Vets Talking Pets

It’s great to have varying perspectives so we’re pleased to have our first podcast guest, Nicky Trevorrow. Nicky is a qualified animal behaviourist at Cats Protection and a registered veterinary nurse. In this episode we chat about how she became a behaviourist and what her role involves. She tells us why cats are her passion and what are the main challenges of working with this intriguing species. She shares lots of tips to set your cat up to be the purrrfect companion.

After all the planning and research, finally collecting your new pet is a very exciting time! Understandably your new housemate may be a little nervous or missing their mother, so you want to make this transition period as stress-free as possible.  Vanessa and Maggie give you tips on what you need to do to make things go smoothly including what information you need from the breeder or adoption centre, how to set up the house to give the new arrival a space of their own and how to gradually introduce them to the rest of the family including other pets. We want to set you up for many happy years together.

For many years most cats were non-pedigree moggies, but things are changing and more people are acquiring purebred cats. Maggie and Vanessa discuss how some conformational problems in dogs are now being seen in cats due to the human desire to have a cute or unusual pet. They explain why flat faces, short legs, folded ears, being bald, wrinkled or tailless causes welfare issues in a species that has evolved to be perfect for its ecological niche. They discuss the dangers breeding wildcat hybrids and why these do not make good pets.

Cats were once worshipped as gods and they’ve never forgotten it! But why did the Egyptians love cats so much and what part did they play in their domestication? Vanessa and Maggie delve into the history of how cats came to be such a widespread form of rodent control and then much-loved pets. They were already excellent hunters and clean, affectionate pets that didn’t need to be modified for human use so why did the Victorians want to develop different cat breeds? We chat about these moggie mysteries and discuss the growing number of cat breeds.

As animal lovers, there is nothing better than seeing animals in their natural habitats. Sadly, we don’t always get the opportunities to do this but there are other ways of interacting with wild animals including visiting zoos, aquaria, conservation projects or even getting a mobile animal exhibitor to visit your school or party. But what is the animal’s experience? Maggie and Vanessa discuss their views on which types of activities should be avoided, how to choose more animal-friendly ones and share some of their own experiences, both good and bad.

With summer holidays on the horizon, many people will be looking for activities to engage in. Animal lovers may be tempted by the array of animal-related activities available but how can we be sure that the animals’ welfare is put first? In this episode Vanessa and Maggie discuss activities involving domestic species such as bulls, horses, donkeys and camels. Is it OK to ride an elephant or trek with llamas? What about cat cafes and goat yoga? We will give you our views and some tips to check if your chosen activity is OK from the animal’s perspective.

Most of us love the warm weather and so do many of our pets but there are dangers regarding heat and other seasonal issues that it’s important to be aware of. Did you know that your pets can get sunburnt or suffer from heatstroke? What about the risk of those pesky fleas, ticks, maggots and even snakebites? How can an innocent grass seed become a major problem? Maggie and Vanessa give you their top tips for dealing with summer emergencies and how to prevent them for a sunny but safe summer.

Sorry about the background noise in this recording, we were trying to keep ourselves cool by sitting in the shade outside!

Maggie and Vanessa explain what extreme conformation is and why some dogs are bred with very flat faces, short legs or tails, no hair, or lots of wrinkles. They may look cute but often there are unintended consequences that affect the health and welfare of the dogs. These problems lead not only to more vet bills and heartache for you but lifelong issues for your pet.  We discuss what’s being done to help reduce these problems and how a new tool, the Innate Health Assessment could improve the lives of future generations of puppies.

Where do dogs come from and why are there so many breeds? Vanessa and Maggie discuss how dogs evolved from the grey wolf to become man’s best friend and how dogs were selectively bred for different purposes like hunting and guarding. Learn how your pet dog today may have been born to be a companion but may still have the characteristics of their working ancestor. How does this affect your dog’s behaviour? You may be surprised by the background of favourite breeds such as Dachshunds and Yorkies.

There has been a lot in the news about the UK's Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA’s) investigation into the companion animal (pet) veterinary industry. Maggie and Vanessa discuss the changes that have occurred over the last few years, including the increase in the number of corporately owned practices and the impact this has had. They look at what changes have been suggested by the CMA, whether they will really make a difference to pet owners and the impact the investigation has had on frontline vet staff. 

The CMA's remedies and recommendations to vet practices can be found here.