I'm a Vet ask me anything

[Tropicana1]

Love my job - go ahead, ask me anything!

@KennyCalmIt you absolutely can boost immunity and lose immunity.

Your body, and that of animals, have two types of immunity, often known as two different systems - the innate immune system, and the adaptive immune system.
The adaptive immune system is the one that vaccinations target. When a vaccine is given it stimulates the body to produce antibodies and the humoral immune response. These antibodies are the defence cells. Every time the body makes new antibodies it will create a memory cell for that disease, which means if the body is ever presented with that disease again, rather than having to go through the lengthy process of creating new antibodies from scratch, it's got the antibody memory and can make them quickly, enabling the body to fight the disease. Over time memory cells can wane, and the number and strength of memory cells made is responsive to the strength of the initial presentation of the disease. vaccinations are killed or modified to be safe versions of the disease and so immunity can and does wane.

The way that we know how and when immunity wanes is by something called titre testing. Titre testing shows the antibody response of a certain disease we have vaccinated for - if a titre test is low it means the immune system has a poor stored response and so a repeat vaccination will re stimulate the immune system to produce new antibodies. Vaccination schedules are dictated by the manufacturers of the vaccines based on their clinical testing.

I have a 10 year old rescue cat that's been with the family for 3 years. He's in love with my daughter but tolerates the rest of us. We want to take him to the vets as he needs a check up etc but although he happily sleeps on me now he wouldn't let me get him in the cat carrier. Any ideas how to get him in one ? We've tried catnip in the carrier, food, leaving it open? My daughter isn't confident enough to put him in either.

@ChrisPrattsFace ouch! Poor you - find a new job!! I absolutely respect my nurses, I regularly talk to them about cases and their opinions and they often offer me ideas with a plan for an ongoing case. When I first graduated I leaned so so heavily on my RVNs - they are an invaluable asset to me and we need more of them not less - please don't leave!

Dear god, this guy also thinks biscuits are suitable for cats, that’s zero respect you’re getting from me. Anyone who thinks an obligate carnivore with a poor thrist drive can thrive on a vegetable protein based dry diet doesn’t not have that animals best interest at heart.

And you can, everyone knows it’s natural instinct.

@Dishevelled09 do your vets do home visits? It will be a bit more expensive but some offer it as a service which can reduce stress massively. If not ask about an anti anxiety med prior to the trip to the vets. Pet remedy or feliway sprayed in and around the basket can help.

Basket wise - if you get a basket that's a rectangle where the lid is the whole top of the basket with a hinge on one side it can be easier to get them in. I have a standard basket with the door on the "front" of a plastic box and I find the easiest way is to put the basket on it's bum so the door is facing up rather than forwards if that makes sense, pick up the cat under it's armpits like a baby, and pop it back legs first straight down into the box.

@SimonJT I'd be interested to know which university you studied feline nutrition at and if you have any concerns about the high incidence of bovine TB in cats fed a raw diet?

As we live near a busy road out cat ( had from a kitten, now 6 ) is a total housecat. The only time she leaves the house is to visit the vets. We regularly give her worming tablets, flea treatment and vaccinations . Are we doing the right thing or wasting money ? And also when I've asked the vet / nurse they both say as long as our cat is played with, has plenty of scratching posts ( 4) and places to climb / hide it is not cruel to keep indoors ?

Do you have any views on Royal Canin food? My daschund loves it but people keep telling me to put him on raw food...

Is it true that you cannot amend/change the notes made during an examination?

I took our puppy in as he was acting lethargic, the vet did a very quick exam and put in his notes he suffers with a condition that can only be diagnosed by X-ray. The vets refuse to remove it from the notes and say they are not allowed to amend.

@VictoriaBun that one really depends on your household circumstances - if anyone ever visits with dogs etc or you go places and have lots of contact with other people's pets then there is a risk you could bring in flea eggs / a little hitchhiker and start a household infestation. If your risk of that is low then you could probably do less frequent flea treatments. Vaccinations - again, if you're not having contact with unvaccinated animals that could be a point of infection then probably unnecessary, especially if escape from the house is unlikely!

No particular concerns about a very small number of cats having TB and some being put down to it. Major concerns about the number of cats with dental issues, obesity and kidney/urinary problems caused by eating dry food.

Susan Campbell is a very close friend, one who is well aware that cats do not thrive on dry, card loaded, meat lacking diets.

My cat was recently killed (car) he was intact, not a mark on him but had blood coming out of his nose. Would it have been quick or would he have suffered?

How do you personally deal with your emotions when an owner is present when their pet is put to sleep? Do you have any situations that have stayed with you for a long time? My vet was discreetly in the background when my beautiful cat had passed away and I turned into a sobbing wreck saying my final goodbye. I couldn't help wondering afterwards how seeing a grieving/sobbing owner must feel and if that's what my vet remembers whenever he sees me with my other cat at vaccination appointments, etc.

@Chinnychinnychinnychib yes royal canin is a high quality kibble! Raw is the current trend of the moment - if you scroll up you can see a post I made about raw diets for dogs but generally my hesitance to recommend them stems from a lack of quality scientific evidence demonstrating any evidence, risk of infectious disease, and if home prepared a risk of unbalanced nutrition

@PinkSpring yes it's illegal to amend notes - it would be seen as potential fraud on behalf of the vets and make that individual liable to be struck off the register - clinical notes are a legal document.

Great thread OP. I did something similar for dental questions in general health... lasted about 5 pages before it attracted someone who made it unwise to continue...

I love my vet & whilst I know I could get online prescriptions cheaper, I buy them through the practice as I massively value them.

@SimonJT I on the other hand have significant concerns ever recommending a diet to anyone that has been irrefutably linked as the cause of their euthanasia. Happily for me, there is no scientific evidence linking kibble with any disease leading to euthanasia, so it is what I will continue to recommend.

@Tropicana1 so the vet added a fake diagnosis to the report and I am just stuck with it? Seems like vets can add what they want then and the owner can do nothing about it?

I have complained to the RCVS but all they will offer is mediation and have stated the best I would get is a note added to the notes to say I objected to the diagnosis - what's the point in that

@Bringbackthestripes so sorry about your cat :( RTAs are the absolute worst. Most road traffic accidents are very quick, cats are so small compared to cars that one blow is very often instantly fatal. The lack of any significant external wounds make me think it was probably an instant death for your little one, so sorry x

@PinkSpring sorry I may have mis understood you - I thought you meant that your dog does have the condition noted by the vet. If they have written a suspicion of a disease based on their clinical exam then no that cannot be altered. If they made a genuine error on clinical notes then the most they would be able to do would be write a separate amendment revising what they previously said - our clinical notes get locked down every month where you can't edit them anymore.

I'm interested in your answer to emotional owners. I had a cat put down a few years ago and as she slipped away I said "she was my mum's cat and I feel like I'm losing my mum all over again" and the vet started crying too. I immediately apologised but please reassure me I haven't scarred her for life!

Hello vetinarian!

I'm interested also in the question of how do you get a cat to the vet who will not get in a cat carrier. Too strong, too fighty, too dangerous.

Is £450 reasonable for a 13 year old cats teeth to be cleaned?

Last done 3 years ago. Took cat to vets, cat gets antibiotics for halitosis and vet says will draw up a quote for teeth cleaning.

I'm expecting no more than £150 as I've paid similar before but now vet says due to cat age they need tests before and extra treatment during.

Gobsmacked, but over a barrel as it needs to be done.

@NeegansWife it can be really hard. You try to remain professional and have composure, but some situations just get to you - I have shed a tear once or twice in particularly harrowing euthanasia appointments. I try not to as often as I can as it's not my moment and not my sadness to impart on an owner.
Most of them stay with you to a degree - but you understand the sadness and would never think anything of an owner for being inconsolable - I will be a wreck when my old boy goes. The ones that probably stay with me the most are when it feels so "unfair" - the sudden, the young, the shocks where the owners didn't see it coming and had no time to prepare, but I find them all sad. You just have to remind yourself that you're relieving their pain and suffering otherwise it can really take a heavy emotional toll, especially if you have to go from a euthanasia to a first vaccination

Did you know from a young age that you wanted to be a vet? and has it lived up to what you thought it would be? (DD, who is 11, really wants to be one!)