Pet owners and animal lovers alike will be happy to know that pets can add years to your life! A study which has just been published by the University of California entitled ‘The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life’ found that pet ownership was one factor likely to increase overall life expectancy.Read More

We have recently seen another dog with lungworm infection. This dog showed signs of heart failure, as the worm can infect the large arteries (pulmonary arteries) around the heart. This caused high blood pressure in the pulmonic artery which in turn caused heart failure to occur. This is a video of the heart with aRead More

We can perform ultrasound scans at young veterinary partnership, to confirm pregnancy and viability of pups from about 4 weeks. The normal pregnancy duration is 9 weeks. This is a scan at about 8 weeks pregnancy.

With the Easter festivities coming up, there is always the risk of a dog being tempted to eat one of those tasty Easter Eggs ! Are Easter Eggs poisonous to dogs or cats ? Chocolate in general can be poisonous to dogs but it is the theobromide content in the chocolate that is poisonous. ThisRead More

Heart disease is common in many breeds as they get older. The two common problems seen are a leaky heart valve (mitral endocardiosis) and a weakened heart muscle (dilated cardiomyopathy).  It is important to have at least  an annual check up by your vet to detect any new heart murmur which may indicate the startRead More

The most common poisons encountered by cats are Lillies Dog flea products containing permethrin Aspirin and other salicylates Paracetamol Antifreeze- Ethylene Glycol Liquid Potpourri Glow sticks Lilly Poisoning Many people are not aware that a common plant such as the Lilly is extremely poisonous to cats. All parts of the plant, stem, flowers and pollenRead More

Lungworm or Angiostrongylus vasorum is being seen more commonly in dogs in our region of West London.  It is spread from foxes to slugs or snails, and if a dog eats a slug or snail or licks the slug “trail” it can become infected. This can progress to a life threatening infection, which can causeRead More

Bonfire night is fast approaching with the associated fireworks and this is the time of year that we get lots of enquiries about how to manage dogs that are fearful of fireworks. My tips are Give your dog a safe area to go to such as a crate or cupboard under the stairs, and provideRead More

Cats can develop heart disease called cardiomyopathy. The most common form is caused by a thickening of the heart muscle (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Unfortunately cats often hide this problem very well, and may show no symptoms until seriously ill.  Your vet may be able to hear a heart murmur or irregular rhythm, which could indicate aRead More

Dog prostate disease is seen commonly in entire male dogs.  A new screening test has just become available to detect the commonest problem called benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH.  Over 50% of dogs over five years of age show histological signs of early BPH. BPH can cause constipation or straining to pass motions blood inRead More