Making the decision to end your pets life is a highly emotive dilemma. Knowing that you are alleviating suffering can help to rationalise that choice. However, where pain is not the primary concern and evaluating the "quality of life" of a companion ...
When "Qato" was first presented at Fairfield with the classic symptoms of severe weight loss, despite "eating for England", it didn't take my colleagues too long to determine a definitive diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). As a...
As most of our clients will be all too aware The Fairfield surgical unit has been having a major refurbishment. No doubt many will also be familiar with the concept that whenever you have builders involved they are inevitably "behind schedule and ove...
Now that Spring has finally sprung and my small pond is filled with frog spawn (almost 4 weeks later than last year) our feline friends are renegotiating their territories. Sadly, youngsters like Tigger,at only 12 months of age, are new to this conce...
Pets with broken bones are amongst the most complex and expensive cases which we treat at Fairfield. Despite the variety of injuries that occur, bones tend to break along very similar patterns dependent on their inherent weakspots. The...
Just as I was settling down for a spot of lunch a couple of months ago the phone rang. It was one of my nursing team urging me to return to the practice ASAP. A cat had been involved in a road traffic accident and was in a bad way. It will ...
I know I must be getting old when I am the only member of staff at Fairfield to have previously seen a rare condition affecting cats! When Rupert, a 4 month old kitten, first presented to my colleagues he appeared to be suffering from ...
A job well done always leaves a slight glow of satisfaction. I think it should be clear from the photo that this particular cat is licking his lips with some degree of pleasure. Rescued as a mature Tomcat from an inner city rescue centre he is now "e...
Under normal circumstances when we breathe a partial vacuum exists between our lungs and the chest cavity. This allows our lungs to fill with air more readily when our chest expands as a result of our diaphragm and intercostal muscles. If this vacuum...
Anxiety or worry is a natural instinct which has evolved over the years to provide an advantage to those who can experience that innate sense of fear. If gazelles in Africa aren't anxious when they approach the water hole for a drink then they would ...
The most common cause of lameness in cats is as a result of cat bite injuries, so when I noticed "Libby" on my waiting list with a "sore leg" I wasn't anticipating anything too worrying. However, on examination it became clear that the associated swe...
My colleagues may be surprised to know that I am quite prepared to admit in print that I don't actually know everything! If there is one thing I have learned over the years is that the more you know the more you realise there is so much more that you...
Last Spring whilst on a short break to the Isle of Skye and walking close to the Cuillin mountains I attempted to relive my youth by clambering up a rockface. The result of which I fell 20 foot and plunged into the sea Loch below. Fortunately, the on...
It is often the case that when a feline patient is presented to our surgery with traumatic injuries that we are required to guess at how these injuries were sustained. Given their often clandestine and nocturnal activities the list of options is usua...
In the 15 years since I graduated, there have been many advances in one of the areas I have a particular interest in – feline gastroenterology. New intestinal parasites have been recognised, new diagnostic tests have become available, and conditions ...
The world wide web was borne out of a desire to share information quickly and accurately with other scientists around the globe in an effort to accelerate the dissemination of knowledge. This noble concept has been astonishingly successful and whilst...
When "Chukkie" overcame a serious spinal injury over a year ago we had hoped that his luck might change. Instead, in recent weeks he began to develop increasingly difficult problems with constipation. As a result of his original injury to his spine a...
Jack's owners had never fully realised that gradually he was becoming progressively deaf in his left ear. It was only when he developed a rather nasty purulent discharge from the affected ear that his problem became apparent. After a short course of ...
When "Salt" was brought into the surgery after he had been missing for 5 days I knew fairly early on during the consultation that there was something seriously wrong. I was immediately alerted to that fact when his owner commented that despite being ...
I am glad to say that over the years I have been working as a veterinary surgeon I have rarely come across genuine cases of animal cruelty. Most instances where pets suffer are generally due to ignorance, misguidance and unfortunate circumstances. Th...
