Articles
Advice on choosing a vet and caring for your pet.
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Diabetes Mellitus in Cats: Signs, Causes and How to Manage It
Diabetes in cats, or feline diabetes, is common in middle aged and older cats. Look for signs of diabetes in cats like drinking more, peeing more, eating more but losing weight, and being tired. Vets diagnose diabetes with blood and urine tests. Treatment for feline diabetes often needs daily insulin, a high protein low carbohydrate diet and weight management. Regular blood glucose monitoring, steady feeding times and a calm routine help keep blood sugar steady. Some cats can go into remission with early treatment and weight loss. Watch for low blood sugar or signs of diabetic ketoacidosis and contact your vet for sudden changes. With consistent care many cats live long, comfortable lives.
Cats -
How You Can Support Your Remaining Dog When You Lose a Dog in the Family
When a dog loses a companion, it can show signs of grief such as changes in behaviour, reduced appetite, more sleep, clinginess, searching, more barking and restlessness. To help a grieving dog, keep routines steady, give calm attention, offer walks and simple games for mental stimulation, and watch for signs of illness or lasting weight loss. Letting a dog sniff a passed companion can help some dogs, but not everyone chooses this. Avoid big changes straight away and wait before getting another dog; if you do, introduce the new dog slowly on neutral ground. Speak to your vet or a qualified behaviourist if severe anxiety, aggression, refusal to eat or other worrying symptoms continue.
Dogs -
A Complete Guide to Owning an African Flower Mantis
African Flower Mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii) is a small, colourful mantis from sub-Saharan Africa with petal-like limbs and bright eye spots. This flower mantis is active, fast-growing and has bold behaviour, making it a popular pet for mantis care and observation. Housing needs vertical space, good ventilation and places to hang for moulting; a 20x20x30 cm enclosure with branches and plants works well. Keep temperature 24 to 28°C and humidity 50 to 60% with light daily misting and plenty of airflow. Feed nymphs on fruit flies every 1 to 2 days and adults on small crickets or flies every 2 to 4 days. Remove uneaten prey and do not offer food larger than the mantis head. Moulting requires hanging space and no disturbance. Lifespan is about 6 to 9 months. Handle only briefly and gently. Legal to keep in the UK; buy captive-bred stock from reputable sellers for best mantis care.
Exotic -
What Should You Do With Your Rabbits When You Go on Holiday?
Holiday rabbit care: how to keep rabbits safe while you are away. Rabbits need daily feeding, fresh hay and water, clean bedding and a daily health check. Ask a trusted friend or family member to visit, hire a professional rabbit sitter or book rabbit boarding well before busy holiday dates. Leave plenty of supplies and clear written care instructions, including feeding amounts, medication steps and your vet’s contact details. Keep bonded rabbits together and avoid big changes to diet, housing or routine before you go. Watch for signs of illness or stress such as not eating, hiding or odd droppings and contact a vet if needed. Plan early so you have time to meet sitters, check reviews and pick the right option for your rabbits.
Small Mammals -
Sedation in Horses: Why It Is Used and What to Expect
Sedation in horses helps keep them calm and safe during veterinary and farrier work. It uses drugs that quiet the central nervous system so the horse stays awake but relaxed. Sedated horses usually stand and breathe normally, unlike general anaesthesia. Common uses of equine sedation include dental work, minor surgery, wound care, lameness checks, radiographs, hoof and farrier work and endoscopy. Vets give sedatives by intravenous injection, intramuscular injection or oral paste. Common sedative medications are xylazine, detomidine, romifidine and acepromazine. Signs of sedation include a lower head, droopy lip, slower movements and reduced awareness. Effects often last 30 minutes to two hours, with some sleepiness for longer, so horses are watched until alert. Owners should keep the horse quiet, avoid feeding until swallowing is normal, offer water when the horse is more alert and avoid riding until fully recovered. Possible side effects include unsteadiness, sweating, reduced gut motility and a slow heart rate. Vets assess the horse first and take extra care with heart, liver or kidney problems, severe dehydration and late pregnancy. When given and monitored by a veterinary team, sedation is a safe and useful part of equine care.
Equines -
An Owner’s Guide to Keeping the Northern Banded Newt
The Northern banded newt (Ommatotriton ophryticus) care guide covers housing, diet, breeding and health for keepers. It explains a paludarium with a water area 20–25 cm deep and a damp land area, plus tank sizes for pairs and groups. Diet notes include bloodworms, earthworms and small insects, feeding schedules, and calcium and vitamin supplements. Care tips cover gentle filtration, weekly partial water changes, and keeping temperature at 16–20°C with no higher than 24°C, a 12 hour light cycle and low level UVB. Breeding advice includes a winter cooling period near 10°C, spring warming, courtship, plant-wrapped eggs and larval rearing. Common health risks are dirty water, fungal infections, low humidity and poor diet, and handling should be minimal with wet hands or gloves. Legal and conservation points stress buying captive bred animals and responsible keeping. Size, lifespan and seasonal colouration changes are included for UK keepers.
Exotic -
Hypoglycaemia in Cats: Causes, Signs and What to Do
Hypoglycaemia in cats, or low blood sugar in cats, is serious and needs fast action. Glucose is the body fuel for the brain, and low levels cause weakness, wobbliness, confusion, tremors, seizures or collapse. Common causes are too much insulin in diabetic cats, missed or delayed meals, poor appetite, illness or liver problems, certain toxins and long fasting. Diabetic cats and kittens are at higher risk. If your cat can swallow, offer a small amount of food or smear a little honey or sugar on the gums. If the cat is unconscious do not force food, rub a small amount of sugar on the gums and phone your vet straight away. Prevent low blood sugar by keeping insulin and meals on a regular routine, watching appetite and behaviour, having a sugar source at home and checking kittens often. Seek emergency help for seizures, collapse or repeated episodes.
Cats -
Caring for an Ageing or Elderly Dog
Ageing dog care: simple steps to keep senior dogs healthy and comfortable. Watch for signs of ageing like less energy, more sleep, grey hair and slow movement. Senior dog nutrition matters; feed high quality senior food, control calories and use joint-supporting nutrients to help joints. Weight management for older dogs stops extra strain on joints and helps arthritis in dogs. Exercise for senior dogs should be gentle and regular, like short walks and play. Regular veterinary check-ups and dental care for senior dogs help spot problems early. Watch for cognitive decline, changes in hearing or vision, and behaviour changes. Make the home easy to use with ramps, non-slip mats and cosy bedding. Talk to your vet about pain relief and end-of-life care so your dog stays comfortable.
Dogs -
A Complete Guide to Tetanus in Alpacas
Tetanus, or lockjaw, is a deadly disease of alpacas caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. The spores live in soil and manure and enter through wounds, even small cuts from shearing, castration or bites. Signs usually appear 3 to 21 days later and include a stiff gait, reluctance to move, reduced jaw movement, difficulty eating, rigid posture, painful muscle spasms and trouble breathing. Diagnosis is based on recent wounds, vaccination history and classic signs. Treatment may use tetanus antitoxin, antibiotics, wound cleaning, pain relief and intensive nursing, but recovery is rare once nerve signs develop. Prevention is vital: vaccinate (two primary doses then yearly boosters, with a pre-birth booster for pregnant females), give antitoxin after severe wounds in unvaccinated animals, clean and treat wounds promptly, use sterile needles and keep housing dry and free of sharp objects. Tetanus in alpacas has a high welfare and financial cost, so contact your veterinary surgeon straight away for unexplained stiffness, wounds that look infected, difficulty swallowing or muscle spasms.
Camelids -
A Complete Guide to Caring for Lleyn Sheep
Lleyn sheep are a British breed from the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales. They have strong maternal ability, high fertility and a calm temperament. Lleyn ewes suit self-replacing flocks and do well on lowland and marginal land. Management is simple: good pasture, extra feed for pregnant and milking ewes, clean water, basic shelter and routine health care including vaccines and worm checks. Lambs are vigorous, grow quickly and give good meat. The fleece is medium grade, sheared once a year and used for general wool products. Lleyn sheep are a reliable, easy to manage choice for commercial farms and smallholders.
Sheep Livestock -
Why Does My Rat Have Red Discharge Around His Eyes and Nose?
Porphyrin in rats is a red-brown pigment from a gland behind the eyes. It can look like blood but is usually normal in very small amounts. If you see large or persistent red stains, crusty marks, or red discharge with sneezing, wheezing, weight loss, lethargy or poor appetite, the rat may have a respiratory infection, be in pain, stressed, have dental trouble or be getting old. If you wonder whether it is blood, porphyrin is often darker and dry, while blood is bright red and wet. Clean gently with a warm damp cloth or vet-approved wipes, but cleaning will not treat the cause. To reduce problems, keep the cage clean, use dust-free bedding, provide a balanced diet, good ventilation and friendly company. See a vet if the discharge is heavy or long lasting, breathing is noisy or laboured, or the rat stops eating or becomes very quiet.
Small Mammals -
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.