The Behaviour Vet Nurse

11/07/2022

Great advice during these hot days☀️☀️☀️

08/02/2022

It's important to also try and understand any changes in our dogs behaviour 🐕

Changes in behaviour, refusal to walk on slippery floors, reluctance to jump in the car and maybe not wanting to walk like they used to... deliberate disobedience or perhaps something else?

If your dog has changed behaviour, maybe they have stopped wanting to do something they have always enjoyed, or maybe they arent quite their normal happy self? It is a good time to ask why they are behaving this way and seek further help. Dogs cant tell us when they are uncomfortable, we have to look for the signs! Our dogs arent being deliberatley difficult, they need our support.

Learn to look beyond the behaviour and always ask why!

Please share and hopefully we can help educate more dog owners and help even more dogs!

27/01/2022

Although we haven't posted in a while we thought this was a very important post. This programme has such a massive reach and they should be using that to educate their audience.

If your dog is doing something abnormal, consider the reasons why. They may not just be 'being a diva'...

Some phrases used on this particular episode of ‘Dogs behaving (very) badly’ where 8 year old Ruby would only get off the sofa if the rug was over the laminate flooring, and would sit down and stop on walks…

‘being a madam’

‘Controlling the diva’

‘Indulging her with rugs’

‘Thinks she’s in charge’

OR

Is this actually a dog in pain, a dog scared of slipping and hurting, a dog trying to tell everyone that she’s uncomfortable?

It’s not indulging her with a rug, it’s making sure her own home is accessible and safe for her. She’s not ‘being a diva’ and refusing to walk, she’s telling you it hurts and she’s uncomfortable.

I’m very glad that the owners realise that this dogs weight is having a significant impact on her life but there are other things that need addressing here. I have no doubt they absolutely adore their girl, that is very clear to see, but I desperately wish they had the right kind of support for Ruby, not just let’s force her to walk and walk on a floor she’s is scared

Dogs Behaving Very Badly and The Dogfather (Graham Hall)… I’m afraid the blame falls to you on this occasion. You have a massive platform with thousands of dog owners watching every episode. How about talking about signs of pain? Indicators of discomfort? When behaviours actually tell us somethings wrong? Ways to adapt houses for older dogs and those that struggle with mobility? You could educate SO MANY owners but no, it doesn’t happen. Instead we just see an uncomfortable dog being forced to walk when she doesn’t want to, and live in an environment that she is scared of.

Dogs need us to advocate for them, to realise when we need to do more and to learn the ways that they tell us something isn’t right. Owner education is the key to this and this could have been a brilliant opportunity to do just that.

20/10/2021

Wouldn't normally suggest TikTok videos were scientifically backed, but this is a great video for understanding canine body language around children.

11/10/2021

Very helpful information on what kind of attention to give your dogs during fireworks season

30/05/2021

Job available 🐾

Calling all UK based veterinary nurses!

Do you work with cats in the UK? Are you passionate about improving cat welfare? If so, we need your help!

In the leadup to the 10-year anniversary of our Cat Friendly Clinic programme, we’re looking for veterinary nurses to take part in a study to gain insight into the way cats are cared for within the veterinary clinic. As a vet nurse, we would hugely value your input into this study as we know that you have a great deal of interaction with the cats you care for each day and we would really value your feedback on your experiences.

The study is being conducted by Laura Conroy, a vet with a strong interest in behaviour, working closely with Dr Sarah Ellis, Head of Cat Advocacy at International Cat Care, and the ISFM team. The results will be published in a journal and will be used in future development and promotion of the CFC programme.

If you’d like to be involved, you’ll be asked to complete a short questionnaire at the end of each workday for 2 weeks, between 7th – 20th June, using the intuitive, user friendly Task app. This should only take a few minutes and could have a huge impact on cat welfare and help ISFM to develop the tools to support the vet profession in being as cat friendly as possible.

All participants will also be in with a chance to win a ticket to our 2022 virtual congress, as well as other International Cat Care merchandise!

If you’d like to be involved, please visit http://bit.ly/3bIOjJS to join the TASK app, learn more about the study and sign up to participate.

30/05/2021

We agree with every one of these 🐾🐕🦮🐕‍🦺🐩

25/02/2021

Walking your dog is for more than just exercise 🐾🐕

17/02/2021

“Your dog isn’t giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time.”

22/01/2021

If your dog struggles to walk well on a lead, please follow my page and keep checking back for regular video progress of my own training routine with my own spaniel 🐾🐾

Also please share my page, it costs nothing but can help a small business more than you know 💜💜

17/01/2021

So true 🐾💜🐾💜🐾

15/01/2021

11/01/2021

💜💜💜

❤️

11/01/2021

APBC "By staying safe around dogs, we direct medical resources into beating the virus. Most dog bites to children are from the family pet yet people don’t think their dog would ever bite. Research is in the process of being published that shows dog bites increased during the last lockdown - let’s help prevent this from occurring during the current lockdown by following these tips:"

We are spending much more time with our dogs as a result of lock down. Please keep in mind these keys tips to help dogs and people keep safe and happy.

06/01/2021

This is an excellent post about the pandemic of lockdown puppies. It is more from the veterinary side but I have also seen it in the behavioural side.

Although this page will be here to help with any behaviour you have with all of your dogs needs, we are seeing a greater increase in issues coming from 'lockdown puppies', so find it vital to inform potential owners.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and a healthy lockdown.

Keep checking back for some exciting news to follow from us here at The Behaviour Vet Nurse 🐾

24/12/2020

Remember what your dog needs from you this Christmas 🎄🐾

Wishing all of our community the happiest and healthiest Christmas possible

24/12/2020

Merry Christmas one and all ☃️🎄🎁

18/12/2020

Not behaviour related, but the nurse in me can't help but warn you on the dangers that can come up during Christmas 🎄🐾

Keep these Christmas dangers away from your dog! 🐶🎄🎅

09/12/2020

Good read about cats drinking habits

It's Top Tip Tuesday and today we're looking at the drinking habits of cats, specifically why they might choose to drink out of a tap or a glass when they have a perfectly good water bowl available.

A cat’s motivation to drink is not connected to hunger so many find it confusing when water bowls are provided directly adjacent to their usual feeding area.

Some cats adapt to this strange set-up relatively easily but others reject this water as unsuitable and seek other more acceptable sources.

Taps, glasses of water, vases and goldfish bowls are all potential thirst quenchers but the best option is to provide dedicated drinking vessels in alternative locations well away from your cat’s food.

Some cats also prefer running water so pet drinking fountains can be purchased as a more practical source than a constantly dripping tap

Don'y forget you can also catch up with our past Top Tips on our blog https://icatcare.org/blog/

01/12/2020

We all love to enjoy winter and the festive period - read this article to make sure we keep our pets entertained, stimulated and of course as safe as we can 🐾☺🤶🎅☃️❄🧡

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/holiday-pet-safety

29/11/2020

When you explain canine behaviour in ways humans can understand, it makes it easier to give them what they need 🐾

There are so many reasons not to let your dog run up to others, this is only one of them.

28/11/2020

For anyone concerned if they should or shouldn't neuter their cats...

In my opinion, yes you should - ESPECIALLY if they are outdoor cats 🐈

There are a few myths surrounding neutering cats, so I thought I'd debunk them for you!
⬇️⬇️⬇️🐈🐈🐈

🐾Myth 1: Female cats should be allowed to have a litter of kittens, otherwise they miss out on motherhood.

There is no evidence to support this theory and cats have no concept of what could or might have been (only humans can do this), so they won't miss out on anything because they won't know.

🐾Myth 2: Male neutered cats are more prone to developing urinary problems, such as urethral obstruction/cystitis.

Studies have shown that neutered cats are no more likely to suffer from urethral blockage than entire cats, and cats neutered early in life are also no more likely to suffer from urinary problems either.

🐾Myth 3: Early neutering of cats causes growth issues making neutered cats more prone to injury.

There's no evidence to support this. One small study of 26 cats with growth plate fractures showed most (25)were neutered, but most pet cats are neutered anyway and many of these cats were obese, making them more prone to injury in the first place.

There are many benefits of neutering cats including:

🐱Prevention of unwanted pregnancy in female cats
🐱Reduced likelihood of contracting infectious diseases such as FeLV, FIV and cat flu in both male and female cats
🐱Prevention of entire male cats roaming and becoming injured due to searching for females to mate with
🐱Reduced likelihood of male cats becoming injured from fighting over territory
🐱Reduced likelihood of unwanted behaviours such as urine spraying (male and female cats) and aggression towards humans and other cats
🐱Prevention of mammary tumours and pyometra (infected womb) in female cats
🐱Rescued cost of veterinary care

Most charities and veterinary professionals now recommend neutering cats at around 4 months of age. Speak to your veterinary team if you are not sure👍👍

Reference : Smith, N., 2011. Early neutering of cats: the risk factors and benefits. The Veterinary Nurse, 2(3), pp.121-126.

Icatcare.org. 2019. Neutering Your Cat International Cat Care. [online] Available at: [Accessed 29 October 2019].

27/11/2020

'Various types of environmental enrichment can be used to stimulate dogs mentally and physically, reducing undesirable behaviours that may result from boredom and frustration' (Garvey et al, 2016).

A great way to keep pups busy at feeding time is using a Lickimatt.

To read more about this topic see https://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:Y2pUVzcuv0EJ:scholar.google.com/&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

24/11/2020

Dogs learn to understand the world by sniffing, its how they communicate. So let a dog be a dog 🐕

Let your dogs be dogs.

22/11/2020

Watch this helpful video on how to recognise if your cat is stressed 🐈

19/11/2020

Enrichment is a great way to keep your dogs entertained, even simple things like their first time seeing snow ❄

This was my spaniels (Cali, in pink) first time experiencing snow and she loved it! Getting puppies exposed to numerous sights, sounds, smells etc when they are young is vital to creating a well rounded, confident dog.

This socialisation and exposure exercises their brain and provides mental stimulation, which is just as important as physical exercise.

Make sure you provide your puppy with many opportunities to have new experiences 🐾💜

18/11/2020

With the huge rise in puppy sales recently, it is more important than ever to do your research before buying a puppy. Checking breed standards, traits and common personality types, exercise requirements, temperaments and possible health issues of different breeds is vital to ensuring you pick a breed that is right for you and your home.

Too many puppies get rehomed or even put to sleep because owners did not do their research first, and acquired a puppy that did not fit with their lifestyle.

See Vets Now link to start you search for your new pup 🐾🐶

❗❗❗

This astonishing graph shows the huge rise in puppy prices this year.

Unfortunately, this has also led to an increase in illegal breeding and dog thefts so it's more important than ever to be vigilant when looking for a new furry family member.

Our article provides some handy advice on what to look out for when getting a new puppy: https://bit.ly/3lGtaTC 🐾

15/11/2020

Although fireworks night may be over, New Years Eve is just around the corner and now is a great chance to desensitise your pups to the sound of fireworks.

Click the link below to follow the FREE Sounds Scary programme from Dogs Trust. This programme gradually builds up your dogs exposure to loud noises, whilst teaching you how to do it in a safe, controlled way 🧡🐾

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-behaviour-health/sound-therapy-for-pets

Help make the fireworks less stressful for our pooches tonight! 🎇🐶👉 https://bit.ly/2TRAiQH

15/11/2020

Hello!

My name is Lisa and I am a Registered Veterinary Nurse based near Newcastle Upon Tyne. I am currently studying towards my Masters in Clinical Animal Behaviour at The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Medicines in Edinburgh, whilst working as a full time vet nurse.

I have a passion for educating pet owners and the public about companion animal behaviour, to help improve the welfare of pets. I believe if people understand their pets behaviour more, they will be be able to live more harmoniously together 🧡.

I have created this page to provide information about animal behaviour, tips and tricks I have learnt throughout my education and career, and advice with training techniques.

Hope you all enjoy the content 😀🐾