24/11/2007 by Arielle.

There are some days when I work and see so many really pleasant pets and their equally pleasant owners. For example; I had an enormous Leonberger in today. It is a breed we do not see often and Toby is such a fine specimen. Amazingly we managed to get him onto our scale at work to weigh him. He tipped the scales at 78kgs. This quite worried me as he really looks enormous and I weigh just a few kilograms less than him. All his fluffy fur must make him look bigger than he is .I am making a mental note here to myself as I write this, that I really do need to lose some weight before Christmas! He suffers from hypothyroidism and needed a blood test today as he is on a high dose of the medication Forthyron. Regular blood tests are needed to ensure that his levels of the hormone thyroxine stay in the normal range. Hypothyroidism, as in humans, makes it very hard for a pet to lose weight and Toby had lost quite a bit of weight since starting his Forthyron treatment. He dragged me through to the back for his blood test and was a star patient -  holding up his arm to have the blood taken from his vein. He is apparently used as a therapy dog for children in hospitals. What a lovely dog and a fitting end to a good day.

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20/11/2007 by Arielle.

My son has another bout of winter ear infection. After a trip to our local GP, I just had to smile at the differences between the fitness of doctors and that of vets. I have a huge amount of respect for doctors. They get to see us at our worst – ill and moaning. (I suppose we get to see pets at their worst too – frightened and sore!)

Anyway, our local GP sat in her room whilst the receptionist called us through. She then listened to my son’s complaint and stood up momentarily to look in his ear. She seated herself down again in front of the computer and printed out a prescription which the pharmacist prepared for me. We said goodbye and the next patient was called through as she stayed in her seat.

As a vet; a full day working means 8 hours quite literally on your feet. I always call the patient through (although when I had to call Sam Sidebottom through last week, I chose just to call Sam and not use the owner’s name!). I then help the owner lift their pet onto the table and every clinical is done standing up or bending over large dogs. I will sit to write up each patient but then it is a quick rush to the pharmacy for me to get the tablets needed before calling the next patient through. No wonder I get home exhausted.

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14/11/2007 by Arielle.

Poor Slick - our 1 year old Labrador cross has an allergy to house dust mites. I am very reluctant to give her cortisone as she is so young; anti-histamines and chinese herbs (Phytopica) had no effect and she has been having efavet tablets daily for over a month. These contain all the essential oils for skin and are very pricey. As you can see from the photo, she is still so itchy that she scratches herself constantly and has a bald belly.

We went for the expensive tests to find out what she is allergic to. Thankfully she is insured. A small vial of the house dust mite allergen arrived a few weeks ago and once a week, I give her a tiny injection to hopefully densensitise her. She hides under the sofa now when she sees me with my little insulin syringe!

I was so excited today to buy a new hoover. (These small things that make one happy!!). Our old hoover was not very strong so I have bought an expensive german one called a Sebo that is allergy specific - I hope it works. My daughter and I have washed out the old one  -  a trusty Vax which just was not powerful enough. I will now list it on ebay to sell it.

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12/11/2007 by Arielle.

Statistically, 2% of a vet’s day will consist of euthanasias. Mine today was a 10 year old and much loved little tabby called Pippa. Her owner brought her in as she was regurgitating all her food and was very obviously losing weight. When I felt her abdomen, I could feel a very obvious large mass which could only be a tumour. She had lost almost half her body weight and her owner agreed that it would be kindest to put her to sleep. He was so brave about it all and she sat quietly on my lap as I gave her an injection into her vein with the help of a very sympathetic nurse.

I am sure that as a pet lover, you will have come into contact with a few pet deaths. I have written various articles about grief and euthanasia. If a pet’s death has affected you, please have a look at a site I set up for a pet cemetery which includes all my articles. See down the right hand side for a link to paws rest.

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07/11/2007 by Arielle.

I am writing this post to warn all you dog and cat lovers out there about the dangers of a household gadget that has become more popular in this day and age and can be lethal to your pet - the ordinary paper shredder. We have one which sits in the kitchen. I thought it was a good idea to place it there and shred any envelopes with our address on before sending the junk mail off to the recycling bin (also in our kitchen).

I have moved it now as I have just read a shocking article about a Jack Russell that licked one and quite literally shredded his tongue (the one organ in the body with a huge blood supply). The vet put him to sleep immediately and both he and the staff sounded quite traumatised by the incident. A warning to us all to safeguard our pets from an apparently harmless new household gadget.

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