Dental disease is commonly seen in cats when there is an accumulation of plaque and tartar on their teeth, if left overtime this causes damage to the tooth, gums and mouth.
Bringing your pet in for their yearly vaccinations allows for regular health checks and monitoring of certain issues, such as a heart murmur, weight gain and the presence of lumps. It also is a great time for the vet to check your pet’s oral health!
Morris came in for his vaccination in September, he isn’t the most co-operative kitty so had what we call PVP’s onboard (pre visit pharmaceuticals), to make him feel calmer whilst at the vets. It was noticed he had tartar accumulating on his teeth and reddened gums, often called gingivitis. Tartar looks like a hard yellow or brown deposit over the teeth and unfortunately is can’t be removed with most dental products or brushing. Gingivitis can be uncomfortable for our pets, in severe cases they can go off their food. He was recommended to book in for a dental assessment, so that a thorough exam could be performed and x-rays could be taken.
Here’s what Morris’s Mum had to say about his dental treatment plan!
“My 8 year old cat has truly benefited from dental treatment at the Mayne Veterinary Clinic. As always, they went above and beyond both to make him comfortable and keep him calm and to keep me updated and informed. Since his dental treatment, he has more energy and has returned to normal eating habits. Thank you to everyone at the Mayne Veterinary Clinic!“
Case Study Two: Dave the Greyhound
Greyhounds are a breed of dog that are a higher risk of dental disease, along with toy dog breeds, flat faced breeds and spaniels. Age will also impact the incidence of dental disease and so will certain chews increasing the chance of tooth fractures and abscess formation.
As with Morris, Dave was recommended a dental assessment following his yearly vaccination. Following his dental assessment we were able to remove 7 teeth at the same time as they were simple extractions. There are a further 5 teeth that are to be monitored, hopefully with a homecare plan these teeth will be preserved and delay any further dental work for a few years.
To help manage his pain he was administered local anaesthetic blocks and given injectable medications, with oral liquid to be given at home once a day. As part of our post dental package our nursing team are on hand to see your pet for their initial check up after a dental, and to support you and your pet after any dental work has been carried out. Dave was seen 1 month after his dental, following advise to start brushing his teeth there has been a massive improvement in the build up of plaque. We will see him back in 3 months time to monitor for any deterioration.
Here’s what Dave’s Mum had to say about his dental journey with us!
“We are owners of 3 greyhounds who as a breed are known for teeth issues. So when Dave had his yearly check up I asked about his teeth, which we know needed a good clean. Having spoken with the vet we decided to go ahead with his dental treatment, and were told he may need to have a few out and would keep me informed with his dental treatment whilst he was with them.
Once he had a number of teeth removed and the rest cleaned, the followed visits have been great. The first check up, they said he had a bit of plaque build up and if I could brush them, in combination with what other bits I was doing should work.The last visit he had they were very pleased, no build up now and to carry on doing what we are doing!
Dave has one more visit following the dental treatment and I’m sure if our others need dentals done I would not hesitate in getting them booked in”.
As we are approaching the time for your pets booster, we wanted to update you on some changes we have made to our vaccination protocol for dogs. At the Mayne Veterinary Clinic, we are committed to providing the best possible care for your pets, which includes staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in veterinary medicine. In this case we are updating the way we protect our dogs against leptospirosis.
What are we changing?
Leptospirosis is a disease that can infect dogs and people and can present in a range of severity from mild disease to fatal infections. We have traditionally vaccinated our dogs against two strains of leptospirosis, but there is growing evidence that there are strains of leptospirosis currently in the UK that are not covered by the current “L2” vaccine. Therefore, following the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, we will be switching our patients over to the more comprehensive “L4” vaccine.
What this means for your pet?
When we see your dog for their booster we will be switching to the L4 version of the vaccine. However, to ensure your dog receives optimal protection, we will need to administer a follow-up vaccine 4 weeks after your pet’s regular booster. This additional dose is crucial for building comprehensive immunity against the expanded range of leptospirosis strains. There will be no additional charge for receiving the follow up vaccine.
Our commitment to you
As always, our team is dedicated to providing compassionate and high-quality care for your pets. We believe this change will significantly enhance the protection we can offer against this potentially serious disease.
If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to address any queries you may have and to ensure the continued well-being of your beloved pet. More information about L4 vaccines can be found by following this link.
Thank you for entrusting us with your pet’s care. We look forward to seeing you and your furry friend at your next appointment.
The purpose of this part of our article is to provide you with some information regarding the parasites we routinely treat in veterinary medicine and consideration of any potential risks when not treating for them. As mentioned in Part One, parasite treatment is an area of veterinary medicine currently under heavy debate, with many people raising concerns regarding what impact the drugs we use to prevent parasite infestation may or may not be having on the wider environment.
We have aimed to provide you information about most common parasites we tend to treat for in the UK, along with a summary of the risks involved. We haven’t written this as a “quick read” but have tried to provide a fuller explanation into the challenges we need to consider when treating our pets. (However, a shorter summary can be found here or at the end of the article).
Fleas
The most common flea seen in cats and dogs is the “cat flea”. These fleas can be picked up outdoors and brought inside. Here they will merrily breed all year long, occasionally nibbling their human housemates while doing so (they often tend to have a favourite target!). Once established on our pets a female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day. These eggs can then hatch in the environment as larvae which then like to find somewhere dark to hide. Here they form a pupae (like caterpillars). This pupal stage can last in the environment for up to a year before hatching out as an adult flea and starting the cycle all over again. When treating a pet for fleas, it is always important to remember to treat the household with a good quality house spray. It is also worth bearing in mind that even the best household treatments cannot kill the pupal stages and so once a flea problem has become established it can take some time to resolve!
What is the risk to your pet?
The main problem fleas pose to your pets is that they can be incredibly irritating, particularly if your pet is allergic to the flea’s saliva. Fleas are also part of the tapeworm lifecycle and some pets with fleas subsequently go on to develop tapeworm infestations. Additionally, over time a large flea burden can also cause an anaemia to develop in your pet. Fleas have been shown to carry bartonella, a species of bacteria that can cause “Cat Scratch Fever”.
Are they a risk to human health?
The most common concern clients have with flea infestation (other than seeing the fleas themselves!) is that family members have been receiving flea bites. However, there is also a disease that can be seen in people that is referred to as “Cat Scratch Fever”, and is caused by the infection of a bartonella species of bacteria. The bartonella bacteria can be transmitted via flea dirt in a variety of ways but the most common is via cat scratches. The symptoms of this disease in people are usually mild, but it can cause more serious complications in immunocompromised people. Due to the non-specific and often mild symptoms shown in people, it is hard to really know how commonly the disease is spread or its incidence within the UK.
What are the risks of not treating?
It is important not to ignore the risk of Cat Scratch Fever in households with immunocompromised people, however, the major concern with fleas to most of us is the annoyance factor of bites coupled with the length of time it could take to clear a household of infestation.
Who should consider treatment?
As mentioned, the cat flea is the most common culprit in UK households and so UK households with cats that go outside are more likely to encounter fleas. Many of us believe that dogs that live in cat free households are at lower risk of picking up fleas and so owners may consider not using preventative treatment. While this is probably true, there are no studies to confirm that this is the case. As such pet owners who chose not to treat should be aware that cat fleas can live quite happily on dogs and owners need to be aware of the challenges to treatment should their pet pick up fleas.
Roundworms
Dogs and cats tend to pick up roundworms by ingesting eggs from the environment including direct contact with other dogs; eating undercooked meat; or by eating other infected animals such as rodents, earthworms and birds. Once our pets are infected, the roundworm will complete its lifecycle, develop into adults, and start laying eggs of their own.
What is the risk to your pet?
Roundworms rarely cause significant disease in adult dogs and cats but infection can pass through the placenta and high worm burdens can cause significant disease in both puppies and kittens.
Are they a risk to human health?
Yes, but the incidence of infection is hard to know. The roundworms eggs can be picked up via contact with contaminated soil and sand; eating unwashed fruit and vegetables; or by placing contaminated objects in our mouths. Classic examples of environmental infection could be contact with contaminated fur and bedding or children playing in gardens or parks where infected dogs or cats have defecated.
Ingested eggs won’t develop into the adult stage in people, but can cause disease. Again, symptoms of the disease in people are normally mild but worms can develop to the larval stage and migrate to eyes, brain or liver. Children seem to be at more risk of this disease. Again, with the wide range of clinical symptoms and lack of routine surveillance, it is hard to know the exact incidence of this disease in the UK. It is thought that there are 1.4 billion people affected worldwide, and some studies have shown around 10.5 percent of people tested in European regions have been exposed at some stage. In addition, studies carried out in the UK have shown contamination in public parks all over the UK.
Who should consider treatment?
In the absence of regular worm egg counting, we would advise treating pets for roundworms at least 4 times a year. Households that are at greater risk such as those with children or whose pets are regular hunters should consider treating more regularly. It is also very important to help reduce environmental contamination by picking up faeces and disposing them promptly, both in the garden and in public areas. For those who do not wish to treat regularly, it is advisable to perform worm counts on your pets at least four times a year. Faecal egg counts can be performed either via your vet, or via a reliable commercial laboratory in which there is growing availability. But owners who chose this option need to be aware there is a chance their pet could become infected and shed eggs between tests.
Image from ‘Unsplash’
Tapeworms
Both cats and dogs can pick up tapeworm in the UK. Cats tend to pick up tapeworm from hunting and ingesting fleas and lice; dogs can also pick up tapeworm from eating infected carcasses (sheep, cattle, pigs and other livestock) or raw food diets that have been inadequately frozen. Cats and dogs are considered the “definitive host” for these tapeworm species and as such the tapeworms will develop to full maturity and release eggs. However, other mammalian species are involved in the transmission. When the tapeworm eggs are picked up by these “intermediate” hosts (birds/sheep/cattle/pigs) they won’t develop into mature worms. Instead, the immature stage of the tapeworm moves to organs such as the liver and lungs of these species and form cystic disease.
What is the risk to your pet?
Tapeworms are rarely associated with significant clinical signs of disease in pets. Tapeworm segments leaving the anus may cause anal irritation. However, it should be noted that tapeworm does cause more significant disease in the “intermediate hosts”, wild birds in the case of cats, and livestock in the case of dogs. This can have significant welfare impacts to these animals as well as an economic impacts in farming areas.
Are they a risk to human health?
The dog tapeworm present in the UK, Echinococcus granulosus, can cause significant health concerns in people but this rarely occurs. Like the “intermediate hosts”, this tapeworm infection can cause cystic disease in multiple organs in infected people. This disease is seen more commonly in more tropical climates, but there is thought to be 10-20 new cases in the UK every year.
Who should consider treatment?
Owners of pets that regularly hunt or have access to carcasses or are on raw food diets should consider treating for tapeworm monthly. Owners of pets that have had a significant flea infestation should consider treating for tapeworm as well as fleas. Pets that receive regular flea treatment and have limited access to hunting or raw food diets are at much lower risk and require less regular treatment.
Travel Considerations
In addition to concerns about tapeworms currently present in the UK, it should be noted that there are also tapeworm species currently in mainland Europe that pose significant risk of ill health to owners. There are concerns in the veterinary industry that the current legislation with regards to travelling with your pet may not be adequate to prevent the importation of other tapeworm species. As such, in addition to your legal requirement to treat your pet prior to returning to the UK, we would also recommend repeating this treatment after you’ve returned to the UK to cover for any potential exposure to tapeworm between the day of treatment while away and your return to the UK.
Ticks
There are several species of tick widespread throughout the UK. These ticks are most often found in wooded areas or areas with long grass, especially in the spring, summer and autumn months. Ticks are multi-host parasites, in that they attach themselves to one host to feed, then drop off to go through a developmental stage before attaching to another host. Most ticks in the UK attach to 3 different hosts in their lifecycle. Whilst ticks can cause some discomfort and localised infection, especially if not removed correctly, the main health concern with ticks is the potential of spread of disease
What is the risk to your pet?
In the UK we have several diseases that can be spread to our pets and ourselves via tick bites. The most well-known one of these is Lyme disease. Lyme disease can infect dogs, humans, and more rarely cats, causing various problems including fever, lameness and kidney disease. The symptoms of the disease can be significant and prompt identification and treatment is vital. However, other diseases include anaplasmosis, babesia infection and tick-borne encephalitis.
Are they a risk to human health?
While people can pick-up tick-borne diseases, this would be due to a bite from a contaminated tick picked up in the same area as your dog found one, rather than transmission of disease from your dog. Lyme disease has been established in the UK for a long time and can cause a range of symptoms from mild fever through to paralysis if untreated. However, tick borne encephalitis is a relatively new arrival, having spread from mainland Europe, with only a few human cases being confirmed in the UK. It is a viral condition spread via tick bites that can cause a range of symptoms from mild flu-like symptoms up to meningitis. The virus has now been confirmed in ticks in Thetford Forest, Hampshire/Dorset Border, the New Forest and North Yorkshire Moors
Who should consider treatment?
We should consider regular treatment for pets that access areas that are more prone to ticks, such as long grass or wooded areas. Ticks are more prevalent in the spring, summer and autumn months. Regardless of whether you treat your pet or not, all owners should regularly check their pets for ticks and seek veterinary advice for the correct method of removing ticks using the recommended tools to assist. Cats seem to be less susceptible to tick disease than their canine counterparts. It is not clear if this may be because they are less prone to picking up ticks, or if they are better at removing them before we find them; but cats are certainly capable of picking them up, especially if they like to visit animal burrows.
Travel Considerations
There are many more disease risks associated with tick bites in pets that have travelled to mainland Europe than we have in the UK and we would strongly advise discussing any travel plans with your vet. There are no compulsory steps in the travel legislation that will protect your pet against tick borne disease while travelling and some of the tick species in Europe can be brought back to the UK to live quite happily in your household.
One of the European ticks that can carry a disease called babesia has been established in the UK for many years, but has not previously been known to carry the babesia infection. However, in 2015 and 2016 there were some confirmed cases of Babesia in the UK in dogs that had not travelled to Europe prompting concerns that it could become established here if given the opportunity. Prompt identification and management of the affected local area seems to have helped reduce its transmission, but it is still an area for concern.
Image from ‘Unsplash’
Lungworm in Dogs
Lungworm is spread to dogs via the ingestion of infected slugs or snails or via toys or bowls that have come into contact with contaminated slugs and snails. Once infected, the larvae develop into worms which reside in the heart and major blood vessel of the lungs.
What is the risk to your pet?
Symptoms of lungworm are variable but can include breathing problems and pneumonia as well as bleeding and neurological disorders. Symptoms can be mild initially but can progress to fatal disease if not identified and treated.
Is there any risk to human health
No
Who should consider treatment?
We know that lungworm presence in the UK can be very patchy, with the disease being much more prevalent in some local areas compared to others. Dogs that like to eat slugs and snails are at more risk and should receive regular treatment, but we should be conscious of the risk to all dogs if they have toys or bowls that are left outdoors. It is an area where more information on local exposure would massively help our understanding of risks to individual households. However, the only route to discovering that information is by regularly testing the pets that have not been treated for disease.
What are the next steps?
Thank you for investing so much time in reading this article, we know this hasn’t been a quick read! The next step is to consider what risks your pet is exposed to on a day to day basis and discuss any concerns with our team at the clinic. As it is clear, there is no “one solution fits all” and we are always happy to individualise the treatment plan for your pet and your household depending on what you are concerned about. To help with the costs we have a well-established Pet Health Club. Our Pet Health Club can provide you with an individualised vaccination and parasite treatment plan as well as unlimited vet and nurse consults amongst other benefits to help provide the care your pet needs.
For more information on this or anything else discussed in either of these articles, please feel free to contact us at the clinic. Otherwise, we hope they have been helpful and thank you very much for your time.
(Summary table containing bite sized information on the article above)
Source
Risk To Pets
Risk to people
Fleas (Cat Flea)
Picked up outdoors or eggs brought into house after visiting infected households. Once established in a household, fleas can breed all year round and can take over a year to clear once discovered.
Irritation Cat Scratch Fever, the symptoms of which can vary from mild flu like symptoms to serious disease in immunocompromised individuals.
Roundworms
Contact with contaminated soil Eating undercooked meat Ingestion of other infected animals including rodents, birds and earthworms
Rarely cause significant disease unless high worm counts in puppies and kittens
Yes, but incidence is hard to know. Normally signs of infection in people are mild but larval forms of worms can travel to organs including eyes and liver
Tapeworms
Fleas and Lice Hunting Eating infected carcass (livestock) Raw food diets that have been inadequately frozen
Minimal risk to dogs and cats but can cause significant disease to other animals in lifecycle
The dog tapeworm present in UK can cause significant disease in people but this is rare in UK
Ticks
Picked up in long grass and wooded areas
Tick borne disease would be greatest risk including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesia
Tick borne diseases are also a risk to people including Lyme disease and Tick – borne Encephalitis
Lungworm
Picked up from eating slugs or snails or contact with bowls or toys that been in contact with infected slugs and snails
Yes, symptoms can vary from breathing problems and pneumonia through to bleeding and neurological disorders
PART ONE: Where are we coming from and where are we going?
Currently one of the most hotly debated topics in the care of our furry family members is the treatment and prevention of parasitic disease. The attitude to this seems to be constantly changing, with the establishment of new parasites in the UK; the establishment and spread of diseases that these parasites may be carrying; the development of new treatment methods and, more recently, a developing concern of whether those treatments may or may not be impacting the environment, there is certainly a lot to consider!
As with any hotly debated issue, the online world is full of opinions. These opinions are often presented as facts that may not actually be true and can be coupled with advice that may or not be helpful. Advice such as recommending treating your pet with half doses of parasite treatments works just as well (a proven route to resistance to treatment!); or comparing flea infestations in our pets with lice infestations in our children (forgetting that head lice won’t infest are home and don’t carry diseases that some of the parasites our pets carry do!)
What we have aimed to in this two part article is try to give you a factual summary of how we have traditionally treated our pets and the challenges that impact our decision making, including prevalence of local disease. We will also look at what may be changing along with a better understanding of the risks and benefits that should be considered when choosing whether or not to treat our pets for these disease.
It’s not going to be a short story… (maybe sit down with a cup of tea) but we truly hope it will be helpful in clarifying the current and developing situation. This information is mainly considering the UK pet population and is a summary of where we are at in November 2024.
Where have we come from?: “Evidence based medicine” and “Do Least Harm”
Two of the tenants that form the foundation of responsible veterinary medicine are:
To make treatment plans based on all available evidence,
In the absence of sufficient evidence, to precede in a way that does the least harm.
One of the major challenges with deciding on appropriate parasite treatment protocols has always been the lack of definitive evidence on localised parasite risks. For example, we know Lyme disease, a disease transmitted by ticks, used to be mainly located in areas including the New Forest, the west coast of the UK and the highlands of Scotland. However, there is now evidence of it being found in tick populations throughout the UK, but little specific data of how prevalent it may be in any given area. We also know that lungworm has become established in the UK, especially in the south of England, but we don’t know how prevalent it is in local pockets around our local environment.
Given the serious health consequences of developing some of these parasitic diseases and the risk to human health in some circumstances, we as veterinary professionals and pet owners have traditionally decided the “least harm” route is to treat our pets with preventative treatment against these parasites to reduce the possibility of disease developing. This choice has been exacerbated by the fact it is usually cheaper for the owner to give preventative treatment to treat for parasites, than it is to test for the presence of the parasites themselves. Further to this, to make this treatment easier for most owners to give, companies have developed products that aim to treat all parasites in one tablet or spot on which can lead to over-treating for parasites that aren’t necessarily a concern for the individual animal.
What has changed?
The environment around us!
Again, the arguments around this area are heated and often contradictory. What we do know is that studies have shown a dramatic drop in the insect population within the UK along with a reduction in the biodiversity in our waterways. In addition, there are studies showing the level of drugs contained within some of the parasite treatments we use in the pet population have been found in our waterways (mainly fipronil and imidacloprid).
Now it is important to clarify that fipronil and imidacloprid have both been used in the agricultural industry for some time and this would have a significant impact on the levels found in waterways, but there is also evidence of these drugs present in waterways that were not near treated farms. A further study done in 2022 summarised that there was currently no clear evidence that parasiticides used in our pets were having a negative effect on the environment, but strongly stressed that this may be due to lack of evidence and called for in-depth regulatory investigation of the environmental risks of these drugs. A single study in 2017 also found moxidectin in waterways, and one Dutch study has shown evidence of flulaner in a water environment following a swim test with a dog that had been treated with that drug. Ultimately, a lot more research needs to be done to assess whether these drugs are truly having an impact on the environment.
We also need to see changes in the regulations surrounding what drug companies publish about their effects. While the use of parasiticides in agriculture are heavily regulated with regards to their environmental impact, there is less regulation regarding their use in pets. The argument being that the treatment of one dog or one cat has negligible effect on the environment, not taking into account the millions of pets being treated across the UK. This is something we believe needs to change.
So what to do next?
So while the cogs slowly turn in the regulatory bodies of the government and pharmaceutical industry, the question remains, what should we as pet owners be doing next?
Consider our individual household risk:
While the debate rages on as to whether and how much impact the use of parasite treatment used in the pet population has on the environment. It would seem prudent to reconsider the way we approach its use. We need to shift our thinking from simply “do least harm to the pet in our house” to also include “and do least harm to the environment around us” while also considering any potential health risk to the people living in our households and the local area.
However, this involves some difficult decisions and will ultimately come down to owners’ personal preference. There are risks that owners who chose to reduce their pet’s parasite prevention strategies should be aware of. Many of those risks are low, but again, it is an area that is hard to fill with absolute facts or figures.
With regards to discussing these risks, we have tried to summarise them as clearly as possible inPart Two of this article. Our goal has been to provide the information as clearly as possible, without being too alarmist! Our suggestion would be for you to read the information available, discuss it further on a one to one basis with your veterinary surgeon, and devise a parasite control strategy that you feel is best suited to your household.
Gather more information:
I suspect if you’ve read this far, you would agree that the most frustrating aspect of looking at the use of parasite treatments in pets is the persistent lack of information. We lack reliable information on:
how many cases of human illness derived from pet parasites are seen in the UK every year;
we lack data from the drugs companies about how these drugs are excreted into the environment and in what form (which they are currently under no legal obligation to research or provide);
we don’t have enough information about the prevalence of these diseases in our local environment.
We are collectively trying to navigate a sensible solution to the treatment of our pets while dealing with some significant information gaps. Now some of these measures are out of our hands. We need a clearer national (human and pet) disease monitoring systems; we need legislation changes for the drug manufacturers to publish more information about how these drugs are excreted; and we need continued environmental research into whether the use of these drugs are impacting the environment and to what level. Monitoring of parasiticide levels in waterways are still on going, but as far as we are aware, there is no testing being done on soil.
Test not treat:
However, the only way we can learn more about the prevalence of disease in local area is by testing our pets. This will take a shift in the mindset of pet owners and veterinary professionals alike. For example, it has been far cheaper for us to treat for intestinal worms rather than to test for them, so that is what we have generally suggested, and what clients have happily embraced. Similarly, we know that lungworm tends to exist in pockets in local areas, but it is only by testing our patients and forming a database of where pets have been, that we can start to form a map of where those pockets are.
Ultimately, the cost of these tests would need to be borne by the pet owners themselves. In an environment where the costs of providing veterinary medicine have escalated heavily in the last 4 years, we appreciate that the discussion of increased costs for veterinary care won’t be welcome to many. However, it is worth looking at the UK horse population as a good example of how positive change can be achieved.
Twenty years ago, horses were routinely treated for intestinal worms, but horse owners often struggled with accurately weighing and dosing their horses correctly. This led to a situation where horses may have been treated too often and with dosages of medications that were too low. We know that under dosing of parasite treatment can lead to the development of resistance and we were certainly seeing a developing issue in the horse population at that time. However, the industry responded very well and there has been a clear shift from “regular worming treatments” to “regular worm egg counts”.
This has subsequently led to appropriate dosing only when necessary which is not only beneficial to the horses themselves, but also to the reduction of developing resistance. While we would need to be more careful replicating this system in the pet population as there is a greater risk to people that are exposed to eggs produced by intestinal worms from our pets than those from intestinal worms in horses, a switch to regular worm counts rather than medicating could be possible if done correctly.
In summary:
We need to consider making some major changes from funding of studies and regulatory changes from the government, right down to the way we discuss parasite treatment in our consult rooms and in our households with our pets. In the absence of concrete information, a lot of these decisions will come down to our personal assessment of risk. There are no right or wrong answers, but we would encourage you all to read the information provided, (avoid the misinformation found online!) then come and discuss your personal situation with a member of our vet team.
We have a position for a part time registered veterinary nurse available at Mayne Vets! Does working part time work fit into your schedule? Are you looking to work at an independent veterinary clinic, who prioritises environmental sustainability and team wellbeing? Are you looking to work for a clinic that values their nurses and utilises their skills and abilities?
Being a 50 minute train ride from London and Stanstead airport and based on the North Essex/Suffolk border, we are surrounded by beautiful countryside and awesome beaches with plenty of travel opportunities and day trips.
However, what really sets out practice aside is the way our team have such a strong influence over how it is run. The best ideas come from the team themselves, so we have well established systems in place for quickly bringing ideas generated into fruition. Our team have freedom to grow their individual roles and the practice in a way that improves their enjoyment of the job. A couple of our nurses have implemented confidence clinics, which we are well known for in the Colchester area. One of our nurses has the driving force, alongside our practice manager, towards our green accreditation and environmental projects. We are keen to support and assist individuals in the development of their nursing roles and career. We have weekly nurse meetings for clinical case discussions, team projects and establishing new ideas and improvements.
A result of team led initiatives in reducing our environmental impact we obtained ‘GreenStatus‘ from Investors in the Environment, were awarded “Green (small) Practice of the Year Award” in 2024 and the “Champions of Health and Wellness” at The Vet Dynamics Awards in 2022 .
The Role
We are looking for a nurse to work 2-3 days a week (working 7-7.5 hour days) with 1 in 4 Saturdays. Our opening hours are from 8:30am – 6:30pm Monday to Friday and 8:30am – 12:00pm on Saturdays, with OOH veterinary care being provided by Vets Now and the option of Vidivet for veterinary advice to our clients.
We have a high vet to nurse ratio, with 7 RVNS and 1 SVN at the clinic, our nurse consultation length is 20 minutes running clinics from nail clipping and anal gland emptying, to confidence, mobility and dental clinics. Nursing shifts are created in a way that allow for variety, covering theatre and anaesthesia, in patient care, consulting and admin work.
We are offering a banded salary rate (dependent on experience), CPD funded, RCVS and VDS fees paid, private healthcare and travel scheme bonus.
If you would be interested in working at Mayne Vets email Keith at manager@maynevets.co.uk or feel free to call us on 01206 851338 for an informal chat.
In the summer months we routinely see seeds embedded in between pads, in ears and even up noses. Not a week goes by without an owner phoning to report that their dog has suddenly starting to shake their head after a walk, or that they’ve noticed a swelling in between their toes that their dog just won’t leave alone.
Grass seeds have pointed ends that allow them to easily burrow into a dog’s fur becoming stuck, causing irritation, inflammation and even infection. The team have been keeping a tally this season, and we have so far removed 31 grass seeds.
We have however seen a few challenging cases of late, which proved more troublesome to remove and treat in general practice. We have had to refer these dogs to a specialist centre, and this lovely Springer Spaniel Tilly was in fact one of them! Read on to find out more about Tilly’s story…
Tilly’s Story
Tilly first presented to us at the start of July. She was struggling to chew harder treats and her mouth was very painful. She was prescribed some medication to make her more comfortable and to revisit if the symptoms persisted or worsened. Unfortunately, a few days later, Tilly was no better and she had now developed a swelling on the right side of her forehead above her eye (see pictured below).
Tilly was admitted for further investigations with Charlotte, the vet on surgery that day. Tilly’s eye was examined, but no ‘foreign body’ (a technical term for anything that gets in where it shouldn’t be) was found under her eyelids or around her eye socket. The inside of her mouth was able to be visualised safely whilst she was under general anaesthetic and Charlotte noticed an area at the back of Tilly’s mouth was producing discharge. Often in the presence of a ‘foreign body’, the body will have an inflammatory reaction, causing swelling, pain, heat, redness and discharge, which I’m sure many of you will have seen if your dog has had a grass seed in between their toes before.
Charlotte went on to perform an ultrasound scan of the swelling above Tilly’s eye and noticed an abnormality of around 1.6cm in length behind the eye. Due to the location of the grass seed being so close to the eye, with a lot of important structures around, it was advised that Tilly go for an emergency referral to the ophthalmology team at Dick White Referrals for treatment.
Tilly’s eye was examined by an ophthalmology specialist, and thankfully her eye was not affected in any way. She underwent an MRI and ultrasound of the swollen area, which confirmed the presence of an abscess, likely due to a migrating grass seed. She was referred internally to the soft tissue department for guided removal of the grass seed by ultrasound.
Here is brave Tilly on the way home once she was discharged from Dick White Referrals, she was feeling a little bit groggy, but hopefully a lot more comfortable! She was restricted to short lead walks only, and had to avoid running and jumping for the next couple of weeks.
Thankfully, Tilly was a star patient and made an amazing recovery, loving life, her fur all grown back, and with her eye looking a bit more normal! It’s amazing the trouble one pesky grass seed can cause!
This time of year is all about spreading love and festive cheer. The team wanted to say a big thank you for all your well wishes, cards and gifts, they are always much appreciated. If there was one thing our team would really love for Christmas, it would be a review if you’ve appreciated the service you have received from us over the years.
We were so touched by the reviews that came through to us earlier in the year and wanted to send a huge thank you to those that left us one. For those that didn’t receive an email requesting a review or didn’t have time to leave us one, we would be hugely grateful if you would take a few minutes to leave us one now.
As a big thank you please accept this Christmas gift from us (PS please remember pets are for life, not for Christmas)
There are a number of reasons which may necessitate the removal of an animal’s leg. The two most common of these are severe trauma, for example after a road traffic accident, or as management of a leg cancer. As a general rule, cats cope far better with amputation than people imagine they will. Humans of course only have two legs, so losing one leg means a reduction to only one. Cats have four legs so losing one still leaves them with three.
Owners often assume that cats experience the same emotions as we do, this may not be true. However, we do know that cats are supremely good at adapting to new situations. Vets with the most experience of managing cats who have undergone amputation consistently report that these animals do not show any signs of an emotional disturbance. Most cats that have a leg amputated do so for relief of a severe, often life-threatening, illness. Almost invariably these patients have an extremely painful condition affecting the leg that is to be removed. In many cases the patient is immediately happier and more relaxed after amputation.
It is extraordinary how quickly most animals become mobile after amputation of a leg. Patients that have no other mobility issues, for example osteoarthritis, should be mobile within their kennel within 24 hours of the operation. Young cats can be expected to start walking on three legs after only 12 hours.
Following amputation your cat will usually stay in the hospital for a few days after surgery. The veterinary team will need to examine the patient regularly to ensure the wound is healing properly and to provide appropriate pain relief. During this time the patient will make their early adjustments to being three-legged. Within three days of surgery most cats would be able to jog for 5-10 metres.
For two weeks after surgery the cat’s exercise will need to be significantly restricted to allow the surgical wound to heal. During this time, patients should be allowed to potter about a garden or have lead exercise for a maximum of 5-10 minutes at a time for toilet purposes. The cat will begin to adjust and to train their muscles for moving in a different way.
Once your cat returns home after amputation they will have a large shaved area, with a line, or lines, of stitches or staples where the operation was performed. Often there is substantial bruising under the skin where blood may have trickled during surgery. This is not painful, like a normal bruise.
Surgery of course would be painful if appropriate pain-relief was not administered. Your vet will probably prescribe a strong pain-killer, such as methadone, in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain-killers. These drugs will normally be given before surgery to stop pain developing and then are continued after surgery. Typically the strong pain-killer is given for one to three days while the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain-killer is given for one to two weeks and therefore is continued at home once the patient has been discharged from the hospital. In some institutions additional pain relief is also provided using a local anaesthetic in the surgery site before surgery and for one to three days afterwards. This adds even further to the comfort for the patient.
Patients whose pain relief strategy is well thought-out and well-managed are very comfortable throughout.
Phantom limb pain is a debilitating condition affecting some human amputees. They experience an extremely uncomfortable pain, which their brain tells them affects the leg or arm that is no longer present. Importantly phantom limb pain has never been reported in animals. Clearly we could not rely on animals telling us that they are experiencing phantom leg pain for a diagnosis to be made, but if cats were in pain after the operation they would show some signs of this.
Owners should not expect to have to perform any significant wound management. You should check the wound every day to look for signs of inflammation or soreness. These include redness, swelling, heat, discharge and pain. This is because there is a risk of post-operative bleeding or infection with any operation and prompt recognition of the signs of either of these can mean that the consequences for the patient can be minimised.
If you are concerned about the appearance of your cat’s wound you should make contact with your veterinary team. It is better to ask and to find that there was nothing to worry about than to leave something and then learn you should have acted sooner.
Some cats are far from active before amputation and this does not change after surgery. The only modifications that might be necessary for them to enjoy a perfectly good quality of life might be to simply ensure that their favourite bed is removed from the sofa and onto the floor so that they do not encounter difficulties getting into it.
More active cats may require a little more imagination on the part of their owner to ensure that they can still enjoy a high perch in the house or garden. In the immediate short term, a few weeks after surgery, stools or boxes can be used as steps to assist the cat in climbing onto a favourite spot on the bed or the lounge furniture. Once they are more agile, some owners will construct imaginative wooden ramps that might provide a safe route from the ground to a favourite perch on the roof of a shed in the garden for example.
In most cats exercise is restricted for the first two weeks after surgery. During this time they adapt perfectly well to being three-legged and by the end of the two weeks they would be able to move satisfactorily about a single floor of the house. Slim cats without other complicating factors, such as other injuries, will be able to navigate up and down stairs after two weeks. Obese cats take longer to adjust; this may in part be a motivation issue. Both for their own emotional well-being and for the health of their remaining limbs, weight loss is a very important factor in their further management.
There is no doubt that once a patient has undergone amputation, the leg on the other side of the body has to do the work of two. Your cat will need to adjust the way it stands and moves and this results in a degree of redistribution of weight-bearing. Muscle or tendon injuries are exceptionally rare in amputees. Obese cats do have an increased risk of suffering other complicating medical complaints such as diabetes mellitus. Weight loss is a critical part of the post-operative management of obese feline amputees.
There are some patients who are simply not good candidates for amputation. In cats one should give consideration to the impact that amputation would have on their usual lifestyle and whether this would cause a significant emotional disturbance. Some cats derive their only pleasure from sitting on top of the shed roof. If they cannot realistically be expected to do this again, amputation might not be appropriate.
Osteoarthritis is frequently listed as a reason for not performing amputation but there are exceptionally good medications for arthritis and in the view of this author, arthritis alone does not constitute a valid reason for choosing not to perform amputation, particularly since the conditions we are treating by amputation are typically intractably painful and this pain can be cured by a single surgical procedure.
In order for a cat to cope well after amputation they do need to be able to adapt to life on three legs. Cats with spinal problems are usually unable to do this. Obese cats and cats that have diabetes mellitus are not good candidates for amputation but this does not mean they should not have surgery if it is required. However, it is critical that the veterinary team and the owners in such cases appreciate the importance of weight control or diabetes management.
It is sadly true that cancer is one of the reasons for considering amputation in cats. Some cancers of the bones do spread (metastasis) prior to the diagnosis of the lameness and many are actually spread from other body areas. Surgery must not therefore be regarded as a cancer cure.
Proper housing is a major factor in maintaining healthy hamsters. The psychosocial well being of your hamster must be a primary consideration. Hamsters can be housed within enclosures made of wire, stainless steel, durable plastic or glass. The last 3 materials are preferred because they resist corrosion.
Wood and similar materials should not be used to construct enclosures because they are difficult to clean and cannot withstand the destructive gnawing of rodents.
Many pet stores sell durable coloured plastic enclosures that include attached horizontal and vertical tubes through which the hamster can crawl for exercise. These are suitable enclosures for hamsters.
The enclosure must be built so the hamsters cannot escape. This is an especially important consideration because hamsters are proficient “escape artists”. In fact, once free of their enclosure, they are very difficult to find and rarely return to it.
A hamster free to roam the house is a real liability because it will chew and gnaw on electrical and telephone cords, and household furnishings.
The enclosure you provide must be free of sharp edges and other potential hazards, and it must be big enough to allow normal behaviour/activities. A good 20 square inches of floor area per hamster is recommended, and a cage height of at least 6 inches. Hamsters seem to do best when housed in enclosures with solid floors, relatively deep bedding and plenty of nesting material.
The enclosure should be easy to clean, well lit, and adequately ventilated. Bedding must be clean, non-toxic, absorbent, relatively dust-free and easy to replace. Shredded paper, wood shavings and processed corn cob are preferred bedding materials. Cotton or shredded toilet paper makes suitable nesting material.
Hamsters are primarily nocturnal (night-active), though they may exhibit relatively short periods of activity throughout the day. During their active period, hamsters eat and exercise.
Hamsters seem to especially enjoy exercise wheels and other activities. Plastic enclosures equipped with horizontal and vertical tube-tunnels are highly recommended for this reason. Hamsters seem to really enjoy running through them. They also enjoy tin cans opened at both ends and boxes with multiple openings through which they can crawl.
Hamsters are usually housed singly – sexually mature females must not be housed together because of their inevitable aggressiveness toward each other. Breeding females are larger than males and tend to be aggressive towards them. For this reason, males must be removed from the enclosure after breeding has commenced.
The frequency with which the enclosure is cleaned depends on its design, the materials out of which it is made, and the number of hamsters in it. As a general rule of thumb, the enclosure and all cage “furniture” should be cleaned and disinfected once a week.
The food and water containers should be cleaned and disinfected once a day. More than one set of containers should be maintained, and the soiled set should be washed in a dishwasher, if possible. Vigorous scrubbing of the enclosure and furniture with hot water and soap and a thorough rinse should be followed by use of a disinfectant.
Rabbits have a reputation for being cute and cuddly, and certainly don’t give an outward impression of being capable of aggression. However, aggressive behaviour towards people can be a common problem amongst domestic rabbits, and has many possible causes, with treatment aimed at improving the trust between an owner and the rabbit.