Call the Vet - an insider's guide to dog and cat health

FIP - three initials that strike fear into every cat who knows how deadly this disease can be. While the virus that causes Feline Infectious Peritonitis is incredibly common, up until now treatment has been hopeless. thankfully, there could soon be a brand new treatment that offers an infected cat a much better chance of survival. Find out more in the full show notes Love the show? Sharing this ep...

The problem with itchy skin in dogs can be one of the most frustrating conditions to deal with both as a veterinarian and a dog owner because, not only can it be really difficult to actually get a handle on what is causing your dog's itch, it also makes your pet's life miserable. This episode breaks down the main causes of itching in dogs, as well as some reliable strategies to stop your...

Being faced with the prospects of amputating your pet’s leg can be a decision that needs to be made quickly and without warning. It can also be a decision filled with anxiety, guilt, and apprehension. Jim and Rene, the founders of tripawds.com, are the 2 people you want in your corner if you’re struggling with the thought of your dog or cat living a quality of life on 3 legs, or looking for tips t...

If your pet's unwell, then making the decision to run a certain diagnostic test, or have a procedure carried out can be really difficult. Especially if there is a chance that that could actually cause your pet harm. That's the challenge faced in today's question because the last thing we want to do when we're trying to make a diagnosis is to actually kill our patient! Head over...

Does your pet show signs of fear, anxiety, or stress when they visit their veterinarian? If so, they are not alone! The “Fear Free” movement seeks to put a stop to this and make your pet’s trip to the vet an experience to be enjoyed rather than feared! How then is a fear free certified veterinarian different, and should you consider changing vets? Having recently become fear-free certified, I shar...

When you bring a new puppy into your life, the last thing you want is for them to suffer from a horrible genetic condition that could have been predicted if you had known a test was available. This is just one consideration when it comes to making sure your new puppy is as healthy as possible. Head over to the full show notes Love the show? Sharing this episode or leaving a review helps others kno...

We all know how important vaccinations are in keeping our pets safe from preventable, deadly diseases. The last thing we want though is for our interventions to have the opposite effect and hurt our dogs and cats. The risk of side-effects is a reality, but if your dog develops a lump after vaccination is it something to be concerned about? Check out the full show notes Love the show? Sharing this...

Are you scared that whenever you leave your dog alone you are going to return to a scene of total destruction? Have you been spending a lot of time with your new puppy during lockdown and started to worry about how they are going to cope when restrictions lift? Separation anxiety is no laughing matter or minor inconvenience. In fact, if changes aren’t made then a dog can quickly go from feeling a...

Having a blood test is a frequent next-step when a problem is being investigated. It is also a common recommendation to run bloods as a "routine" health screen in older dogs and cats. The results, however, can sometimes leave you with more questions than answers... Download Pet Health Essentials - my free guide that will help optimize your pet's health so they are living as healthy,...

Physiotherapy and other physical therapies like hydrotherapy form an important part of any rehabilitation and recovery process after surgery or injury. It is though vital that any treatment is carried out properly - otherwise, there could be more harm done than good Click here to download my free guide Pet Health Essentials, to optimizing your pet's health When carried out by a trained practi...

Vaccines are a fundamental step in having the healthiest dog (and cat) possible. It is though important to only vaccinate against diseases that actually pose a threat. Otherwise, the risk of side effects outweigh the potential benefits. Vaccinations is just one of the 5 topics I discuss in my free guide Pet Health Essentials Although vaccines are very safe, you do need to be aware of potential sid...

Large and giant breed dogs are at risk of a number of fairly unique conditions that affect their bones and joints. Understanding the implications of this can save you a lot of heartache and ensure you know exactly how to manage them for optimal health. Download my free guide Pet Care Essentials here Hypertophic osteodystrophy in dogs is a bone disease that occurs in young, fast-growing large and g...

Having an itchy dog or cat can be incredibly frustrating! Finding out why they are itching is not always easy and then finding a management or treatment plan that stops your dog or cat scratching all the time can take forever. Join me as I work through the causes of itching in dogs and cats, how you can diagnose the problem in your pet, and then what you need to know about treating their skin cond...

Getting your picky dog to eat can be hard enough, but it’s even more worrying if you think they are too skinny… I understand how frustrating having a picky dog can be, especially if you are worried that they are underweight. There are 2 steps you need to take: Find out if your dog is actually a healthy weight or not. Hopefully your vet should have given you some indication as to whether or not he...

A lot of owners feel like their pet’s health is out of their hands, and simply put their trust in luck. The reality is that this approach compromises their pet’s health and ends up costing a lot more money. Click here to learn more about the academy The fact is that since I graduated from vet school in 2006, it’s become increasingly clear to me that the most common diseases and injuries I see in m...

If your cat is shredding the arm of your favorite sofa or scratching your curtains all the time, one of the best solutions is to get your cat to use a scratching post instead. Getting your cat to use their new scratching post is more complicated than simply adding it to the corner of your room. But using these proven steps will help them quickly make the transition! Win lifetime Academy membership...

The last thing I want is to see as a veterinarian is my patients come to see me at the vet clinic because they are unwell or injured. Especially if it is something that could have been prevented in the first place (or at least the risk massively reduced). Download "Pet Health Essentials" for FREE here The fact is, it is well within your reach to take the right steps to optimize your dog...

Are flea treatments poisoning your pet’s blood...or are they completely safe? Download my free book: Pet Health Essentials Using Garlic as a Flea Treatment There is no good evidence to suggest that feeding garlic has any flea repellant activity Garlic, onion and chives (all in the allium family) cuse red blood cell destruction which can result in severe anaemia - head here to read more about onion...

It can be a very worrying time if your older dog has started to have seizures. While it is tempting to pass them off as normal “idiopathic” epilepsy, the reality is that, unless your dog has had seizures when they were younger, it is highly unlikely that this diagnosis is correct. There is likely to be another underlying seizure cause. Download the FREE guide here The Causes of Seizures in an Olde...

Being able to go toilet is fundamental to life. There are a number of reasons why an older cat might not be able to pee or poop. All need treatment but some are more serious than others. Grab my FREE guide to keeping your cat as happy and healthy as possible The reasons why a cat is unable to empty their bladder: an obstruction within the bladder which can be the result of inflammation, infection,...

Grapes can be incredibly poisonous but they can also be completely harmless…so when should you worry? A single grape will be absolutely fine for a dog of this size I have a raisin and grape toxicity calculator to help you know when there could be a problem in the future There is a lot of uncertainty about grape poisoning because the actual toxin is unknown and there is a lot of variation in indivi...

Phantom pregnancy is a common problem in entire female dogs where the body is essentially tricked into thinking it is pregnant. Spaying is the best way to get rid of the problem for good. But if you have an older female dog, is the surgery too risky? A dog who has had a phantom pregnancy after a previous heat, typically experiences one every subsequent season. They also often become more pronounce...

I bet you haven’t thought about the environmental impact of your dog’s poop (and if you have you’re amazing!). The fact is that leaving their waste where they toilet in a health hazard, and the plastic waste and methane production from simply throwing it in the trash is huge. Here are some solutions… The Dog Poop Mountain! over 96 million dogs in US, UK + Australia alone, producing about 12 millio...

The COVID-19 coronavirus is rapidly spreading across the globe, and there are reports of pets being abandoned en-mass with people fearing their dog or cat could spread the infection to their family. In this special episode, I discuss the risk that your pet poses to your health, as well as how you can better prepare your pet for the events that are to come. Be aware too that this is a rapidly chang...

A cat who urinates outside the litter box, literally spraying their urine on everything, is one of the most stressful conditions around - both for your cat and you as their owner. Even more so if you’ve tried absolutely everything to help them stop. Here are the next steps to take… Check out the Our Pet's Health Academy One thing I always find helpful with cases that are not going as I would...