Covid19 Vaccination and Neutering

BSAVA Vaccination Guidance

An update on Covid-19

The government has announced that new cases and deaths due to Covid-19 are on the decline, that is good news.  We are now waiting to see what the new regulations will bring.

In the meantime, we are in the position where human safety outweighs animal welfare and we have to apply social distancing and do our very best to keep people safe and still look after animal welfare – a challenging task.

Clients at our practice are asking questions based around vaccination and neutering.  This is understandable as vaccination dates start to pass and puppies and kittens get older and become more likely to have their own puppies and kittens!  

Our advisory body has put together a guidance sheet for the public to indicate how decisions are made both on vaccination and on neutering.  Our vets are currently calling the owners of pets whose vaccinations have lapsed and individually assessing them.  Please call and ask to speak to a vet if you are in anyway unsure of what to do, or feel your pet’s vaccination is overdue, please be patient.

I’m afraid it’s still not business as usual, but hope that the interpretation of these important questions is a little more clear.

Best wishes

Alan

Urinary problems in cats – Villager Article March 2016

Dear Alan
My cat, Ronnie, has always been clean in the house but now he is very unsettled and urinates in the bath and on the carpet. What can I do? Claire
 
 
Dear Claire,
This is very common and can be caused by behavioural issues, lower urinary tract disease or kidney problems.
 
Kidney problems make the urine more dilute so he may need to toilet more frequently. Behavioural issues may cause him to mark in odd places. Lower urinary tract disease makes the bladder very sensitive so he feels like he needs to go all the time, even if his bladder isn’t full. Idiopathic Cystitis is an odd condition where the bladder gets sensitized to stress hormones and hurts when he is stressed (for whatever reason). Occasionally the urethra can block with crystals or debris causing the bladder to over fill, which can be very serious.
 
Different treatments are required for each of these conditions and good clinical examination, blood and urine tests can normally diagnose them. If the condition recurs or does not respond as expected, imaging (x-ray and ultrasound) may be needed.
 
More often than not we can help cats, like Ronnie, to feel much better with medication, diet and some behavioural help.
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