Tag: Cats
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The importance of pre-purchase nurse clinics – the missing piece?
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It is a renowned fact among the veterinary profession that the number of brachycephalic breeds in rehoming centres is soaring. As veterinary nurses it needs to be our role to educate owners-to-be on which breed of dog is the most suitable for their circumstances. This allows owners to make informed decisions when opting to either…
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How to survive your first weeks as a new grad
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You’ve done it – five long years of hard work and study have paid off and you’ve graduated as a fully fledged vet. Welcome to the veterinary community. And it is just that – a community of people who’ve all been there and had a first day as a vet. You’ll find that everyone (meaning…
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The only way is ethics part 4: zoos
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The black-furred creature shifts and turns, and its brow furrows as it meets my gaze. Its deep brown eyes seem to convey hidden depths and, for a moment, I am electrified from a connection that reaches across millions of years of evolution. I’m awed by the knowledge another mind is looking back at me, trying…
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Pet safety in an emergency
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It’s almost a year since the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London – an awful event taking so many lives and causing distress to those who survived. You may recall concern at the time for a number of pets there, as some people had tried to move their pets safely and had lost them,…
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The only way is ethics part 2: inequality
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I’ve written about one particular coincidence before on this blog. It’s not much of an anecdote, but it stuck with me because, in many ways, it gets to the root of one of the peculiar hypocrisies that pepper our relationship with animals. I had just finished my consultation with a long-standing feline patient – a…
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Anal glands: the tax bill of canine anatomy
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Considering the massive variety of day-to-day tasks we perform as vets (social worker, diagnostician, surgeon, diplomat and so on), it’s strange the first thing people always think of when they hear we’re vets – other than to tell us how much money we earn, evidence on our payslips to the contrary – is to fixate…
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Logic versus instinct: dealing with temporary ownership of lost pets
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I’m seeing a trend for people rehoming lost pets in “found pets” Facebook groups, with seemingly little effort to trace an owner. An assumption seems to exist the owner has caused the loss or poor state the animal might be in. Having spent long enough in veterinary practices – in particular, charity vets – I…
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Cat cafes – a pawsitive or negative?
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Cat cafes are popping up all over the UK and, while they may seem like a novelty for cat lovers, I had to wonder how ethical these feline havens really are. As vets, we believe cats are inherently solitary animals, and often become stressed when multiple cats are in the same household or when new…
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You don’t fake your appointments… do you?
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Controversial statement alert: I believe every practice I’ve worked in that has an appointments system has had someone working in it who books fake appointments for the final appointment of the day/session/week. Before you all start piling on to agree, disagree or otherwise, let me explain what this is about. I am aware booking false…
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Supporting new grads: are you up to the job?
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As I discussed in my previous blog post, if you are a boss, partner or practice manager, it’s important to consider whether your practice is suitable for a new graduate, before taking one on. Perhaps you’re considering taking on a new grad for the first time, or maybe you’ve employed them before, but are struggling…