I'm a Vet ask me anything

[Tropicana1]

Love my job - go ahead, ask me anything!

Will getting my 2yr 10 month old Chihuahua castrated stop him from marking in the house? Any tips how to stop it?

I’ve been to about ten vets with my dog and none of them know what’s wrong. On the off chance that you might know! After a visit to a certain parlour she started getting flaky skin and blackheads that started on the lower back and spread, eventually resulting in hair loss. Medicated shampoo, antibiotics, flea and mite treatments haven’t helped. Any ideas?

My cat has only ever been given Hill's Science Plan optimal care dry food.
I'm struggling with the cost as living to a budget at the moment and it's about £17 a bag. Any other product just as good but cheaper? I love my cat but would like an alternative. 😺 Does it really make a difference to her overall health?

My old (unsure of age) rescue dog has anal tumours,the vet said nothing could be done to them cause of his age,they must be very irritating is putting human savlon,germolene type things on them ok,to ease his irritation as he licks at them and then they bleed

Hello! Thanks for doing this thread.

I have two male guinea pigs approx 4 and 2 living together, happily bonded (4 yr old entire and 2 yr old neutered) as they came from a rescue together. Lately 4 yr old has gone off his food, so in an attempt to get some weight back on him I have switched it up a bit- he is still eating peppers cucumbers and all that good stuff but refuses outright to eat anything green; cabbage, spinach, kale, broccoli etc which were all his favourites before. Worried about his nutrition tbh and wondering if you have any advice? He has been to the vet twice but she couldn’t find a thing wrong with him although he’s lost a little weight.

My 2 year old lab eats grass all the time, regardless of what he's been fed. He's not sick afterwards.
Is he just eating it because he likes it?

Hi

If you suspected Perianal fistula would give your dog atopica or would you try other avenues.

Hi

Thank you. I am always appreciatice of my Vets. There are two in particular who always deliver beyond exceptional care to my dogs and for that I'm grateful.

I have a few questions...

Firstly, I was sad to read that the suicide rate is really high amongst veterinarians and I'm really sorry if this is something that you've come across. Is there anything as owners we can do to reduce the pressure on our vets?

Which book would you recommend to all of your dog owning clients? I have a few of my favourites and often by them for friends when they're just about to bring a new canine companion home.

I know a previous question mentioned about biting being a hazard of the job, how often do you meet owners who have done a good level of training to prepare their dog for the vet environment? Can you often tell who has done a bit of work and who hasn't?

Finally, how often are you able to x-ray dogs who haven't any sedation?

What are your thoughts about pugs and other brachycephalic breeds? Do they suffer and is it cruel to breed those kind of features?

Every pug I've known appears to snort and struggle to breathe but maybe that's just normal.

Tropicana1 thanks for replying about our cat and taking the time to give some suggestions! Love this thread.

My 16 yo is currently sitting GCSE’s.
She really wants to study veterinary medicine at university.
For A’s she’s doing chemistry, biology, maths & further maths.
What would you recommend for work experience?
Where did you study?
She eventually wants to specialise in exotic animals.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks!

Cut tithe end. Sorry! How does one become an animal radiographer? particularly CT and MRI?

I understand there is 'a course' but is it necessary?

@runsmidgeOMG if it's clean and dry and showing no signs of infectious then it likely won't need any antibiotics, although I'm imagining something fairly small here - however it's very difficult to assess something like that without seeing it so if you have any doubt over it's healing then you should go and see your vet to be sure

@evilharpy sorry you've lost one of your pets. Any gift at all is really lovely and always very well appreciated by the team. Chocolate / biscuits / cakes are good if you want to give a gift to more than one person as they can be easily shared amongst the team. Flowers or wine always go down well too! But honestly any gift or card always makes us feel happy and that we've done a good job :)

@Tropicana1
Thank you ! it looks to be dry, it was about the size of a 2pence upwards so a fair size. Not gonna put myself in the best light but a friend who's a GP happened to be staying thought it was likely a cyst hence why we bathed it and hopefully got all the nastiness out. No signs of infection thankfully !
Will keep a close eye though, if there were I wouldn't hesitate to get him checked out properly :)

@FleasAndKeef absolutely - in an ideal world you would have separate waiting rooms and consult rooms for cats and dogs, mainly so the smell of dogs in the consult room and sounds of them in the waiting room don't stress out the cats. Some practices have the space and ability to go "cat friendly" and offer separate waiting rooms and consults, some have separate waiting areas with designated regions of seating. Unfortunately not all waiting rooms have the space but it's certainly something we should all be working towards for the good of our patients!

Thanks for you detailed answer. My 6 yo Staffordshire Bull Terrier has skin issues and many ear infections do if I don’t give her raw what would you recommend, what make of kibble. ( just checking my vet is giving me the best advice as it is very expensive)

My ddog has just had a mammary tumour removed. Given the all clear. She is still drinking quite a bit. We have recently changed her dry dog food. Is it the most likely cause of the increased thirst? Or should I be more concerned?

@MissConductUS

I’m not a vet but have unfortunately had to deal with HCM too. I’m so sorry you lost your cat, it’s a horrible condition.

We have a cat with HCM and his (likely) littermate. We have had a heart ultrasound scan carried out on the healthy littermate to check for any signs of early heart disease and will continue to have this done regularly. It is unfortunately a hereditary condition.

Any tips on getting rid of my jack Russells hot spot? He's on medication (apoquel) for general itchyness and is on a grain free diet but the hot spot just won't go.

Thank you

Thanks @MIA12 I was thinking about an ultrasound for the sibling also.

Well worth it for peace of mind @MissConductUS especially as by the time symptoms show it’s often too late

Why is there such difficulty in finding a rabbit savvy vet?

What do you really think of factory farming and the quality of life those farm animals have?

How does the veterinary industry as a whole feel about the farming industry's contribution to global warming?

Genuine questions, not trying to start a bun fight

@MissConductUS sorry to hear about your cat :( cardiomyopathy in cats is not uncommon, although possibly under diagnosed. There is a genetic predisposition to heart disease amongst certain breeds such as Maine coons so it is possible there could be an underlying genetic predisposition particularly if your cats are part purebred