I'm a Vet ask me anything

[Tropicana1]

Love my job - go ahead, ask me anything!

I have a nine month old male German wirehaired pointer. I've heard really contradictory things about when we should have him neutered. What's the best thing for his long term health and behaviour/temperament? Our vet says do it now but lots of other large dog owners say it's bad for them to do it before age 2. Are there viable alternatives if neutering isn't a good option? Thanks.

Do you ever get fed up of owners bringing their pets in for lots of little issues (like when doctors get sick of seeing frequent patients)?

My dog is forever at the vets due to accidents and illnesses but also for lots of smaller things such as blocked anal glands, miscellaneous limps, streaming nasal discharge, eye gunk etc and I always wonder what they think when they see me so often.

Thanks for your feedback . You are correct about us ( as humans ) bringing fleas into the house as we have intact given her them or possibly picked up at vets when having nails clipped
What are your thoughts on keeping cats a housecats. Cruel or ok ?

alwaysstressed I've worked with nurses aged 50-65 and they've moved into more administrative roles - head nurse, practice management etc.

Hi! Interested in another vet's opinion! My 4 year old terrier still has a baby tooth apparently. The vet said it will need to come out surgically or it will cause him problems down the line. Is this true? I have read tiny dogs don't cope too well with GA and am worried. Don't want to put him through something risky if it's not going to benefit him.

How do you judge whether a pet is ready to be put down? Can you tell me what to expect you come in to put a pet down?

Great thread - full of admiration for vets, for the dedication both in training and working 👏👏👏

Hello, OP. No question from me but just wanted to say that most vets I have come across have been truly wonderful. I had a border terrier who I unfortunately had to rehome, it absolutely broke my heart and was the worst day of my life, but my vet had such respect and gave me the biggest hug. He told me I was doing it for the right reasons, he didn't charge me for her booster or flea/working treatments. He made it that little bit more bearable for me when I expected him to be horrible. So thank you, I think you do a wonderful job my border terrier is so much happier in her new home and I get pictures of her every week from her new 'mum'. She was my best friend and still miss her terribly.

Hi what's the best diet for a cat? Mine seldom likes cat food. I'm struggling to feed her as she is so fussy.
Wants human food but I really don't want to give it to her.
She likes dry food but not as only food.
Thank you 🙏🏻

@shatteredandstressed haha this has made me laugh!! Never thought of human dentists getting bitten 😂

My favourite dogs that I see at work are probably the really happy full body wag spaniels and labs, and dogs that "smile"
Getting bitten is definitely an occupational hazard, or attempts at biting. You get good at reading the body language and stopping and muzzling where appropriate. My favourite owners are the ones who tell you straight away that you might need to muzzle them at the vets - we do write little pop ups on the notes but this invariably means someone has to be gone for first! For me it's usually chihuahuas and the like - maybe they don't like me 😂

I wanted to be a vet but I'm so soft I'd just cry all the time. And still regularly do over all things animal related, god I sound pathetic.
So I became a dr instead and I honestly to this day don't know how you all do it. Every vet I've encountered has been fantastic and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for my pets over the years. So no question, just a big fat thanks

Hi OP. I love this. I think vets are brilliant, they have to know so many different animal systems etc.

Three questions: general one first. Do you have to brush up on things before you see animals other than cats or dogs?

Have you ever treated snakes, or do they tend to go to specialist vets? We have a pet snake and have never really thought about where we'd take him if we needed to!

Thirdly, I have a Newfoundland puppy (she's 9 months) who usually has stuff coming from her eyes. Sometimes they're a bit red - often after there's been a bit of wind. She likes to stand staring into the wind, feeling it in her hair and I think she gets dust etc in her eyes. Should I worry about her eye gunk? A vet nurse has looked at them at a check up and said they're fine so I haven't been concerned before now.

Hi, thanks for this thread! I’m a first time kitten owner (but of a rush job too) and when I picked her up her owner gave me a box of Asda complete dry food for kittens. I’m continuing with this for now but worried it’s not the best thing for her and she will need something more nutritious than this? It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be the best sole food for a kitten?

Hi OP,

I second the question about knowing when to have an animal PTS in your professional opinion.

I've just this moment realised through a Facebook post that I think my Belgian Hare has degenerative myelopathy. I had no idea they were susceptible. Devestated. She's 8. Iyo is it better to do it while she's mobile and in no pain or wait until she's bad?

@largeprintagathachristie if it's a long hair cat and truly just fur balls it may have a partial fur blockage that needs some laxative. If it's vomiting food as well etc then it could be something more serious at that age like inflammatory bowel disease or really worst case scenario alimentary lymphoma (a type of intestinal cancer). I think the appointment you have booked in with your vet is the right first step to working out of its simple or something more :)

Haha yes you may well have a danger warning 😉 but it's fine we're honestly used to them being completely different characters here than at home! I've had some cats that were lovely pets but horrors when I tried to "vet" them in any way!

Do most dogs die from strokes/get put down? (Adding to me earlier question)

I think my cat is dying, the vet can't find seem to find what is wrong with her. Her white blood cells are slightly raised but that's it. We've had all sorts of tests but nothing conclusive. But she's not herself, she's losing weight. She's confused, she fell out of a tree today. Any suggestions? I was thinking of trying a new vet. She's 13.

Maybe he's gone to bed :-(

@AllFourOfThem cats can get something called "physiological" or innocent murmurs that often are intermittent and not caused by underlying heart disease - if the murmur is now not audible I would suggest it was not a murmur caused by heart disease but a physiological murmur instead :)

@purpleme12 sorry just slowly making my way down the list :) if I do go to bed though I will come back and continue to answer tomorrow!

We're getting a Syrian hamster for the first time in the next few weeks and am reading lots of conflicting advice about the best way to let them out for daily exercise. Can we use a hamster ball? Or is it best to just plug any gaps and let them run around the floor freely? I'm concerned both that hamster balls aren't safe for more than 15 mins and that we could lose hamster if we try it without!

Is there anything you would like hamster owners to know?

I don’t want to hijack Tropicana’s thread - but for those with cats and basket struggles, you should have a look at the ISFM website.
International society feline medicine, has a wealth of tips and advice on how to do it all cat friendly. My practice and my colleagues are all certified ‘cat friendly’ and can give phone advice too - so even a phone call to your vets may benefit you if you can have a quick chat with a nurse. (Especially is they’re also a cat friendly practice!)
Good luck cat wranglers 😂

@AllFourOfThem if the cat had bloods to make sure kidney function was all normal then metacam / meloxidyl / loxicom (all the drug meloxicam but under different brand names) its a good anti inflammatory and pain killer and usually a good first line for arthritis

Not sure if this is a vet issue but thought ide ask.
My one cat (2 years old) likes to shit NEXT to the litter tray. We can hear him "digging" at the floor so rush in and put him in litter box and he'll happily shit in there then but we cant be on guard 24/7 and I'm getting sick of cleaning up cat shit.
Also same cat has tiny scabs on his body. We think it's playing with our other cat who is the boss and always wins play fights. But could it be anything else?

My JRT has a lot of plaque build up and her breath smells awful. Does chlorophyll powder in their food help to remove the plaque and freshen the breath? My colleague swear by it but I can’t see how a powder on food can help?