Articles
Advice on choosing a vet and caring for your pet.
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Understanding the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 is the law that controls veterinary surgeons in the UK. It gives the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the RCVS, the role of registering vets, setting training standards and handling complaints. Only people on the RCVS register may legally practise veterinary surgery; registration needs a recognised degree, checks on character, and payment of fees plus ongoing CPD. Schedule 3 lets veterinary nurses and students carry out some treatments under a vet’s direction when they are trained and supervised. The Act covers fitness to practise and disciplinary action, including being struck off, suspended or reprimanded, and it makes it a crime to work as a vet without registration or to falsely claim to be registered. Many call for reform to bring the law up to date with modern roles and technology. Vets should know the Act, follow RCVS rules, keep CPD current and understand how delegation under Schedule 3 works.
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How to Safely Introduce a Clean-Up Crew to an Occupied Terrarium
A clean-up crew in a bioactive terrarium uses springtails and isopods to break down waste, control mould and keep the substrate healthy. This guide shows how to introduce a clean-up crew to an occupied terrarium safely. Choose springtails first and suitable isopods for your enclosure size and humidity. Make sure temperature and humidity are steady, no chemicals are present, and substrate is moist but not waterlogged. Reduce risk by feeding animals before introduction, giving hides, and avoiding times of shedding or illness. Add springtails to moist leaf litter and mist lightly. Add isopods at low-activity times, under leaf litter and in small batches. Feed the crew with leaf litter, cuttlebone and occasional vegetable matter, but do not overfeed. Monitor for less mould, cleaner substrate and normal animal behaviour, and watch for warning signs like stress, strong odours or die-off. Do not use wild-caught insects, too many invertebrates at once or sterile substrates. When done carefully, a clean-up crew can make a bioactive terrarium more stable and easier to maintain.
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The Complete Guide to Transporting Birds of Prey
Transporting birds of prey safely keeps them calm and healthy and is vital in falconry. Use a purpose-built transport box or a giant hood and train the bird to enter calmly. In a vehicle place the box on a flat surface and strap it in with a seatbelt. Never leave a bird in a hot or poorly ventilated car because heat stress can be fatal. Feed lightly before travel, offer water on long trips and stop for regular checks to spot stress, injury or feather damage. Keep spare jesses, a leash and a glove in the car and clean the box after use. Do not use improvised carriers, do not crowd birds, and never leave a bird unattended. These simple steps make safe transport to the vet, flying site or display much easier.
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Travelling by Car With Your Dog: Legal Requirements and Safety Tips
This post explains how to travel safely with your dog by car. UK law and the Highway Code say dogs must be suitably restrained to avoid distracting the driver or causing injury. Use a crash-tested dog seat belt harness, a secured crate or a dog guard for large dogs. Never leave a dog alone in a hot car. Prepare your dog with short journeys, rewards and familiar bedding, and pack water, food, a lead, waste bags and up-to-date ID. Watch for travel sickness and stress, take regular breaks and check rules for travelling abroad such as pet passports and vaccinations. Proper restraint and simple planning protect both your dog and other road users.
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Cognitive Decline in Cats: Signs, Causes and How to Support Your Cat
Cognitive decline in cats, often called feline cognitive dysfunction, is a brain condition seen in ageing cats. Signs of cognitive decline include confusion, getting lost in familiar places, staring, changes in sleep, increased night-time vocalisation, altered social behaviour and litter tray accidents. A vet will check behaviour and rule out other medical causes before diagnosing. You can help manage cognitive decline by keeping a steady routine, making the home easier to navigate, offering gentle mental stimulation and keeping up with health checks and diet. Seek veterinary advice for sudden or severe changes, frequent accidents or distress so you can protect your cat’s comfort and quality of life.
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Understanding Ulcers and Open Sores in Aquarium Fish
Ulcers and open sores in aquarium fish are open wounds that let bacteria into the body and can cause septicaemia. Typical signs are red or pale patches, missing scales, craters, swelling, bleeding, tiredness, not eating and clamped fins. Causes include bacterial infection (Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Vibrio), injuries from sharp decor or fighting, parasite damage, poor water quality and long-term stress. Treat by isolating the fish in a hospital tank, improving water quality, using antibacterial medicine, removing activated carbon and dealing with parasites or aggressive tank mates. Watch for red streaks and worsening signs that mean the infection is spreading. Prevent ulcers with clean water, quarantine for new fish, safe smooth decor and quick treatment of small injuries.
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A Complete Guide to Keeping Reeves’s Pheasants in the UK
Reeves's Pheasant care in the UK: a simple guide to housing, feeding, breeding, health and the law. Reeves's Pheasants need large, secure aviaries with natural ground, shelter and visual cover. Feed game pellets, grains, fresh greens and occasional protein, plus grit and oyster shell, and offer fresh water. Breed in spring with one male per two or three females; eggs incubate for 24 to 25 days and chicks need a warm brooder and high protein starter feed. Males are territorial so avoid mixed males and mixed-species aviaries. Welfare is covered by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and commercial keepers may need APHA registration; no special licence is required under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Best suited to experienced keepers who can provide space, regular hygiene, worming and careful record keeping.
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Muscle Wastage in Horses: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention
Muscle wastage in horses, or muscle atrophy, is when a horse loses muscle mass over time, often along the topline, hindquarters, shoulders or neck. Common causes include poor nutrition, lack of exercise, ageing, pain or injury, neurological problems, specific muscle diseases and long term illness. Signs are visible loss of muscle, changed body shape, weakness, poor performance, uneven muscle development and behavioural changes like reluctance to work. Diagnosis usually needs a veterinary check with a physical exam, blood tests, diet review, neurological tests, imaging or a muscle biopsy. Treatment targets the underlying cause and supports rebuilding with better nutrition, controlled exercise and rehabilitation, physiotherapy and medical treatment where needed. To reduce risk, make sure horses get balanced feed, regular exercise and turnout, correct saddle fit, dental care and parasite control, and monitor body condition often. Contact a vet for sudden or unexplained muscle loss, asymmetry, lameness, weakness or if muscle loss continues despite good care.
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What Should You Do With Your Dog When You Go on Holiday?
This clear guide helps dog owners choose the best dog holiday care, covering boarding kennels, home visits, live-in pet sitters and friends or family. It explains the pros and cons of each option and gives simple dog care tips: make sure vaccinations and flea or worm treatments are up to date, pack food and medication, leave detailed care instructions and emergency contacts, keep feeding and walk routines, and leave familiar toys or bedding. It also warns how to spot separation anxiety or stress, such as loss of appetite, excessive barking, destructive behaviour or withdrawal. Use this checklist when preparing your dog for holiday to pick the right pet sitter, keep your dog’s routine and have peace of mind.
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The Complete Guide to Free Flight in Falconry
Free flight in falconry is when a bird of prey flies untethered and comes back to the falconer on command. It needs patient groundwork: good manning, reliable recall, the right flying weight and solid lure training plus fitted telemetry. You will need a gauntlet, anklets and jesses, swivel and leash for practice, GPS or radio telemetry, a lure or whistle, scales and a safe transport box. Pick open, safe sites with no overhead wires, few people or dogs, and no nearby roads. Start with short releases, call the bird back with the glove or lure and give food as a reward. Build distance and stamina, practise lure stoops for falcons, and only try hunting with legal quarry when recall is rock solid. Weigh before and after flights, check equipment, watch the weather and stop if the bird is tired. Avoid flying too early, skipping telemetry, overfeeding before flight and unsafe locations.
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How to Set Up a Paludarium for Aquatic Species
This paludarium guide explains simple steps for paludarium setup and paludarium care for aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Choose the right enclosure size and material, and make sure seals and ventilation suit high humidity. Set the correct water to land ratio for your animals, for example 70% water/30% land for mostly aquatic species or 50/50 for amphibians. Use strong filtration, cycle the water for 4 to 6 weeks, and test water regularly to keep ammonia and nitrite at zero. Keep tropical water between 22 and 28°C and humidity around 70 to 90 percent, and provide suitable lighting and UVB where needed. Plant with Anubias, Java fern, bromeliads and mosses to help humidity and water quality. Do daily checks, weekly tests and monthly partial water changes, and avoid common mistakes like skipping the cycle, overstocking, poor filtration, unsafe materials and stagnant water. Follow these steps to create a stable, natural paludarium that supports healthy animal behaviour and long term care.
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Fireworks Night Survival Guide for Pet Owners
A simple guide to keeping pets calm at Bonfire Night and during other fireworks. Fireworks can cause anxiety in dogs, cats, rabbits and small pets because loud bangs and flashes are frightening. Plan ahead: check microchip and ID tags, speak to your vet about calming options, and set up a safe indoor den with familiar bedding and toys. On the night keep pets inside, close windows and curtains, play quiet background noise, and use pheromone diffusers, calming jackets or vet-prescribed medicines if needed. After the fireworks praise calm behaviour, check outside for debris and watch for ongoing stress. If your pet is still fearful each year, get a behavioural consultation or follow a desensitisation plan with your vet.