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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, 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? 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 […]