Dogs – A Healthy Future available now

The Kennel Club have released a 30 minute video showcasing the main issues that affect dogs and what is being done to combat them. The video includes details on hereditary diseases, puppy farms and general dog welfare.

See the film or recommend it to owners on the Kennel Club YouTube channel

Royal Canin team up with veterinary practices across the UK and Ireland to announce incredible dog and cat weight loss

Royal Canin’s weight loss competition saw over 170 entrants who lost a staggering 147kg in total. 12 finalists were selected by specialist obesity nurse Shelley Holden at Liverpool University and will appear in Royal Canin’s ‘Weight In Club Winners’ calendar.

Fudge, a large cross-breed, went from 77.7kg to 48.7kg, losing 37% of his body weight over a 10 month period. Both his owner and Julia Dray, the vet nurse who was instrumental in his fitness programme, win £500 and £1000 of equipment for her practice.

See the winner Fudge before and after.

Do you know everything you need to know about tail docking laws?

Tail docking laws can be confusing in the UK. There are areas where exemptions exist, and other areas such as Scotland where docking tails is outright banned. If a client or breeder comes to you with a docked puppy what advice can you legally give?

To avoid a difficult encounter in the consulting room, read the BVA-AWF guide for vets.

Pfizer announced that the European Medicines Agency’s scientific advisory committee for veterinary medicines (CVMP) has recommended granting a marketing authorization for the TruScient, a product designed to support the treatment of long bone fractures in dogs. The product is an implant containing the active substance dibotermin-alfa, a bone morphogenetic protein that promotes new bone growth. [...]

A man in Edinburgh has pled guilty to causing unnecessary suffering in his pet dog by not taking it to the vet. The 2 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier died of asphyxiation after being fed.

The dog had previously suffered a condition that prevented it from eating. The man took the dog to the vet but a complicated procedure and administrative process left the owner unwilling to go back when the dog relapsed.

Is there a wider implication for vets here? The owner in this particular was described as ‘ill’ and ‘lonely’, but obviously found the visit to the vet stressful or potentially embarrassing. Is there anything the vet could’ve done to ensure the owner came back?

For the full BBC story click here.

An illness that is not fully understood is affecting dogs on countryside walks in East Anglia, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Warwickshire. The cause of the illness is not currently known.

Symptoms present within 24 hours and include severe vomiting, diarrhoea, shaking and high temperatures. A small number of dogs have died on contracting the illness,

The University of Nottingham is currently carrying out research in an effort to identify what the source of the illness is, the current cause is assumed to be a naturally occurring toxin. Vets in affected areas can help by reporting cases and sending samples of vomit/blood to the University of Nottingham for analysis.

For more information click here.

In what sounds like the stuff of nightmares, a dog with a knife embedded in its head chased away alleged burglars from a house and survived. The circumstances are still unconfirmed but the dog’s recovery is remarkable — the knife only barely missed the dog’s brain.

A vet removed the knife on the scene and administered treatment for pain. This is truly an exceptional case.

Click here for the full story on Dogblog.

CEVA Animal Health UK has released a limited trial of CEVA’s Logic oral hygiene gel to be given to clients to promote dental hygiene. CEVA is also offering free waiting room material.

If you own a practice in the UK and would like to take advantage of this offer either e-mail customerservicesuk@ceva.com or call 01494 781510.

For more information on the Logic Dental line, click here.

The BVA (British Veterinary Association) is urging vets to remind clients not to leave dogs in cars under any circumstance. Britain has seen a minor heatwave and the message is clear: dogs will die if left in vehicles.

There are posters, radio promos and other material available from here. It’s a message that’s spread frequently and has a lot of backing already, but please make sure to remind your clients just in case.

False pregnancy causes discomfort to both owner and pet. Phantom pregnancy can cause a dog to become more aggressive and possessive, as well as develop a number of physical symptoms such as lactation and swelling.

It’s integral a dog is not spayed until 16 weeks after the end of the oestrus cycle to prevent false pregnancy from developing. This free app lays out exactly when a dog can be spayed and allows monitoring of the condition.

The app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes app store. Click here for more information on Galastop.