Category: Companion Animals

Pet friendly tourism is on the increase as animals become more and more part of the family. According to MedicAnimal’s recent poll, 90% of dog owners took their pet with them on holiday; while a leading provider of camping and caravan holidays reported one in five of their holidaymakers brought their dogs along too.

From cottages to country house hotels

From cottage rentals to country house hotels, pet-pampering options range from table d’hôte or à la carte menus through luxury bedding and spa treatments to spiritual retreats. And it’s not just dogs that are getting away from it all with their owners – just about anything with fur, feathers or fins is very much on the ‘pets welcome’ guest list.

So where are Britain’s pets taking a break? For dogs, it’s all about the great outdoors. Anywhere with wide-open spaces to run and roam free is the first choice for canines. With most UK holiday companies now offering pet-friendly properties the length and breadth of the country, specialist websites are springing up with suggestions and recommendations for you and your pet.

Travelling can be stressful 

But don’t let your focus on the destination take your mind off caring for your pet on the journey. Travelling can be the most stressful part of going on holiday – for your pets as much as for you. If your pets aren’t regular travellers then get them used to the idea well before the long trip. Give safety and comfort with a secure container and favourite blanket or toys. Remember to provide water, ventilation and plenty of stops and reassurance throughout the journey.

Talk to your vet before you travel with your pet

If you’re taking your pet out of the UK, make sure your Pet Passport is updated and showing evidence of your pet’s health, microchip and vaccination status. To be sure, talk to your vet before travel. You can sure of sound advice and your pet can have any necessary veterinary diagnostic tests; saving your pet from possible health risks and you from a ruined holiday.

But what if your pet’s not a good traveller or you’re taking a holiday your much-loved pet really isn’t going to enjoy? Maybe a well-chosen boarding kennel or expert pet-sitter is the best solution. For your pet’s comfort – and your peace of mind, choose care or accommodation that comes highly recommended. Check there’ll be plenty of human-animal contact in a clean, spacious and stress-free environment. Then your pet can relax and look forward to a rested and joyful reuniting when you return – similarly rested and joyful… hopefully.

Britain’s vets look set for a boom in business as the UK pet population rises to more than 57 million.

From the traditional favourites of cats, dogs and budgies to newcomers – including reptiles, exotic fish and even spiders, companion animals are finding themselves ever more welcome in ever more British homes.

40% of UK homes have discovered the benefits of an animal in the house with another 55% of those surveyed by the Pet Food Manufacturers Association stating they were open to sharing their homes with a pet in the future. The PFMA’s survey showed that most of the UK’s 7.5 million cats called the South-west, South-east or Wales, home. Of the UK’s 8.5 million dogs. most live in Northern Ireland, North-eastern England and Wales.

The highest proportion of the UK’s 800,000 pet rabbits reside in the North-east and, while outdoor fish are most popular in the South-east and South-west, fish in Wales, the North-east and the West Midlands tend to prefer life indoors.

Busy times ahead for British vets

Of the households currently without a pet on the sofa, in a tank, cage or garden pond only 4% gave economics as the reason for this absence, indicating that pet owners are prepared to commit financially to the expense and enjoyment a pet brings to a home. All of this adds up to busy times ahead for British vets.

Stretched resources and time pressures in veterinary practices and laboratories mean that UK vets will need to work smarter if they’re to keep up with the pet-owning public’s demands and expectations. The good news is that there’s plenty of time and money to be saved simply by the smart use of veterinary supplies and laboratory consumables.

Ordering in ready-made solutions, for techniques such as faecal flotation, and pre-filled histology pots optimally pre-filled with 10% neutral buffered formaldehyde solution, frees up valuable time and lab space for higher value activities.

Laboratory efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis

Greater use of disposables, and purpose-specific blood tubes, increases laboratory efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis with the added assurance that critical samples have been collected, transported and stored in optimal conditions.

With more work on the way for UK vets and veterinary laboratories, reliable supplies of veterinary consumables, disposables and ready-made solutions is likely to be a key factor in the efficient financial management of large and small veterinary practices nationwide.

To mark its 125th anniversary, UK re-homing charity The Dogs Trust got gardening with award-winning designer Paul Hervey-Brooks to give the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show a truly dog friendly garden.

In their ‘A Dog’s Life’ garden, The Dogs Trust included water features for splashing in, earth for digging in, shady trees for resting under and winding paths for sniffing along with purpose. By following the principles of ‘A Dog’s Life’ design, you too can create a delightful place to spend summer days outside with your dog.

Dogs need space to exercise their legs and check out what’s new

Dogs need space and love smells so they can follow their noses and exercise their legs as they check out what’s new and what’s happening. Open space doesn’t have to be grass, it can be pebbles, bark chippings or other loose material your dog can explore – especially if you hide favourite toys or treats where they can be sniffed out or dug up.

Look at your garden from your dog’s point of view

Make two or three separate areas linked by pathways or short but wide tunnels – if you find your garden layout interesting, your dog will too. Look at your garden from your dog’s point of view. See what they enjoy doing and make space for them to do it.

Different levels mean your dog can get up off the ground and enjoy the view or just find a place to rest. A bench is all you need especially with the added comfort of a well-loved bed or blanket. And on hot and sunny days, be sure to offer a place to rest in the shade with plenty of clean and cool drinking water.

Secure your garden’s boundaries

Secure your garden’s boundaries especially where your dog might get injured trying to go through or over a hedge or fence. Check for any fierce thorns, projecting woodwork or breakable glass such as cloches or cold-frames.

Keep your garden disease free by cleaning up poop as soon as it appears. Clear up any uneaten treats or abandoned toys and keep an eye on the weather while your dog is outside; avoid exposure to the excesses of summer sun… and rain!

Finally, watch out for unwanted guests left by other animals visiting your garden. If you think your dog has picked up a parasite such as fleas, worms, or an infection carried by ticks, consult your vet right away. Veterinary diagnostic tests will help your vet design the best dog-friendly treatment and put your summer holiday pal back on the garden path to full health and happiness.

Chlamydiosis Diagnosis in Cats, Dogs and Birds Underpinned by Antigen Test

Pet cats, dogs and birds can show the same symptoms for a range of minor and more serious infections. Some, such as Chlamydiosis, can have wider public health concerns or economic impact. MEGACOR’s Veterinary Diagnostic Test Kit FASTest® CHLAM Ag provides a swift and sure test to diagnose or discount a wide range of Chlamydiophila infections.

Chlamydiosis is better known as psittacosis or parrot flu

In birds, Chlamydiosis is better known as psittacosis or parrot flu, named from the symptoms of laboured breathing, lethargy and nasal discharge seen in pet parrots and budgies. Chlamydiophila psittaci actually infects most bird species including commercial flocks of chickens, ducks and pigeons. Transmissible to humans through inhaling fine particles of faeces or body fluid droplets from an infected bird, psittacosis is a notifiable disease usually treatable with a combination of antibiotics.

Common symptoms of Chlamydiosis in cats

Conjunctivitis and respiratory difficulties are the most common symptoms of Chlamydiosis in cats. The causative bacteria, Chlamydophila felis, doesn’t survive well outside the cat’s body, so the most common route for infection is the close contact between mother and kittens, and between kittens in the same litter – especially in conditions of overcrowding. For breeders of pedigree cats, careful husbandry, timely vaccination and veterinary diagnostic testing of suspected cases will maintain a reputation for healthy, lively kittens and keep expensive antibiotic treatment to a minimum.

Fast, results in 20 minutes

For the FASTest® CHLAM Ag test, swabs can be taken from most conveniently accessible parts of an animal showing symptoms of suspected Chlamydia infection. The swab is then mixed with the pre-prepared specific anti-Chlamidiophila spp. antibody supplied with the kit. After 15 minutes, a single drop of the mixture is spotted onto the plastic test cassette. 20 minutes later, the all-clear is indicated by a reaction to the built-in control only, or a positive detection unequivocally shown by a further colour reaction.

Chlamydiosis is, perhaps of most concern to dog owners and breeders. Infection in dogs is not diagnosed as often as in birds and cats, possibly because the symptoms can be non-specific and the cause misdiagnosed. Fever, broncho-pneumonia, peritonitis, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, skin lesions and conjunctivitis have all been seen in animals later found to show an antibody response to Chlamydiophila spp. in their blood. It’s in cases like this – where vital decisions on treatment and vaccination can’t be delayed, that Vetlab’s Veterinary Diagnostic Test Kit FASTest® CHLAM Ag really proves its worth.