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

Sorry if this has already been asked! We have a 9 month puggle puppy and have him booked in to be neutered in a few weeks. I was told he must be done now as he has one testicle that hasn't descended? Is that right? He also has had a dog behaviourist round recently who has said he has anxiety (he cries on walks if he sees another dog and pulls towards them but once we are near he hides behind me!). Will having him neutered make him more anxious? I just want to do what's best for him :-) also should we get his hips checked while he is under GA? I know puggles can have issues with hips although he seems to be perfect health atm! thank you for this thread!!!

Do you do titre testing at your place, and if so how much do you charge and what do you make of it?

Just wrote about this upthread. Can't remember what it is exactly but I think about £100 for the test and then your £30 consult fee on top.

One of my dogs reacts to vaccinations and has had much of his life in the vets. They think he has some sort of auto immune issue that they've never managed to diagnose. I have to rotate the protein source he eats every few months, he's on cytopoint and six weekly B12 shots. He is now 10, I last vaccinated him in 2012 when a titre test suggested his distemper immunity was low, but I don't think the test can account for memory cells and I'm less familiar with all of that now. Would be good to know your thoughts.

What reaction does he have? As in, how severe?

Why do my cats poop and throw up round the house when i go on holiday??

Stress and change of routine. Cats are just such creatures of habit. Try to take it as a compliment of how much they like you being home! And the litter tray problem possibly the same, but maybe try a different litter?

Another cat question. One of mine wees in particular spots sometimes same one as before despite cleaning, usually on something soft) every few weeks. He's 6yo, neutered and seems healthy. Normal or check-up time?

Thanks for your kind words.

So when you're cleaning this spot, what are you doing? Because often cleaning products concentrated in one area smell weird to the cat so they keep pissing there! use biological washing powder and surgical spirit for cat wee. So wash with the bio, dry, wash with spirit, dry, then wash bio and dry one last time.

Do you think he rolls his eyes when he sees my name on the list of clients to call back?! I wonder if all the receptionists exchange a glance...

@RadioDorothy Hell no, sounds like you're a good loyal customer who listens to your vet, trusts him and does good by your pet. It's the ones who DON'T do the special measures and don't listen but expect results who get the eye rolls!

Does a cats abscess always need anti biotic or can I just bathe with saline ?

I always prescribe antibiotics. They need it.

What was your inspiration to become a vet?
I did military service in my home country and worked with vets in the dog unit, so pretty much decided then.

Have you read James Herriot?

I started but didn't finish! Ooops. I struggle a bit with English novels, I prefer to read in my own language.

You'll hate me but I'm a farmer (female) and prefer the male vets at our practice. They're calmer and give a lot more technical detail in answer to questions. I prefer that to inane chit chat. Tell me IABU.

I can't say you're unreasonable to prefer the male vets at YOUR practice. But all I know is the female farm vets at my practice are awesome!

Have you ever reported a beloved dog to the police/rspca as a banned breed? My rescue staffy looks a bit dubious and I hate taking her to the vet in case they say anything. They have just treated her professionally as a dog and not as any specific breed and never ask for her to muzzled.

No i haven't ever had reason to actually, don't think I've met a banned breed. I don't agree with banning entire breeds anyway.

And do you like doing tricky new things yourself? When my dog needed an eye out the vet we saw when we first took her was almost excited at doing that particular operation, I couldn't quite understand his enthusiasm about getting stuck into that job!

Sometimes a nice interesting/different op is really welcome if you've been stuck castrating cats all morning or whatever. I love operating. Hard to explain why!

Do you think that the ownership of pets should be better regulated? So licences etc. Also for those people who have been banned from owning pets, do you find that this actually works, since you can easily buy pets online?

I think often that it needs to be. But I'm not sure how it would work. And I don't think it's regulated at all, like you say you can buy animals anywhere and who's gonna know if you're banned from keeping them?

What do you think about buying animal meds over the internet? Is there any way to ensure that they are safe and effective or is it a total non-starter?

Quite a few clients buy written prescriptions from me and then buy the meds online. It seems to work fine.

How do you deal with breaking bad news to owners be it by phone or face to face?

How do you feel if the owner becomes distraught?

I have been the distraught owner several times before and admire how calm and sympathetic the vets have been when giving bad news.

Rabbit related, do you prescribe one or two doses metacam daily for rabbits and how long a course of panacur for active EC?

I think metacam works best when given twice daily, pref 12 hours apart.
And 28 to 30 days daily panacur for EC

OP, thank you!
We tend to use vinegar, so (at least that's the theory) it changes/removes the smell. And usually put aluminium foil down. But it's not always practicable to keep it there permanently...

I take it from your answer it's prob not a health thing, though, which is a relief :)

My sweet little angel, a 7kg ex-feral tabby, savages the vet. Every time.

He had a terrible kittenhood. Is there anything I can do? Sorry to all the vets out there. And the nurses.

Thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions. If you manage to get round to this post is it possible for you to tell me if it's ok for cats to be on special dietary food which is meant to reduce urinary crystals for a long time? I have two cats and one had to have a perineal urethrostomy last year and has been fed special food ever since. Is this safe in the long term and will it cause any harm to my other cat who has had no urinary problems?

Can you tell me which food it is exactly?

*Whats the craziest request you have had from a pet owner?
I have bunnies and defo a bit of a crazy bunny lady they are my furbabies and i do wonder if the vets think i am absolutely nuts or actually understand how much they mean to me just as a dog means to their owners *

Have to say, rabbit ladies are definitely crazier than cat ladies! But of course we understand how much they mean to you. It's nice to get well looked after buns as so many still aren't handled properly.

Hiya can you tell me do senior cats need vaccinations? Ours it's 12 and a house cat.
She is in good health.
Thank you.

My 11 year old son has only ever wanted to be a vet so I have told him that he needs to work extremely hard at school. It was interesting that you said earlier they are crying out for vets. I was of the impression that it’s a highly competitive career choice, with only the top students getting accepted onto courses. Has something changed? Where are all our vets going if there’s a serious lack of them?

I really don't know. There's quite a lot who don't last a couple of years after qualifying, or who move away to be locum vets and earn a lot more money that way.

I have an amazing vet. I have a very nervous 2yo staffie cross. She can't wait in the waiting room even if anyone else is there yet my vet has her calm and relaxed with him inside of 5 minutes. I am just having a nightmare on walks. She is scared of everyone. In a nutshell, locum vet with no patience, a student and a nurse (too crowded for poor pup) muzzled her, pinned her in a corner and jabbed her. The whole consultation took less than 5 minutes. Any advice on how to get her trust people again? She is OK with most familiar people but strangers she barks and struggles to get away.

Maybe just stick to the one vet at every visit. Make sure when you book the appointment they know her issues - they can do stuff like just bring her straight through from the car to the consult room so she doesnt have to wait around, or even via a back door. I have a couple I just jab in their car as they get so terrified walking into the vets. Chat with the vets before your next visit and get a plan, seriously we don't want nervous dogs just as much as the owners don't.

Sorry if this has already been asked! We have a 9 month puggle puppy and have him booked in to be neutered in a few weeks. I was told he must be done now as he has one testicle that hasn't descended? Is that right?

Yes it's important to remove an undescended testicle asap because there's an increased chance of disease and cancer.

He also has had a dog behaviourist round recently who has said he has anxiety (he cries on walks if he sees another dog and pulls towards them but once we are near he hides behind me!). Will having him neutered make him more anxious?

Most studies seem to suggest neutering helps with anxiety. It probably won't be a magic cure but I doubt it'll make things worse. Plus, you really do need him done since he has cryptorchidism so it kind of removes the choice from your hands.

I just want to do what's best for him :-)

Aw I know, sounds like you are doing so!

also should we get his hips checked while he is under GA?

Probably not whilst he's being castrated but you could request x rays at a later date.

How do you deal with breaking bad news to owners be it by phone or face to face? How do you feel if the owner becomes distraught? I have been the distraught owner several times before and admire how calm and sympathetic the vets have been when giving bad news.

It's a very important part of the job. I never let my student or new grad vets scrimp on learning the art of giving bad news. These are people's babies we are dealing with, after all. You have to stick with the facts, keep it simple so there's no confusion or false hope, and then just offer support. People react in such massively different ways. Some just accept it calmly (at least to our face), some cry, some really are hysterical, some faint... others get angry. I have had to call an ambulance before as a lady had a panic attack.

@AnElderlyLadyOfMediumHeight

Nah, cats love weeing in the same place over and over. Just when you think they've finally stopped.... eyeroll! Unless you have other issues with his urination or drinking I wouldn't be concerned.

My sweet little angel, a 7kg ex-feral tabby, savages the vet. Every time. He had a terrible kittenhood. Is there anything I can do? Sorry to all the vets out there. And the nurses.

I was going to say - apologise to the nurses more. We get to breezily call in "can you just get a line in that cat please..." and then run before the barrage of abuse comes our way! We are used to lethal cats. Probably not much you can do really except try and handle him more at home and get him used to having his paws held and tail touched and ears/face etc.

Hiya can you tell me do senior cats need vaccinations? Ours it's 12 and a house cat.

Has she had them before? I know plenty of people with house cats who don't bother. Kind of depends on the other occupants- if there are other outside animals then I'd still recommend vaxing.