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

What is your opinion on the recent ‘trend’ for dogs with short muzzles I.e. French bulldogs, pugs etc.? Do you have to treat many of them for the associated breathing/eye/skin problems?

It's appalling how these breeds have ended up. Every single frenchie I see has so many problems, it's very upsetting at times. We get a lot of pregnant ones in to caesar as they can't give birth naturally either. I never encourage people to buy them. So many of them are being bred, ceasared, and then being put down young.

My normally bouncy 5yro dog presented with a limp and general lethargy (not wanting to walk far) Vet suspected ligament damage and prescribed a month rest and loxicom for pain relief. He then developed gastro issues ( a side effect ) which meant he was in a lot of pain off food and d&v for 48 hours.

He went back was given an anti vomiting injection, a binding agent and tablets to settle his stomach. Been told loxicom doesnt agree with him. So just rest him for a month.

Thats £120. My insurance excess is £120. All my vets visits seem to go like this !

Thanks for the work you do !

Hi OP. Thank you for posting. My cat is a lovely, fat, beast. He should be 3kg yet he weighs in at a princely 6kg. I always feel so guilty when the vet tells me he needs to lose weight. We only feed him dry food, perhaps a little more than required, but he truly is six dinner Sid. I think he gets fed elsewhere.

Also he seems to be the very definition of scaredy cat. Do cats over eat because of anxiety?

Really not sure how to help him lose weight. Any suggestions?

Only feed a diet dry food. No tidbits. Play with him every day so he's getting more exercise. Encourage him to climb and run up the stairs. Put a bell on him so he catches and eats less prey. Buy a collar that says do not feed, on vet diet so neighbours dont feed him. As regards eating because of anxiety, I usually find cats won't eat when they are anxious so I don't think that's your reason!

Thanks so much for this thread. I have two Qs -hope that’s okay!

1. You mentioned earlier that dogs are your favourite animal to treat. Why? (Dog lover here, so very happy to hear this!)

1. In your opinion, do you think dogs will in general be happier with canine companionship in the home?

We have a single dog who loves other dogs (not reactive, no aggression). I can’t help feeling that his life would be improved if we got a second dog, but having trouble persuading DH of this. I work from home a few days a week and he’s a low energy breed (think couch potato). He has a dog walker who he loves who visits twice a day on the days when I don’t work from home. He seems to sleeps happily when on his own (we have used an app to check). But despite all this, it just makes sense to me that dogs would like a canine pal.

What’s your view on this, and if it is that you think it’s preferebale, what type of dog do you think would complement a terrier? (Sorry - that’s a cheeky third question thrown in!)

What’s your favourite operation to perform?

I like doing cesareans if it results in live puppies. That's fun and the nurses enjoy it too. If the pups are dead... not so much.

Are you ever scared of an animal?

Definitely. We had a very scared very aggressive dog escape the nurse's grip just the other week when unmuzzled. We had to try and get a lead back on him without being attacked. I was shaking and we had to go for a cuppa afterwards to chill.

Thanks Karl. Kind of what I suspected. I think I agree with you about some of the cases, even though I have a secret crush on Niall.....

Why does my (fat, ginger, rescue) cat eat his dinner and then howl at the bottom of the stairs? He does it every night. We call him (we're in bed) and he comes running in, seems pathetically grateful. He was a stray for the first three years of his life. Now is a 7kg monster (eats at the neighbours)

Haha I don't know! Howling with joy probably. One of my cats has to miaow incredibly loudly whenever he reenters the house from being outside. Won't stop until he's acknowledged

Ps. Pls excuse typos. Flipping phone.

How do you feel that the corporate takeover of seemingly every practice is going to affect the profession going forward?

We were taken over about 2 years ago. It hasn't changed the practice much except for all the boring bullshit meetings the company like to hold about profit and loss and whatever. It's obviously making things less personalised though - practices aren't just little family run business any more, they're growing and have a higher turnover of vets.

A vet once told me cats are the most dangerous animals to deal with ( in terms of the vet being bitten or attacked while treating). Would you agree?

Definitely. A dog bite is pretty rare. Cat bites and scratches and a common part of the job especially for the trainees.

What's the most exotic animal you have treated?

We have zoo clients so we've had monkeys, wallabies, capybaras, meerkats, snakes... loads of things. But there's exotic specialist vets here who deal with them mostly, so personally the most exotic was probably a skunk, randomly!

When do you think is the best time for neutering? Had him booked for later this week at 8 months but can’t help feeling like it’s too soon.

What species and breed are we talking here

tell me about your worst patient

Probably aforementioned aggressive and scared dog! He is enormous and basically looks like the grim from Harry Potter. I always feel like he's about to rip my face off even with a muzzle on.

Would you ever put an elderly animal to sleep if the owners just didn’t want it anymore?
I had a colleague who had a 14 year old cat and was moving abroad so had it PTS

is this the best looking dog ever?

Do you know why my male cat might be humping things all the time (blankets etc). He was neutered at 3 months old and he’s now 11. I assumed the neutering would take away those urges in an animal?

@sevenpastfour

I'm sorry for your loss. It's impossible for me to say why your cat died I'm afraid. Usually a sudden death in older cats is caused by a heart problem, which is quick. x

No question , just a massive thanks for the work vets do. Our local practice is part of a group and yet we still feel really included, from puppy check to puppy socialization classes through to castration and check- ups .

Do you like all the animals you treat?

They're all different but I appreciate they are all scared at the vets, so we are always kind to them. I don't ever get to see them at their happiest and see them so infrequently or when they're unconscious so it's difficult to bond with them really. Some are pretty horrible and stubborn though ha!

Also if you don't like the owners (I'm sure there has to be ones you don't!) does that sway your opinion on the animal?

Nah, it sometimes makes me like the animal more 'cause I'm thinking "you poor git having to live with that!"

Thank you for your reply
I didn't expect you to be able to say why she died and can take comfort from the idea that it was probably quick for her. She had a good life

when did you know you wanted to be a vet?

I always wanted to be for as long as I can remember. I grew up abroad in a very busy city so we weren't allowed animals as no garden or anything, but still I was obsessed with animals and would always go out my way to stroke one. I did two years of mandatory military service at aged 18, in which I worked with the dog section for the second half, and then did my first year of university in a biology degree in my home city. Then I applied to transfer to Cambridge University to do vet med, and got accepted.

Totally outed myself but oh well!

I've heard that annual vaccinations can be dangerous to animals or completely unnecessary, is this true?

Also, are some dogs just not keen on other animals? I have a year old chihuahua and he's is terrified of all other animals, I took him to the puppy parties and tried behaviours classes but couldn't do anything with him because he was so busy running away from the other dogs! Walks see him scaling my shoulder if another dog takes an interest in him.

Do you think different brands of dog food can increase the build up on dogs teeth?

Yes definitely. Depends on the texture of the food as to whether they aid in cleaning the teeth. Dry food of course. Wet food is no good for teeth.

Why is an operation on an animal sometimes more than on a person

You mentioned earlier that dogs are your favourite animal to treat. Why? (Dog lover here, so very happy to hear this!)

Because generally dogs are kind hearted and just want to be good. They are much easier to handle generally than cats for instance, who are all furious at you from the get go

2. In your opinion, do you think dogs will in general be happier with canine companionship in the home?

Not what you want to hear but not necessarily if they aren't used to it. You are the dog's pack, bringing another pack member in can always cause upset. Most get used to it of course but I dont think there's anything wrong with a lone canine amongst loving humans.

what type of dog do you think would complement a terrier? (Sorry - that’s a cheeky third question thrown in!

Another terrier!

Hi OP
Great thread!
Do you think dog owners should be given more information as to how to handle arthritis in their dogs so that they can live longer, eg activities in the later years that don't put too much stress on the joints, making changes to the home to reduce joint pain etc