Fernside Vet

23/08/2024

It is really sad that in the desire to have a 'special ' pet that visually weird, but structurally deformed cats have ever been bred. We hoped that these freaks would never be accepted in the UK, however this statement from cat specialists indicates they are here. NEVER get one

Please see our below position statement, as part of The Cat Group, on ‘Bully’ and ‘Dwelf’ cats.

The Cat Group is a collection of professional organisations dedicated to feline welfare through joint campaigns and collaborative research, making expert recommendations on the care and keeping of all cats.

The Cat Group is very concerned about the breeding and promotion of so-called ‘Bully’ or ‘Dwelf’ cats.
We are completely opposed to the breeding of cats with extreme physical characteristics that negatively impact on their welfare and quality of life.

‘Bully’ and ‘Dwelf’ cats suffer from physical deformities, including hairlessness and distorted limbs, among other defects. Breeding for deformity is unethical and causes unacceptable pain and suffering. These defects, particularly limb deformities (short, bowed legs) and abnormal joints are painful and restrict mobility, thus preventing these cats from carrying out normal behaviours essential for their welfare and their ability to live a good quality of life.

The Cat Group strongly urges breeders to cease breeding ‘Bully’ or ‘Dwelf’ cats. These cats should not be promoted in any way, for example through social media, or by their presence at cat shows.

We ask the public not to buy these cats under any circumstances; doing so is irresponsible as it promotes popularity and leads to more cats with these issues being born to suffer.

More information about the health issues affecting ‘Bully’ and ‘Dwelf’ cats is available on the iCatCare website
https://icatcare.org/advice/dwelf/?fbclid=IwAR0WJl3yNt7wFWIfMThOxP44oPkPwzKR_oPTaptKbQUM6b-9NtZoEDNeTt8

21/08/2024

Robyn is hobbling around thanks to falling off her horse last week. Nothing serious, just some bruising, so no one needs to worry. Norman is an okayish support at home as dog walking is also out and he does not think this is a good thing. He recently had his professional portrait taken as he is now a 10 yr old and Robyn wants pictures of him looking at his best. He looks very alert in the photo because liver treats in a plastic bag are very tempting. At the studio he climbed onto the coffee table provided for posing as though it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

She is on enforced rest outside her usual work at Fernside so there is more time to do some FB posts . Any suggestions about posts she could do? Also we know that we have at least one excellent pet portrait photographer locally ( Natalie Greenbank) , please post some more recommendations.

20/08/2024

Ticks close up! The little lime green plastic hooks are the best device for removing ticks off your pet. We have them available at reception, the pack costs around £5 and they last for years. We find the different sizes helpful as some nymph stage ticks are really small e g size of a ball point pen tip. Tweezers, alcohol or burning really don't give good results. Tick insecticides take 24 to 48hrs to kill a tick so there is no sudden disappearance of ticks unlike flea control products. Ticks are embedded into the skin as they have to stay very secure to suck blood!
If you plan to go on an outdoor holiday with your dog do ensure that you choose a product that is effective against ticks as not all do. The marketing departments of the parasite control medications have tended to rely on pictures of ticks on the boxes, rather than simply writing tick cover included This is a bit irritating if you don't know what a tick looks like.

20/08/2024

We have had quite a good summer so far controlling creepy crawlies on dogs and cats. Fleas especially like cats and owners with 3 or more have the toughest time keeping them at bay. Just one cat who brings them into a household full of other cats is creating a feast for fleas. They feed on blood by biting the skin and must be delighted when there are plenty of cats around ready to support their lifestyle. The main source of more fleas is the flea eggs on furniture

We are expecting to see more ticks on dogs as people like to do more field walks on holidays and as the weather cools. The main sources of ticks are pastures where sheep, cattle and deer graze. Attached is some Kennel Club info.

We will do another post showing a tick on one of our patients. Owners often mistake a single tick for a warty growth and vice versa NB tumors don't ever have 8 little legs. The risk of getting Lyme disease is pretty low around our area and we are yet to see a case. We do often see a little sore where ticks have been rubbed off by a pet or incompletely removed by an owner. Never panic as they don't 'regrow inside' and the little swelling tends to settle nicely in a few days with very little treatment.

Once a tick has had a good feed from the animal's blood it naturally falls off the pet. We find the sight of ticks so alarming , and they can be uncomfortable in large numbers, that we either kill them using medication or use a tick hook.

Ticks are small creatures that are closely related to spiders and can be predominantly found lurking in grassy areas, such as fields and meadows.

17/08/2024

🐈‍⬛ Have you noticed your black cat can look a bit different in the sunlight? ☀️ Some black cats have fur that can turn a lighter rusty shade when exposed to the sun, much the same way you might notice your own hair getting lighter during summer. 🧬 Even with a dominant black colour gene, a recessive gene can lead to a slight tint in your black cat’s fur. You may also notice that a subtle tabby pattern appears too! This is also a dominant pattern in cats so it could poke through if the tabby gene isn’t totally suppressed.

Show some love for these mini house panthers, shadows, voids and tuxedo cats by sharing a photo in the comments! 🖤 📸👇

17/08/2024

Just because your pet is eating, doesn't mean there is no dental pain!

Dental disease is one of the most common health problems experienced by dogs but often remains unrecognised by owners as a major welfare issue.

Vet Compass found in dogs that:

➡️One in every 8 dogs (12.5%) overall suffers from dental disease every year.
➡️Eighteen breeds showed increased risk of dental disease compared with crossbred dogs. The breeds with the highest risk included Toy Poodle (x 3.97), King Charles Spaniel (x 2.63), Greyhound (x 2.58) and Cavalier King Charles spaniel (x 2.39).
➡️Four breeds showed reduced risk of dental disease compared with crossbred dogs: German Shepherd Dog (x 0.25), French Bulldog (x 0.43), Staffordshire Bull Terrier (x 0.45) and Labrador Retriever (x 0.49).
➡️Flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds overall had 1.25 times the risk of dental disease compared with breeds with medium-length (mesocephalic) skulls.
➡️Spaniel breeds overall had 1.63 times the risk of dental disease compared with non-spaniel breeds.
➡️Smaller dogs were at had greater risk of dental disease.
➡️Aging was strongly associated with increased risk of dental disease.

Furthermore, Vet Compass also found that Periodontal disease is the most commonly diagnosed disease in UK cats.

➡️The study found 15.2% of cats are diagnosed annually (estimated 1.8 million cats affected every year in the UK), with many more likely going undiagnosed.

Periodontal disease causes a range of oral health issues, including gum inflammation, attachment loss of the structures supporting the teeth, tooth mobility, and pain. The early stages include gingivitis (gum inflammation) which can be reversed with good oral health treatment. However, if left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis (end stage gum disease) which is very difficult to resolve and can lead to teeth loss.

16/07/2024

Here we have the Fernside vaccination cover photo winners! The new cards should arrive in around a month
We couldn't chose just one so we went for collages. Thank you so much for such lovely pictures, it was very difficult narrowing the choices down.

11/07/2024

➡️ Why are we importing thousands of animals into the UK because we want them to have mutilations that impact their mental and physical health and welfare?

Ear cropping is illegal in England and Wales, under Section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and Northern Irish and Scottish equivalents ban the practice unless medically indicated. Furthermore, ear cropping of dogs is a prohibited surgical operation in all European states that have ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (Council of Europe 1987).

Despite these figures released in February 2022, show a 621% increase in the number of reports of ear cropping raised with the RSPCA (England & Wales).

Disappointingly in the 2024 PDSA PAW report, 9% of owners who got their pet from abroad did so because they wanted a dog with cropped ears, docked tail or in one case a dog that was debarked (it's vocal chords severed).

➡️ This is horrifying

People cite injury and ear infection for a reason to crop - as well as status and aesthetics. There is no evidence to back up their claims - ear cropping can be physiologically and psychologically damaging.

Furthermore, a percentage of cat owners chose to import because they wanted a declawed cat. This is astonishing. Cats need to have the ability to express their natural behaviours, and not undergo a unnecessary procedure for our convenience, removing the claw and first phalangeal joint, leaving them exposed to long term pain.

This needs to stop.

Read more about ear cropping in The Skeptic

https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2023/03/time-to-drop-the-crop-why-cutting-off-the-tips-of-dogs-ears-is-never-right/

09/07/2024

Dog Bite Awareness

Report videos like this, educate yourself and your children on respecting dogs, giving them space and reading body language.

➡️ Animal videos on social media can be cute, but veterinary and behaviour professionals regularly see some that are described as adorable when in fact they fill us with anxiety to see!

➡️Reading a dogs body language can be difficult, but it's important to teach all the family how to pick up signs of a stressed, upset or agitated dog, especially children. Dogs usually tell us MANY times before they bite but often in a very subtle way.

➡️Everyone has their bad days, and we must not push our canine companions to the brink of their patience by failing to recognise telltale signs that the situation they are in makes them uncomfortable.

➡️Every dog is individual, some climb the ladder of communication/reaction (see picture in comments) quickly, others will be telling us for a LONG time that they are unhappy and are uncomfortable with the situation before they are pushed to react.

➡️ Veterinary professionals come across many people who tells us the dog has bitten without any warning, but the likelihood is (although not in every case) that the dog was telling us and we just didnt know how to listen and we know it can be very hard, which is why we want to educate.

Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors - APBC stated:

➡️Dog behaviour expert Dr Carri Westgarth, from the University of Liverpool, said: "It is important to remember that any dog can bite regardless of how well you know the dog, and most bites will occur in the owner's home.

"...We should ensure that we give dogs their own safe space to be alone, give them plenty of exercise and mental stimulation, and when your dog wants to be left alone - leave them be.

"Dog bites to children can be very severe so ensure that you observe children and dogs closely and intervene when necessary.

"Dogs do not want to bite you, it is a last resort response for them, so watch out for any warning signs of them being uncomfortable in a situation and remove yourselves, or them, from it."

Every dog is individual but some signs are:

➡️Licking lips?
➡️Yawning?
➡️Whale eye?
➡️Frozen?
➡️Crouching?
➡️Tense?
➡️Rolling on back?
➡️Ears back?
➡️Panting?
➡️Turning away?

It may save a life, a child or the dogs!

Listen to our Podcast on how to recognise the signs a dog is uncomfortable and may be about to bite
Dog Bites - Is It All A Big Misunderstanding?⬇️
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/veterinary-voices/episodes/Dog-Bites---Is-It-All-A-Big-Misunderstanding-e2g0766/a-aavthnv

06/07/2024

We have pictured young Luna before. Here she is demonstrating how careful exposure to the world raises a lovely confident dog. Luna is a Daxy cross Jack Russell and we predicted with this breeding and tiny puppy behaviour for her to be more likely to be slightly timid and a yapper if alarmed. Maureen has taken her to puppy classes, brings her to us monthly for check overs and takes her out to meet people and nice dogs. Luna is now way, way more confident and this stands her a much better chance of coping well with life's ups and downs.

05/07/2024

It is Shenley fete this Sunday. Dog show time!! We have lots of lovely rosettes. Robyn is judging again

05/07/2024

We have learnt a lot about the importance of a dog having well functioning nostril space at Fernside. For years we have often operated on dogs with flat faces and tight nostrils at the time of neutering. It is a short procedure and we find immediately ie even as they wake up from the general anaesthetic, that they breathe more quietly and with less effort than a comparable dog with narrow nose openings. Pictured here is pug Olive who had her nose job when we spayed her. Her proud owner told us how athletic she is and that people remark that she doesn't make all the rough noisy breathing of other pugs. The before and after pictures are not actually of Olive, but as many of our owners know we like to take pictures before, after one side and then post op so they can really appreciate what a difference it makes .

04/07/2024

While our patients are presenting their best looks to win the chance to be our vaccine cover stars, Norman has been off enjoying some therapy. Norman is now 10 and a half years old and is showing a few 'middle aged' niggles. Sadly he is not as springy any more. For a long time we have been recommending Sharon Winkler, an osteopath based in Hatfield, for dog aches and pains. Robyn has followed her own advice and took Norman to her today for an assessment. He only has minor lumbar spine stiffness thankfully, but a little skillful massage gave him a lovely snooze and he stretched magnificently afterwards. He is going to have four sessions to get him in better athletic shape to help him stride into the end of 2024.

03/07/2024

SCAM ALERT!!
A fake page has been posting comments on our "vaccine card competition" post.
We have tried to block it all we can.
Please don’t click on ANY links!
We will not ask you to go to a website or ask for any information if you are a winner. We will contact you directly.
Sorry for any inconvenience!

03/07/2024

Competition time!
The time has come around again for us to update our vaccine cards!
Please send us your good quality photos of your cat or dog and we will pick a winner next week to feature on the front of our cards.
The photo that Robyn took of Isabelle’s lurchers Margot and Mason won't make the cut as no staff pets allowed!

29/06/2024

This Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW), Burgess Pet Care deputy MD and in-house vet Dr Suzanne Moyes shares her top tips that all owners should be aware of when it comes to helping their rabbits cope with the heat.

29/06/2024

⏳ Just a week to go before our Pet First Aid event - have you booked your place yet?
🐕🐈 Want to know how to help your pet in an emergency?
Our amazing emergency and critical care clinicians will be sharing how to best manage common pet accident risks and what first aid options are best for your pet.
🆘 Pet First Aid Evening - £12 per person (ages 16+ years only)
📅 4th July 2024
📍 RVC Hawkshead Campus (near Potters Bar, Herts)
➡️ https://rvc.uk.com/pet-first-aid-event-Jul-2024

29/06/2024

29/06/2024

☀️ Applications are closing soon for the residential Farm Veterinary Summer School intended for UK students aged 16-19 years old who are considering a career in veterinary medicine. The course is run by three farm vets from the Royal Veterinary College and supported by two student ambassadors and is based at Sparsholt College, Wi******er.

📅 11th - 16th August
⏲️ Applications close this Sunday (30th June)

➡️ See criteria and apply: https://rvc.uk.com/farm-veterinary-summer-school

27/06/2024

Is it true that if we use cold water on heat stroke pets they will go into shock?

One of the most common things we still hear is that we can only use tepid water on a pet with heat stroke, incase they get some complications like hypothermic overshoot, peripheral vasoconstriction hindering a cooling response, and cardiogenic shock...

We have heard not to use cold water in case it causes shock... this rarely happens!

But guess what? In a recent study over 26% of dogs presented with heat stroke died, with flat faced breeds making up nearly half of heat stroke cases seen in the study.

You should:

💧Get someone to call the local veterinary practice and tell them you're going to travel down with a heat stroke patient
💧Pour, hose or if possible immerse the pet in very cold water (this should obviously be done under constant supervision, ensuring the head is fully above water and immersion should not be attempted if the animal is too large, or you are unable to do so without hurting yourself)
💧NB: If using a hose pipe, make sure it has run through until cold, as they can often contain water that is extremely hot in the tubing initially
💧Do not drape in towels and leave them in situ. Keep the cold water flowing.
💧Move to a cool, shaded area
💧Prepare to transport to vets in a cold, air conditioned car

In studies they found that:

🌅International consensus from sports medicine organisations supports treating EHS with early rapid cooling by immersing the casualty in cold water.
🌅Ice-water immersion has been shown to be highly effective in exertional heat stroke, with a zero fatality rate in large case series of younger, fit patients.
🌅Hyperthermic individuals were cooled twice as fast by Cold Water Immersion as by passive recovery.
🌅No complications occurred during the treatment of three older patients with severe heat stroke were treated with cold‐water immersion.
🌅Cold water immersion (CWI) is the preferred cooling modality in EHS guidelines and the optimal method applicable to UK Service Personnel
🌅Studies suggest using either ice-water or cold-water immersion

The best intervention is PREVENTION, but if you find yourself with an animal with heat stroke, using cold water either by pouring, hosing or ideally (if safe) immersion then this may help reduce their temperature to safe levels while you transport to a veterinary practice.

Read more below:

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid

20/06/2024

08/06/2024

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have shared a reminder for the XL Bully neutering deadline.

See below post by Defra 👇

💬 If your dog was 12 months or older on 31 January 2024 it must be neutered by 30 June 2024.

If your dog isn’t neutered yet, speak to your vet to arrange this. Booking soon will avoid the risk of not getting an appointment before the deadline.

It will also help you plan for the costs involved.

Once your dog is neutered, you need to send a completed confirmation of neutering form to Defra.

Don’t risk being prosecuted and having your dog seized.

Read more: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ban-on-xl-bully-dogs

Note from us here at Veterinary Voices UK Public Page

➡️ If you have any concerns about the cost of neutering, please do not delay! Contact your veterinary practice as soon as possible.

There are schemes that we can try to use to help towards the costs, but we need to apply ASAP.

✅ https://www.battersea.org.uk/about-us/press/press-releases/charities-xl-bully-neutering-scheme

✅ https://www.bluecross.org.uk/veterinary-care-fund

02/06/2024

"Pet abduction" law in England and Northern Ireland pushed through on the final day of Parliament.

01/06/2024

such as Siamese, Birmans, Ragdolls, and Burmese have colour-changing fur? Temperature and genetics! 🌡️🧬 The darker markings around the eyes, feet and tail are called ‘points’ and can come in different colours like seal, lilac and flame points, for example. These iconic colour points are the result of a genetic mutation, known as the Himalayan gene, which gives these felines temperature-sensitive fur.

When they are born, the kittens are usually pale all over because the womb has kept them at a cat’s normal body temperature. As they grow over the next few weeks and their extremities begin to cool, the gene is activated and the darker colours start to become visible.

The Himalayan gene is also responsible for many of these cats having blue eyes.

01/06/2024

We don't do many caesareans on cats as they are usually very efficient at giving birth. A couple of weeks ago we operated on Bambi.
Normal pregnancy length in cats is around 63 to 68 days ie 9 weeks. Bambi had been showing signs of starting labour the day before, but there was no sign of kittens so she was brought into Fernside on day 69. The heart rate of the kittens is a huge factor determining how critical the conditions of the unborn are. When the oxygen supply to the kittens though the placenta gets low their heart rates slip down. This is a protective response as less energy will be spent by the kittens' bodies , but too low and that is the end. Bambi's kittens hearts to our relief were beating , but getting down to 150 per minute whereas we want them up over 180. A caesarean was essential.

We operated with success. Everyone helps with caesareans and it is lovely getting our receptionists involved as well helping the nurses revive the newborns. The kittens were very weak, only one showed much movement and it was worrying in theatre to not hear any kitten squawking from next door. We had an infra red lamp and heated pads ready as we want an air temperature of around 28 to 30 degrees. With the mother's body temperature of 38 degrees you can see how even into a hot room this is a big drop for the newborns. The Fernside team gently rubbed and dried the kittens and gave them oxygen. The kittens were all very weak and we worried briefly that poor Bambi might not be taking any of her babies home. Sadly, though not unexpectedly, they did not all make it. It is very common for one or two kittens in a big litter to be born dead or soon after in even healthy births. Nevertheless Bambi had 3 kittens suckling about an hour after her recovery.

She proved an excellent mother from the start. This isn't always the case as some can be so confused by everything that they reject the kittens.
Bambi went home that afternoon after a good meal for herself and with the kittens suckling well. They have all thrived. One of the ways that we measure progress on kittens and puppies is to have them weighed every day. The little one on the kitchen scales is 3 days old.

01/06/2024

With more individuals having to get to grips with muzzles due to the XL Bully legislation, we think it's an important reminder that we should NOT be using closed mouth muzzles to walk dogs. They MUST be able to pant or they risk heat stroke, especially as the weather gets warmer.

If you need a bite proof muzzle, that also allows dogs to pants, look at communities such as The Muzzle Movement, The Muzzle Up Project and The Bully Boardroom - Public Page for help and support.

Does Muzzle Mean Trouble?

❌No!

➡️Muzzles are an essential piece of equipment in in the dog behaviour world.

➡️A properly fitted muzzle can allow people to safely exercise and socialise their dogs in a safer environment.

➡️Sadly dogs wearing muzzles are subject to judgment.

➡️There are a number of reasons dogs need to wear a muzzle, and none of them mean you have a bad dog! What we do have is a dog that is experiencing the world and an owner who has safe control of their pet.

✅Muzzle training should always be a very positive experience so the muzzle becomes associated with enjoyable experiences like walks, socialising, activities off lead exercise for example. Training may be a slow process but is worthwhile to allow your pet to safely navigate their environment.

➡️There are a number of reasons why a dog may be wearing a muzzle. If you see a dog wearing one:

✅ Recall your dog in case the dog is fear reactive or dog reactive

✅ Communicate with the owner.

🗨️"Hello, how are you? Is your dog okay with my dog or would you like me to move further away?"

In many instances you may help reduce the anxiety of a fear reactive dogs owner who can then safely pass without worrying about unexpected confrontation.
You may also learn that their dog is perfectly fine with dogs and would love to play, and they are wearing the muzzle for other reasons.

These reasons can be:

✅Behaviour
Some dogs need a muzzle to safely exercise in public because they may be reactive of aggressive in certain circumstances. An owner walking a muzzled dog is taking excellent care to provide for their welfare needs to enjoy natural behaviour while still considering the safety of others.

✅ Dogs that scavenge on walks.
This could result in the dangerous ingestion of mouldy foods, or other dangerous objects like stones, large pieces of wood or rubbish and litter left around (P.s please bin your litter!!)

✅ Dogs that are on a medical elimination diet and are not allowed to eat anything else to check for food allergies

✅ Dogs with medical issues like pancreatitis meaning scavenging high fat treats could cause a nasty flare up. Or dogs with diabetes that need to stop grabbing sneaky treats on walks to help control their blood glucose levels.

✅ Dogs who have a high prey drive and may try to catch little animals or even nip other smaller dogs on walks

✅ Dogs that's are perfectly lovely but have been put under restrictions by Breed Specific Legislation like a Pit Bull Terrier or XL Bully.

Post Pictures of your happy muzzled dog✅🐾💞

31/05/2024

Super sweet puppy Mabel has just been to see us as the last patient of the day. She got to relax with us all and loved a treat. Mabel is a working labrador though perhaps hard working is not going to be her style. We hope she will enjoy getting out to meet the rest of the world next week

30/05/2024

☀️ Applications are now open for the residential Farm Veterinary Summer School intended for UK students aged 16-19 years old who are considering a career in veterinary medicine. The course is run by three farm vets from the Royal Veterinary College and supported by two student ambassadors and is based at Sparsholt College, Wi******er.

📅 11th - 16th August
⏲️ Applications close 30th June

➡️ See criteria and apply: https://rvc.uk.com/farm-veterinary-summer-school

23/05/2024

We do the pocket technique at Fernside as we really don't want to increase the risk of lifelong dry eyes for dogs.

Recently, Veterinary Voices UK contacted the British Association of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (BrAVO) regarding their stance on excising (removing) the nictitans gland under sedation, after a number of the community raised concerns about cases they were seeing of dogs with long term issues associated with the removal of the gland, typically under sedation.

The BrAVO committee is very concerned regarding the practice of the removal of the pr*****ed tear glands (‘cherry eye’) of the third eyelid, rather than surgical repositioning of the pr*****ed tear gland. Whilst there is no published data proving that third eyelid gland excision leads to keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), it seems very likely that by removing up to 50% of the tear producing capability, in a breed of dog already predisposed to KCS, that dry eye will develop. Another point to consider is that anecdotally these iatrogenic KCS cases seem less responsive to standard lacrimogenic treatments.

The excision procedure (typically done conscious following the application of topical local anaesthetic solution) is often carried out at breeder-led fertility clinics when the dogs are very young puppies. In our experience, the new owners are not made aware that this has been done to their pet or of the potential future consequences associated with excision of the tear gland i.e. medically refractive keratoconjunctivitis sicca and associated sequelae.

In summary, we would strongly advise against excising pr*****ed tear glands of the third eyelid, especially in brachycephalic breeds, unless there was absolutely no other option. Surgical repositioning of the gland poses a better solution, albeit is not guaranteed to be successful.

In a situation where the tear gland must be excised, the owner should be made aware of the potential consequences of the procedure and should give fully informed written consent.

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cherry-eye-vvuk-and-bravo-position