Medivet Video & Phone Consults
To help safeguard our clients and colleagues we are launching new ways to have a consultation for your pets.
Please contact us for further details. 📞
Stunning Sora enjoying some snuggles after being spayed and microchipped! 🐱💗
PET MOBILITY AWARENESS! 🐾
Mobility can be affected by several conditions so it’s important to recognise the signs and symptoms if your pet is having difficulty or experiencing pain. These may include...
- Difficulty self-grooming
- Overgrown nails
- Lagging behind on walks
- Sleeping more
- Discomfort when stroked
- Change in temperament (e.g. irritable, quieter...)
- Reluctant to walk, jump and play (including climbing the stairs or jumping up on seats / beds etc)
- Difficulty getting up after a snooze / rest
- Limping or differing gait to usual
Some ideas that may help your pet...
- Gentle exercise
- Non-slip mats (good for baths, slippery floors)
- Raised food and water bowls
- Comfortable / padded bedding
- Ramps or steps for the home and car
- Weight / diet control
- Dietary supplements for joint care...
Please speak to your vet if your pet displays any of these signs to make sure you receive the correct advice and care plan.
Ruby’s got that Friday feeling 🤩 be careful walking / driving in the snow today everyone! Have a lovely day ❄️💙
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With cold temperatures blowing in, roads can become quite unsafe due to snow and ice. To combat this, rock salt is used to make sure ice and snow melt away but it can be dangerous to pets if ingested.
This is particularly true and quite important for dogs that go on walks as they are the most likely to walk over gritted snow and then will come back home and lick their paws and fur clean.
How much damage is caused will depend on how much was ingested and we don’t know exactly how much of it is needed to cause signs of toxicity but even a small amount can be potentially dangerous.
If you see increased thirst, vomiting and lethargy after a walk over salt grit, bring them over as soon as possible! This might evolve to kidney and pancreatic damage so time is of the essence.
One of the best ways to prevent this and also any skin discomfort from happening is by cleaning your pet’s limbs and fur well after a walk or wash them with a mild pet-safe shampoo and some warm water.
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That moment when you come closer and closer to your dog and he or she immediately goes into “bely rub mode”!
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The simplest things often make the best toys!
This video with the kittens clearly enjoying their bath is more than just an adorable video to watch! This is also a great example of allogrooming. Allogrooming is a way of bonding during which cats groom each other while resting and curling up together. This behaviour is common between cats who are related or cats who are quite fond of each other.
Cats who are positively affiliated with each other and that belong to the same social group such as these gorgeous furballs are more likely to share litter boxes, common areas and resting spots.
Many cats live in the same house but don’t belong to same social group. These cats don’t feel as comfortable around each other and although they may not be openly aggressive towards one another, they tend to avoid each other as much as they can. This can lead to chronic stress, health problems, and to soiling and behaviour issues.
For this reason, cats should always be able to have individual access to food, water, hiding spots, resting places and the litter box, especially if they don’t belong to the same social group. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your cat’s behaviour, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment with your vet!
Toys can be a lot of fun for cats and owners alike! There are some brilliant toys on the market these days and if you are craft-inclined you can even make your own. What is your cat’s favourite toy?
Part of why owning a cat is so advantageous is because they actually come with self-cleaning cycles!
Our purring partners devote many hours a day to making sure they are impeccably well groomed. As cats grow older or have health issues that might hinder those feline high standards of coat cleanliness, they recruit us to give them a nice brushing.
Bathing though? Washing a cat with actual water can be quite hard (we’ll give all of you brave souls that attempted it a moment to wince) but there’s good news: it’s rarely required to bathe a healthy cat.
That being said though, sometimes it will be necessary. Your vet might prescribe antifungal bath for certain cases of ringworm, your feline buddy might have run into something nasty that needs to be taken off (if it’s something that might harm them, bring them to the vet first!) or your cat might have a health issue that seriously compromises their grooming and need the occasional wash.
Here are a couple of things that’s good to have in mind when trying to convince your cat that a wash is in their best interest: Fill a sink/laundry basket/tub with a few inches of warm (not hot!) water and put a towel or any surface on the floor that might increase grip, have plenty of towels on hand, use a pitcher or similar to gently wet your cat’s coat, remove the pet shampoo as thoroughly as possible and prefer towels instead of a loud, scary blow-dryer (unless they don’t mind).
If this operation seems like it’s a bit too risky, take your fabulous feline to a professional groomer with good experience with cats that stress out easily.
Image via: “The Post-Bath Cat" by Adam Meek, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (http://bit.ly/CC_BT_2-0): https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammeek/13528559735/
A short video of Acuvetpet - Your Integrative Vet, Acupuncture and more with George.
** video of teeth brushing** George now looks forward to his teeth being cleaned but it didn't start that way! George used to be scared of the toothbrush but With a combination of yummy but decent toothpaste and a owner with patience (and a fair bit of it!) will leave your dog with clean, healthier teeth, helping avoid any dental work in the near future and saving money! We offer free dental nurse clinics to help you and your pets so please get in touch if you need our help. Even the cat likes to get involved some days! *Excuse the background sounds!*
