I'm a vet, AMA!

[KarlDilkington]

I am a co-director of quite a large practice with 7 small animal branches and a central hospital, plus farm, equine and exotic clients. I mainly do small animals but also do some farm and equine. Happy to answer any questions, but please don't expect me to diagnose anything or advise on treatment plans over the net

@POPholditdown @worriedupstairsneighbour You're both very welcome

Thanks for answering questions, OP.

How do you feel about people bringing in wildlife to be treated? I've brought in my fair share of hedgehogs and so on, and had great advice and help, but are you really happy for people to do so?

@Pugglepup2018 You're more than welcome. And yes take his blanket in. Possibly try and put your name on somewhere so it doesn't get chucked in the wash by accident or anything.

@delphguelph I'm from Israel and speak Hebrew as a first language, then German, Polish, Yiddish and English fluently also. Thank you! I've lived here a long time now and luckily find languages quite easy. But sometimes I just like to relax with a hebrew novel

When you graduate, can you just apply for any vet job or are there more 'beginner' jobs, iyswim?

How do you feel about people bringing in wildlife to be treated? I've brought in my fair share of hedgehogs and so on, and had great advice and help, but are you really happy for people to do so?

Always happy for hedgehogs to come in - we know loads of people who rehabilitate them. The ones I'm not keen on are wild birds. They should be left alone, not brought to the vet. Nature is cruel!

Thank you :-) I look after humans so I'm very grateful to know there are good people looking after our little friends :-)

Thanks Karl that's really useful.

Thank you Karl you're right it's not the vet's responsibility to handhold (or shut the door after the horse has bolted!). I do wish it was generally harder for people to enter ownership.

When you graduate, can you just apply for any vet job or are there more 'beginner' jobs, iyswim?

In my practice you come in as a graduate vet, so you get assigned a senior vet as your 'clinical coach' who has weekly meetings with you to go over any cases/questions/problems, and obviously are expected to ask a lot of questions and be supported by your colleagues, and have specified CPD courses for your age group. But yes you just pretty much get a job as a vet and crack on!

Phew, my fingers are smoking. Best let them cool off for now and get to bed!

Thank you.

P.S. Thanks so much for all the questions! I was afraid no one would reply ha

Wow! That's amazing. Which leads to... More questions of course

Did you get your degree in Israël? If so, what were the main difference between animal work there vs here? For example, is dairy farming as big there as it is here? And are people as crazy about dogs?

I'm always impressed by a polyglot too : I've lived abroad for ten years in a foreign country and have zero talent for languages.

Hi Karl thanks for the thread!

You mentioned upthread that the animals are scared when they come and see you and you never get to see them at their best. Do you have any that do enjoy going to the vet? My family's Labrador absolutely loves it, she gets more and more excited as we approach and is straining on the lead to get through the door. She'll walk straight into the consultation room if she can! Despite having a few operations there I think her main association with the vets is food, and as a lab that comes before all else

Thanks for answering!

Thanks OP
Is Feliway worth a try if they might be stressed?

Hi, OP. I am completely aware you can't diagnose/give treatment over the internet, but I'll try to present you my situation see if you have any suggestions

I found a stray cat in April 2017. She was so tiny (400g) and the vet estimated she was almost one. She had rhinotracheitis and conjunctivitis which were subsequently treated (v. Hard, we thought she was not gonna make it).

Basically as she was so tiny and almost dying we fed her wet food (royal canin instinctive) which she seemed to like. We then bought dry food but she has tiny teeth and she seems not to be able to chew properly so she doesn't really eat dry

She weighs 3 kg now, but she is a tiny cat with a tiny head and everyone has said this is the max weight she will reach.

Since then we gave her immunity treatments and her (apparently chronic throat sensitivity) hasn't returned. She's on and off re food, has days when she eats properly and days when she eats close to nothing. On the days she eats properly she eats 2 pouches and on the days she doesn't maybe 1.

Apparently she also has a mini problem with gingivitis which she had treatment for and her teeth will be soon cleaned (can this be a reasons for not eating?!)

I'll have to say we tried all the premium brands (better than rc) and she won't eat those either, she just seems fussy. Also, she drinks close to no water at all (I assume it's because of the wet food?!)

Please advise if you have the time and you managed to read all this. Thanks in advance for your time

Hi OP, I lost my rescue pug to a condition called Necrotising Meningo Encephalitis (formerly Pug Dog Encephalitis). I was just wondering if you had seen many cases coming through your surgery and what your feelings are on the surge of popularity of brachycephalic breeds and what, if anything, you think can be done to help improve their overall quality of life? Thanks in advance!

Thanks MoreDogs, that's exactly what I think.

She's come home wirh yet another vivarium that her pal's dad was giving away...

Help.

@ Wow! That's amazing. Which leads to... More questions of course 

Did you get your degree in Israël? No I did vetmed at Cambridge. By then I'd done two years of military service for the IDF and had done a year of university in Israel. I thought I was so old at the time to just be starting, now I look back and realise how much better prepared I was than these kids fresh out of school: I actively encourage my kids to travel and have breaks between education now, it is so beneficial. My eldest took two years out and then went to med school, and is so much more ready for the stresses.

You mentioned upthread that the animals are scared when they come and see you and you never get to see them at their best. Do you have any that do enjoy going to the vet? My family's Labrador absolutely loves it, she gets more and more excited as we approach and is straining on the lead to get through the door. She'll walk straight into the consultation room if she can! Despite having a few operations there I think her main association with the vets is food, and as a lab that comes before all else

Haha yes there is always a gaggle of dogs at the reception desk trying to peer over and see where the bowl of treats are! I don't give treats though I'm afraid, I just found that too often the dogs (cough labdradors cough) would be too distracted by them to stand still for me!

@ineedwine99 yes I really rate feliway actually, I used it for my cats when introducing them to each other and I think it helped a lot

@mononoaware1907 hey I'm not totally sure what you're question is! Sorry, I may be being thick? Are you asking why she doesn't eat much? Is she an outdoor cat? My little cat doesn't eat much but I've realised she hunts a lot and eats a lot of her prey whole (nice)

@DeadButDelicious I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. That's a nasty condition and I only really come across dogs with meningitis maybe a couple of times a year. As regards brachycephalic breeds, I mentioned upthread I really despair at them. Today I had a miniature bulldog brought in! How the hell did they breed that? I told the owner if he surprised if it lived more than 6 years judging by its breathing as a three month old. The thing we can do is try to get past this trend and stop breeding and buying them really