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

A year @accendo , unless there are health or behavioural reasons to do it quicker

@BackToTheFuschia7 should clarify, I mean when they don't want to be there for the pts we usually sedate, they say goodbye then we pts. That's what people who don't want to see them actually go are happy with. Generally though most owners stay all the way through. As regards health risks of sedation before pts, there aren't any.... especially since they are about to be deceased!

@Wheretheresawill1 I think a lot of the time there isn't enough support for new grads and trainees and that's why some leave. We try hard to rectify that. Sometimes though it's so busy that they just have to crack on and ask questions on the go. I don't regret my job choice, I really love it, but at the same time I'll be happy to retire and leave the stress to the next generation

@Thursdaydreaming well it's a behaviour modifier so quite possibly the non purring signifies a change in her behaviour and character

@WoollyMollyMonkey yes possibly feeling sick, something not digesting. Is she eating and drinking as normal?

What happens to the animals' bodies after you euthanise them?

They are put in a colour coded heavy duty plastic bag provided by the pet crematorium. The cOlour deoends on how the animal is to be cremated. Then they are put in a freezer and await collection by the pet crem who come three mornings a week.

Do you think animals can smell that other animals have died in the building?

Possibly. Not sure. Cleaning products probably overpower a lot of smells

Have you ever had to treat a spider? Probably a stupid question as I've no idea if you can tell if a spider is sick!

I've not treated one personally but we have had a couple at our vets for things like a damaged leg and problems with moulting. I don't like them much to be honest!

@ChampagneSocialist1 I think as an owner you need to concentrate on rescuing and rehoming rather than buying. It's not really something that's going to improve over night though

@LunaLovegoodsRadishes yes I think so. Just treat them like a kitten. Take them out on the lead first for a few weeks. Then let them off in good clear weather just before feeding time and entice back with food.

What do you think about crating dogs? I am anti-, but my parents in law crate their patterdale terrier/chihuahua cross

I think crating puppies overnight is excellent and during nap times during the day. I do not agree with crating for extended periods of time for convenience or for punishment.

Ah, thanks for clarifying. I’ve always stayed with my pets when the time comes but they’ve never been sedated before. Do you always sedate before PTS, even if owner is staying? Or is it to calm the animals who may be distressed by the owner walking out?

Do you do a lot for hamsters that are getting on?

With what you described he sounds good health just older so we wouldn't do anything. We do treat hamsters who are poorly though, they're not just seen as disposable.

Yes, eats and drinks normally. It is something she does quite regularly (eats grass and sicks it up).

When my last dog was PTS at the emergency vets', they said that their standard practice was to give the dog an anaesthetic to render it unconscious, while owner was present, then to take dog to euthanise in another room. I said I'd stay with my dog as I'd been with so many pets at the end. Vet asked if I was sure as he felt many people were distressed by seeing some reflex movements, scrabbling etc, which can occur at death. I stayed as I feel like being with them at the end is the last and only thing I can do to help at that point.

At this practice they had a side room which I think was largely used for PTS. It had armchairs and a box of tissues ready, and they brought dog in on a stretcher and really tried to make him comfortable. I suppose being an emergency vet, they will have to do a lot of euthanisations where a pet has gone downhill suddenly out of hours. They would have had no prior contact with animal or owner, so aren't in a position to know what the owner is like. I suppose they are trying to reduce the stress all round, but think it should have been offered as a suggestion rather than "this is what we do".

I adopted a rescue dog ten days ago now. She's a lhasa apso almost nine years old. She has been great, eating well, lovely with everybody who comes to the house, played with other dogs sometimes on walks (she isn't supposed to like dogs) BUT she wakes every morning about half four raring to start the day. Ten days in and I'm getting tired. She sleeps in her basket that she brought with her, she has access to much of the downstairs overnight but she starts scratching on doors because she wants to come upstairs to us.
During the day she is quickly learning she isn't allowed upstairs and I don't go to her in a morning until 6am but we don't seem to be making progress.Any ideas please?

Thank you for your answer, I have one more question, my dog is 8mths, nearly 9mths old and still has a couple of puppy teeth. His adult teeth have come in, but his puppy teeth are not budging. Do I need to do anything about that? I was planning to ask the vet to pull them out while he was knocked out when being neutered, but that is 3 mths away.

My 8 year old cat has been diagnosed with early stage kidney disease. He is on a potassium supplement and we are trying him on different renal foods to see which he will eat. In your experience is there an average time that cats live once diagnosed with kidney disease? Is there anything else we can do to help him and improve his outlook?

My cat has always had a heart murmur (he is 11 and it has generally been graded around 2.5 for the last 8 or 9 years). However, the last two times he has been to see the vet they have double checked and said it has disappeared or is barely noticeable. This seems really strange to me - how and why does this happen?

I always stay with my pets at the end and one of my dear cats who had a stroke whilst he was a very healthy 15 year old , when they euthanised him he basically wouldn't die and she had to go back for more syringes . Is this her mistake because she should have known his bloodstream was slower ( or blocked ) or was it just one of those things ? It was quite a few years ago so I'm not going to do anything about it but I've always wondered because it was quite distressing for me ( he was anaesthetised ) and one death I haven't really got over .. bearing in mind I had my childhood pony shot because at the time it was seen as the quickest and kindest way and although it was gruesome it was soo soo quick ... I would like to know I didn't let my cat down at the end .

Do you have experience of any of your customers using raw food for dogs and for cats?

I used commercial raw food for my dog who thrived on it but my vet is trying to put me off trying it in my cat.

OP - I’m terrified of dogs in particular but really wary of all animals. No reason, just wasn’t brought up around animals. What advice would you share with me on that?