Owning a Rabbit – Part 2

Food and Diet If you believe what you see in a Bugs Bunny cartoon rabbits only eat carrots. This is a complete myth.  A rabbit’s diet is far more complex.  If you broke it down it would look like this: 80% Grass and Hay – Rabbits digestive systems must have grass and/or hay in order to …

Worms

All cats and dogs will get worms at some stage in their life and many will be re-infected unless they receive regular worming treatment. There are many types of worms that can infect your pet, these include roundworm, tapeworm, hookworm, whipworm and heartworm to name a few. However, in this blog we will deal with …

Distemper in Ferrets

Distemper in Ferrets Distemper is a contagious disease of dogs & ferrets caused by a virus. It is very serious and can be fatal. Most dogs are protected from distemper by their annual inoculation, and it is now a very rare condition in the UK, simply because of the availability of reliable vaccines. Recently there …

The Vets Says – Elbow Dysplasia

ELBOW DYSPLASIA Elbow dysplasia is another developmental problem some dogs can be prone to. German Shepherds, Labrador Retreivers,Rottweilers and Bassett Hounds are some of the breeds we see most commonly with this condition. Normal Elbow Anatomy The elbow joint is formed where the 3 long bones of the foreleg meet; namely the humerus (runs from …

An In-Depth Look at Arthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease)

Arthritis strictly means inflammation of the joint and there are many possible causes of this. When we talk about arthritis we are usually talking about a specific type of arthritis called degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis. DJD is the commonest joint disease seen in many different breeds of dogs and cats and is often …

The Vets Says…Gastric Dilation and Volvulus (GDV) or Bloat

GDV can also be known as Bloat or Gastric Torsion Introduction GDV is a life-threatening emergency. It is a common condition in large,deep chested breeds such as German Shepherds, Weimeraners, Great Danes, Irish Wolfhounds, St Bernards and URGENT VETERINARY ATTENTION is needed. Although larger breeds are most commonly affected any size dog can suffer from …

Hip Dysplasia Part 1 – What it is and what causes it.

Hip dysplasia is a common condition in dogs. It predominantly affects larger breeds of dog and is particularly common in German Shepherds, Labrador retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, Great Danes and St Bernards. However, any breed of dog and even cats can be affected. To fully understand it we must first consider the normal hip joint. …