next week I’m going to be one of the guest […]
Julia’s Weekly Middy Column
Sometimes technology really can be your best friend… I had a lovely compliment recently. My client mentioned that his cat has never seemed better since we sorted out his mouth problems. Leo is an older feline friend, and had several rotten teeth. At the practice we had recently invested in some new equipment and were […]
julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Hibernation stations… I’m a bit of a warm weather person, but living here in the UK, I have to cope with the winter. But there are some lucky creatures that get to sleep right through the cold weather. Tortoises need very special conditions to stay healthy in a UK environment, and this includes a winter […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy
Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble…for this little black cat, at least! It was Hallowe’en, and I was forcefully reminded of this, when I heard the most awful screaming approaching our door. It was Alfie, the black cat. He arrived yowling, as only a deeply distressed cat can. It was the kind of yowl that can […]
Julia’s Weekly Midsussex Column – How to protect your pets from common conditions
Our new health plans will help to protect your pets from common conditions in the Mid Sussex area These last few weeks, I have been preparing new health plans to protect your pets against common health conditions in the Sussex area. They are now ready to launch, and we are very proud of them. These […]
Julia’s Weekly Midsussex Times Column – Fly Strike and Rabbit Care
The dutiful Daddy and fly strike and rabbit care This Sunday is Father’s Day, so this week I would like to tell a story about a wonderful Dad. Thumper was supposed to be the kid’s pet. But like many kids, Thumper’s young owners had found new interests and it fell to their Dad to manage […]
Julia’s Weekly Midsussex Times Column – Hibernating Pets
Spring brings the arrival of new baby animals into the world, and also the re-emergence of hibernating pets! This time last year I was in Devon celebrating the wedding of a niece. The day after her big day, we were packing up when we were introduced to an unusual family member – a 40 year […]
Julia’s Weekly Midsussex Times Column – National Pet Month
April is National Pet Month – a great time to make sure you’re giving your pet the best care possible This week I will be up in Birmingham attending a 4 day veterinary conference – the British Small Animal Veterinary Association’s annual bash. I love going, as there are hundreds of lectures given by world […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy – Dangers of summer walks
Watch out for the dangers that summer walks can pose to your pet! Grass awns are the ripe seed heads of grasses. They only mature in fields and hedgerows that aren’t mown. They have minute hooks on their long ‘whiskers’, designed to catch onto animal fur. If a rabbit or other wild creature comes by, […]
Julia’s Weekly Column For The Middy – Zoo Vet Experiences
My early zoo vet experiences taught me a lot about the newest treatment techniques at the time “No, no! You can’t let her go just for a broken leg!” I was a naive vet student lucky enough to be supposedly observing Richard Kock, the pioneering zoo vet at Whipsnade Zoo, but instead, I was interfering. […]
Julia’s Weekly Midsussex Times Column – The Finch
Smaller pets can sometimes give us vets just as much trouble as bigger ones! Fred is gorgeous and possibly the smallest pet patient I am currently looking after: a finch. The finch weighs less than 40 grams, but you know character has entered the room each time he visits. It seemed like an easy task. […]
Julia’s Weekly column for the Middy – The hurt cat
Miracles do happen, even when it seems like the worst case scenario is inevitable You know that terrible moment when you recognise that things are really bad? I looked into hurt cat’s eye and had that feeling. He had been rushed into the Clinic by his loving owners as soon as they recognised he had […]
Julia’s Weekly Column for the Middy – Cats hide pain
Cats hide pain and they are good at it too, so make sure you get them checked over regularly for any problems or injuries! Tigger was not pleased to see me. Known as a feisty character at the Clinic, he was already giving me the eye when I opened up his travel box. “He has […]
Julia’s Midsussex Times Weekly Column – Planning a holiday with your pet
Planning ahead can help your holiday with your pet run smoothly, in more ways than one! Last week in this column I was encouraging you not to get caught out when planning your holiday with your pet in the UK. But we can now travel around the world with our pets too, if we wish. […]
Julia’s Weekly Column for the Middy – Being a Vet
Being a vet has its perks, and they’re not always what you might expect! Learn more in this weekly column At a conference last month I was amazed to bump into a Vet I used to practice with nearly 30 years ago, at a time when he was newly qualified and I was a student […]
