Calf Pheumonia – Autumn 2024
It’s that time of year again for the farmers of Lecale – the time to start preparing your herds for housing during the winter months. As covered in previous issues, a big threat to the health of cattle at housing is calf pneumonia. We have seen a lot of pneumonia in the past weeks even […]
Blue Green Algae Is Back
The dog walkers among you may have noticed signs in local beauty spots that Blue Green Algae is back in our lakes and ponds. But what is this stuff, and is it dangerous for your dog? Blue Green Algae is not actually algae at all. It is a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria. It is […]
Blue-tongue
Blue-tongue is an insect-borne disease of ruminants – sheep, cattle, goats etc. It is a virus (BTV) spread by the culicoides midge. Originating in warmer climes, over the early part of the 21st century it is working its way up to the countries of Northern Europe. Several cases have been identified in Britain over the […]
Beltaine
So finally May is here – and summer has begun! Our ancestors celebrated this month as the feast of Bealtaine. This feast traditionally begins on May 1st – May day. Various activities are associated with this day – from washing your face in the dew to maintain a youthful complexion, to various animal-related practices. It […]
BBQ Season
The sun is (almost) out in Lecale, and lots of you will be blowing the cobwebs off your barbecue in the hope of lighting it for one or two evenings this summer. Barbecues are very popular in this part of the world, in spite of the climate. It’s as if just lighting one will raise […]
Artificial Intelligence In Veterinary Imaging
This week we will continue to look at imaging in veterinary medicine. We have covered ultrasound, CT scanning and MRI scans. Most readers are familiar with the older imaging technology – x-ray imaging, which has been around for about a century and is available in most veterinary practices. But now we will turn to the […]
Arthritis In Cats
Arthritis is inflammation of any joint. We are familiar with this disease in people, and dogs, but did you know it is common in cats too? In fact, by the age of 6 years, around 60% of cats have arthritis. And by the age of years, over 90% of cats suffer from arthritis. Arthritis causes […]
Are Pets Good for YOUR Health?
Pets are great. They are good fun, and they often complete a family. But could they have a hidden benefit – do they in fact hold the elixir of life, the holy grail – do they help you to live a longer, happier life? For years anecdotal stories and common sense seem to suggest that […]
Animal Hybrids
One definition of a hybrid animal is the offspring of two related species. These animals have been common throughout history, initially found in the wild, but also bred by humans for specific purposes. Hybrids can be stronger and bigger than both their parents. They can also, sometimes display a phenomenon called “hybrid vigour”. The mixing […]
A brief History Of Veterinary Epidemics – A Hopeful Tail
We are living in the first global pandemic that the vast majority of us have ever seen – in the human sphere. The last disease that earned that title was the Spanish Flu of 1919. However, we have seen and seen off serious epidemics in the veterinary world before. Most of us remember the Foot […]
Keyhole Surgery
Keyhole surgery, also known as laparoscopic surgery, is a minimally invasive technique used to explore the abdomen in both humans and animals. It is a technique which is becoming more and more widely available in people, and is now making inroads into veterinary medicine. Keyhole surgery is different from “traditional” surgery in that instead of […]
Are Birds Living Dinosaurs?
Are Birds Living Dinosaurs? I was asked to examine an emu the other day. Now, if you’re wondering what an Emu is – it looks like a small ostrich, native to Australia. Why I was asked to examine this large, flightless bird is another story. But what I want to talk about this week is […]