Thinking of brightening up Lockdown 3.0 with a puppy? Perhaps read this first.
Bloody hell, yes I think we are all glad to be seeing the tail end of this car crash of a year. Such a shame about Christmas, isn’t it? We were SO looking forward to just a bit of normality, but oh well. It is what it is. At least Bill Bailey won Strictly -…
I’m a Celebrity trials cause far more suffering for animals than contestants
I was 11 years old when Tony Blackburn was crowned the first king of the jungle. I can clearly remember watching with rapt, horrified attention as spoon-bending Uri Gellar ate a live, wriggling Witchetty Grub, slicing it with a knife and fork and screaming between mouthfuls. Nigel Benn was bitten by a snake that repeatedly…
‘Rip off’ veterinary drug prices are harming profession’s image
Recently there have been a flurry of articles in the media highlighting the escalating cost of veterinary care, and the barrier this can create in treatment of our pets. Last month there were two such pieces in the press; Would you pay £20,000 to save your pet’s life? in the Daily Mail, and an article…
Are pet owners in denial when it comes to flat-faced dogs?
Earlier this week, I found myself pausing to reflect in the middle of the 6.30pm appointment, which was with Flo, a sweet-natured ten month old English Bulldog who I had not previously met. Flo gazed at me with her big hazelnut eyes, fixated alternately on me, and then determinedly back to the dehydrated chicken treat…
No doggy NHS – a response to vet-bashing
‘You vets do know how to charge, don’t you? Our last cat cost us a bloody fortune on treatment when it got cancer’, the barber told me, the clipper blade vibrating on my temple as he neatened my sideburn. ‘And they had the cheek to charge us when we had to have it put to…
Stop chopping dogs’ ears off
Ever seen a dog like this? Selective breeding has created enormous variation in appearance between dog breeds, in terms of size, shape, coat colour and muzzle length. But humans haven’t (yet) managed to breed a dog breed without pinnae (ear flaps). This dog wasn’t born without ear flaps – somebody cut them off. The RSCPA…
What kind of book would Herriot write in 2020?
Earlier this month, the iconic All Creatures Great and Small made a triumphant return to our television screens. Over 3.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the debut episode of the remake which follows the colourful working life of Yorkshire vet James Herriot, making it Channel Five’s most popular show in terms of viewing figures…
The customer knows best, right?
This gem popped up on my YouTube homepage today https://youtu.be/urZLTobAfJc. In the clip, Dr House from the eponymous US TV series is seen in a consultation with a worried mother and her young baby who is mildly unwell. The mother becomes disgruntled when asked whether the reason she has missed her child’s vaccination dates is…
Introductions – who am I?
So here goes nothing.. My very first post. Dangled and then delicately dropped into the black void of the internet. It’s a little unnerving putting stuff out there for the first time. I’ve done a modest amount of freelance writing in the past – factsheets about various health issues in dogs and cats which have…
Pedigree is NOT perfection
My parents recently sought my advice on choosing a dog breed. By the time I had listed the breeds they shouldn’t get, there were very few options left. In the end, they settled on a delightful liquorice all-sort mixed breed they have named Mollie, who I have only met over FaceTime so far as my…
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