Robb Veterinary Clinic

20/11/2024

Five (yes five, look harder at the second one!) ticks removed from a cats neck this morning - proof that they are still active at this time of year, though they will be having a hard time in the cold over the past few days.

The two proven methods for preventing tickborne diseases are to use preventative treatment on your pets, to kill ticks that do jump on your pet, or to check your pets daily for ticks and remove them if found.

Though looking at the size of the tiniest tick, it can be difficult to find the tiny ones among all the fur!

14/10/2024

A few of our vets (and Rory the cat!) got together at the weekend to carve some pumpkins. Which one is your favourite?

30/09/2024

Remember that all keepers of outdoor birds in Scotland must now register their flocks on the Scottish Kept Bird Register which can be found here:

https://keptbirdregister.service.gov.scot/

This includes ducks, geese, chickens, birds of prey and others and applies even if you only have one bird.

18/09/2024

A wee note that we will be extending the notice required for repeat prescriptions from 1st October, to 48 hours. This includes flea/worm tablet requests.

This is because the vets have to check everything before it goes out and it's been a bit chaotic recently trying to get everything checked on time between consults!

We thank you for your understanding on this matter.

01/07/2024

If you own an XL Bully, don't forget to apply for an exemption before 31st July. After this date the only way to get your pet exempted will be to go through the courts.

The Certificate of Exemption deadline is fast approaching for XL Bully owners in Scotland 📢

There is just one month to go to apply for your Certificate of Exemption, with 31 July as the final deadline to apply online. You can apply by post until 15 July.

Find out more here: http://pdsa.me/QQRg

[Visual description: Infographic about XL Bullies in Scotland and the Certificate of Exemption. Text is on a burgundy background and there are faint paw prints, a loud haler emoji and Scottish flag. The information reads: If you have an XL Bully, you must apply for a Certificate of Exemption by 31 July 2024. Without one, you will be breaking the law and could be convicted of a crime. To get a Certificate of Exemption for your XL Bully, you’ll need to: Ensure your dog is microchipped, have your dog neutered by 31 January 2025 or for younger dogs, within one month of them turning 18 months old, have third party liability insurance for your XL Bully and pay the application fee of £92.40. You can apply online or by post from 1 April 2024. You have until 31 July 2024 to apply online or until 15 July 2024 to apply by post. We recommend sending postal applications by recorded delivery.]

28/06/2024

The updated guidance for heatstroke in dogs (and horses and people!): get them wet then to the vet.

If you think your dog might have heatstroke, pour water on them until they are soaked- any temperature is fine, as long as it is colder than your pet - then get them to the practice in a car with air con or the windows open.

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

12/04/2024

If you own an XL Bully in Scotland, the time to get going and register your dog has arrived.

You must apply for an exemption by 31st July in order to keep your dog. You will need to have them microchipped (they should be chipped already under current legislation) and neutered (by certain dates in 2025), and have Third Party Liability insurance as a minimum.

The cost for Exemption will be £92.40.

You can check out the Scottish guidance to check if your dog is an XL Bully here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/applying-xl-bully-breed-type-conformation-standard-scotland/pages/1/

Information about the exemption process is here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/xl-bully-dog-rules/pages/what-you-need-to-apply-for-an-exemption/

Photo by Vecteezy: https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/bully-dog

25/03/2024

From 1st September any bird owners of birds kept outside (including pigeons, ducks and chickens) will need to register their birds online on the Scottish Kept Bird Register, even if they are already on the GB Poultry Register. The information will need to be updated annually.

The Register is not live yet but the information can be found here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu/pages/register-your-birds/

17/03/2024

Pet Insurance: The Basics!

Pet health insurance isn’t like most insurance people deal with regularly. You can’t shop around every year and switch to the cheapest option, as any problem your pet has had previously will be excluded from future cover. So you need to pick well when you first get a policy for your pet!

Types of policy
Pet insurance typically comes in 3 types: Lifetime Cover, Time Limited or Amount Limited. Lifetime cover is generally recommended as this will continue for the life of your pet. Time Limited policies will usually stop paying out after a certain period of time, typically a year, and Amount Limited will stop paying out once that amount has been reached. We usually advise lifetime policies as being the best, if most expensive option. The other two are better than nothing if lifetime cover is unaffordable.

Level of cover
How much cover do you need? We suggest £4000-6000 for a cat or small dog and up to £10000 for a large dog. There can be vet bills higher than this, but these levels would cover most things.

Excesses
Every policy will have an excess. Typically you pay up to the excess amount for each new condition, then the insurance will kick in for anything over this amount. Usually an excess is due per condition per year, so if your pet has a chronic condition there will be a new excess for this condition every year.

Too good to be true
When you are looking about, look at reviews both positive and negative. Generally if a policy looks much cheaper than other, check the small print - there’s usually a reason for this.

Going up every year
In contrast to e.g. car or house insurance, your pet insurance will generally rise every year. This is NORMAL and based on the fact that your pet is more likely to need veterinary attention the older they get.

Basically: you can't shop around at renewal every year, it will go up as your pet gets older, and if it looks too good to be trued then it usually is.

23/02/2024

A reminder that today the new laws about owning an XL Bully in Scotland come into force. This means that, amongst other things, your XL must be on a lead and muzzled while in public spaces. This includes your car and in the vet practice buildings.

It's also now against the law to buy, sell, rehome or give away an XL.

See the guidelines here:

Rules you must follow if you own an XL Bully dog in Scotland.

02/02/2024

New update regarding XL Bullies in Scotland. Pending parliament approval, after 23rd February all XLs must be muzzled in a public place - this includes the practice buildings and grounds.

Selling, gifting or exchanging the dogs will also be banned.

Owners will need to apply for an exemption certificate before July 31st.

The definition for what constitutes an XL bully is the same as in DEFRAs guidelines. There is a link to these on the page below.

Note it is NOT our role to tell you if your dog is an XL or not. If you think your dog may fit the DEFRA guidelines, it is up to you to follow the steps required to get an exemption.

Owners urged to prepare for changes.

23/12/2023

Happy Christmas one and all. We are now closed until Wednesday but our Emergency Vets are working all through Christmas to deal with any emergencies !

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all though the land,
Vets teams were ready to give pets a hand,
Dogs, rabbits, hamsters, horses and cats,
All often suffer with festive mishaps!

Like the greedy old doggo who ate all the mince pies,
but they are not good for their insides!
Same goes for the stollen, the cake and the pudding,
It’s raisins that can give the kidneys a drubbing!

The next festive treat that gives us a fright,
is the chocolate, so please keep your snacks locked up tight!
The dark stuff’s the one that’s the worst of them all,
if your pooch pinches a prezzie, please give us all call!

First we will make them do great smelling vomit,
then medicines to help them, don’t worry, we’re on it!
And the puss, who climbs up and then pulls down the tree?
(it looks like a giant cat toy, you see!)

Don’t panic, we’re there to put them back together!
Your vets are available, whatever the weather!
In fact all the baubles, lights, decorations,
are enough to give your vet palpitations!

They look like fun stuff, just right to play with,
but if they are eaten, cause all sorts of mischief!
And sharing the dinner seems like a great idea,
but not the next day, when they have sickness and diarrhoea!

So this festive season to keep your pets out of trouble
(and stop you from rushing to the vets on the double!)
Please keep them away from the gifts and food,
but you can certainly treat them if you’re in the mood!

With presents and stockings made just for pets,
which surely for them is as good as it gets!
So I will wish you a very happy Christmas 2023
and hope that your new year is all you wish it to be!

Happy Christmas everyone! And thank you very much to my colleagues who will be covering the on-call this year.