Cat The Vet

25/12/2025

To all my wonderful colleagues covering the next couple of days so the rest of us can enjoy the festivities.

Thank you VERY much! We all really appreciate you!

24/12/2025

Dog bites rise over the festive season.

It can be an overwhelming time for everyone, and that includes our dogs.

The chaos, the decorations, the visitors and the excitement can all put them on edge and interrupt their rest and being forced to be social can easily tip them over it.

Making sure they aren’t put in a position where they feel that they have no choice but to snap is really important and this is often as simple as making sure they aren’t put given the opportunity to have time away from the craziness.

The thing is though, they will have been letting us know that they aren’t happy a long time before they feel forced to bite, we just aren’t good at listening because they speak with their body language.

So learning how they are communicating and spotting those early messages, is really important.

This post shows the ‘Ladder of Communication’ and it is something all dog people should know.

However, with all that said, I wish you, and your family, a wonderful, peaceful and stress free Christmas Day!

23/12/2025

It isn’t always easy to know if your snow globe might contain antifreeze but there are some criteria you can use;

❄️Check the manufacturer’s website, reputable companies should disclose materials for safety compliance.

❄️Older snow globes are more likely to contain ethylene glycol, so if it is a family heirloom, be suspicious.

❄️Imported, hand blown and collectible snow globes are also more likely to contain antifreeze.

However, if your snow globe ever smashes or starts to leak, always assume it does contain toxic ingredients and wear gloves to clean up, use paper towel to absorb any liquid, dispose of everything in a sealed bag and keep pets well away until the area has been thoroughly cleared.

20/12/2025

While I understand people want to make sales on the TikTok shop, this is not only actively dangerous advice - if your dog stops eating the very last thing you should be doing is buying dental powder online 🤦🏼‍♀️ - but it is also massively misleading because the mouths pictured as the ‘before and after’ aren’t even the same dog.

If you pet is poorly, or you want advice on their care like how to look after their teeth, speak to the team at your local practice.

They will be more than happy to help you and you can be sure they know what they are talking about - unlike here.

If you see more adverts like this, let me know!

19/12/2025

Five Charities of Christmas - Day Five!

Schnauzerfest is a wonderful organisation that funds the veterinary costs for dogs in rescues all over the country.

They particularly focus on the victims of puppy farming and campaign tirelessly to raise awareness of how awful these places are and to get them shut down.

Please follow their pages and support their work, they really are brilliant!

18/12/2025

Five Charities of Christmas - Day Four!

Today we have a two for one with RSPCA (England & Wales) and Cats Protection

Two big charities that you will of heard of but often the reach and impact of organisations like this is under appreciated.

Not only do they campaign on a national level and make a real difference for animal welfare across the whole of the countries but they also support vets like me on a local basis to look after animals that come into our clinics.

The Cats Protection are amazing at funding neutering and helping us find homes for stray cats

And the best thing about the RSPCA, in my opinion, is their Inspectors and Animal Welfare Officers. These incredible humans rescue animals from the most awful conditions, often dealing with some really difficult and delicate situations to make sure they get them to safety.

So if you aren’t already, please follow these wonderful organisations!

Thank you!

https://www.rspca.org.uk

https://www.cats.org.uk/

18/12/2025

This is exceptionally well deserved!

The work Dr Lisa Freeman did on the association between grain-free diets and canine DCM was groundbreaking and will have saved many lives.

It is a huge shame some people still deny the link. Although work is still ongoing to discover a cause, the correlation is very clear.

To learn more about Diet-Associated DCM I can recommend;

These Facebook groups;

For owners - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1952593284998859

For vet professionals- https://www.facebook.com/groups/355294525012651

The FDA website; https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fdas-work-potential-causes-non-hereditary-dcm-dogs

This article by Dr Freeman; https://sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/2023/02/07/diet-associated-dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-cause-is-not-yet-known-but-it-hasnt-gone-away/

Her latest paper on the subject with references to previous studies;https://avmajournals.avma.org/downloadpdf/view/journals/ajvr/86/1/ajvr.24.07.0211.pdf

Celebrating the Breakthroughs Shaping the Future of Canine Health. Meet the 2025 Canine Health Discovery Award Finalists.

17/12/2025

The Five Charities of Christmas - Day Three!

Did you know that when our official service animals retire, there is no official support for their veterinary care?

Which is where the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals - NFRSA comes in!

They ensure that the families of these wonderful animals have the safety net they need if their pets become poorly.

Please give the NFRSA a follow, share their posts and donate if you are able.

Thank you!

https://www.nfrsa.org.uk/

17/12/2025

What human procedure do vets think they could perform in an emergency situation?!

16/12/2025

Day Two of the Five Charities of Christmas!

The South Yorkshire English Springer Spaniel Rescue are amazing and I feel very fortunate to be a small part of their team.

They take in stray spaniel dogs, (and some other breeds!), assess their needs and behaviour, sort out everything to ensure they are healthy and well and then find them safe, loving forever homes.

Please give their page a follow, share some of their stories and if you can afford to donate to their work, that would be wonderful!

Thank you!

https://www.syessr.org.uk

15/12/2025

The Five Charities Of Christmas - Day One!

Street Paws are an amazing organisation providing real and lasting support to the pets of people who are vulnerabley housed, homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Not only do they fund veterinary care but the work with shelters and housing associations to help them to support the needs of pet owners in their care and mean they are provided with safe and suitable accommodation.

Because a pet should never be a barrier to a safe home. ❤️

Please follow their pages, share and like their posts and if you can donate towards their work, that would be amazing.

Thank you!

https://streetpaws.org.uk/

28/11/2025

Did you know that your dog is more likely to get into trouble eating raisin-based food than chocolate?

This is according to the latest Petplan UK claim figures for 2025 and with Christmas about to kick off, that is probably going to get worse not better!

They have already paid out nearly £2 million this year for pet poisonings, with nearly 50% more claims for grapes and raisins than chocolate!

If your pet does manage to pinch something they shouldn’t over the festive season, my top three tips are;

🐶 Don’t try to make them sick at home. This can be potentially very dangerous and will only cause a delay in getting them the help they need.

🐶 Get them to your vet as soon as you can, the less time things are in their system, the better

🐶 Take the packaging of what they have eaten with you if you have it, especially if it is chocolate,. Knowing the ingredient volumes is very helpful for us in determining how concerned we should be.

For more information and advice on how to help keep your pets happy and healthy this winter, head to https://www.petplan.co.uk/pet-insurance/pet-care-and-advice.html