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Welcome to the Argyll Blog, where I and other members of the team will be jotting down our thoughts on veterinary and pet-related issues from time to time. Please e-mail me at
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if you have feedback on any subject, or if you have any suggestions for topics you would like to see discussed. Please note that unless the owner has been specifically asked for permission to discuss their pet in this blog, names and some other details will have been changed to protect client confidentiality. Jo Dyer MRCVS
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Written by Jo
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Friday, 07 May 2010 18:59 |
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 I have to say that Labradors are among the most rewarding of breeds to deal with in the consulting room. As well as having lovely looks and personalities, they will do anything for food so are very easy to bribe! Quite often I only have to open the consulting room door and start to invite the next patient in before I am almost knocked flat in the rush to come in and sit on the scales. Much as I would like to put this down to our irresistable personalities as vets, I know it is simply that the Labs have learned very quickly that sitting on the scales produces the desired reward of a Crackerjack treat. We get through kilos of these every week!
The 2 gorgeous examples shown here are called Inca and Ngaire (pronounced Nyree). If you look very closely you will see the scales displaying 46kg, proof that although Labs are probably the greediest breed known to man, they do not have to be overweight. These two are both neutered and they enjoy a healthy life with lots of exercise. Many of you will have met them in Braunton where they are often to be found in the JC gallery....well worth a visit, and not just to meet the dogs! |
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Written by Jo
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Friday, 23 April 2010 15:19 |
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I was pleased to get some positive feedback about my 'weekly essay' in the Journal last week:
http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/weeklyessay/avoid-buying-poorly-pet/article-2013322-detail/article.html
It is always upsetting to see unhealthy puppies, kittens and other pets being brought into the surgery by kind owners who have gone to the wrong supplier through no fault of their own. These pets can end up being an expensive heartache so I am hoping the article will help to get the message across, to potential new owners and to dubious suppliers as well. |
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Written by Jo
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Friday, 26 March 2010 15:10 |
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 If you have been on the roads around Croyde and Georgeham over the last few evenings, you may have noticed a few mad souls wandering around in the dark in hi-vis jackets, adorned with head torches, and carrying buckets. My son Edd and I have been among them, for the temperature has finally risen a little (believe it or not) and the dry spell has definitely gone, so the toads are coming out of hibernation with just one thing on their minds.......
Toads apparently always head back to the pond they were born in, when it comes time for them to spawn. The trouble is, that this is often on the other side of a road, or a wall, or both. Hence the large number of squashed toads that can be seen in the spring in certain areas.
Bands of volunteers do a really good job of helping them, and according to the website www.froglife.org, 40,000 toads are on course to be rescued this year. It's nice to think that our 30 or so this week will contribute to that figure!
Go to www.froglife.org/toadsonroads for details of how to volunteer, or contact Tracey Berridge, local co-ordinator, who also runs Puppy Gurus.
Photo by Edd Dyer |
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Written by Jo
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Friday, 12 March 2010 13:27 |
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I did a dental on a lovely Bassett called Nero the other day. He was one of about 8 we saw from Dogs Trust - so if you like Bassetts, get up there quick! Unfortunately, they were all suffering from dental disease, ranging from mild to very severe. The photos do not do complete justice to the rankness of Nero's mouth, but take it from me that the smell was appalling! I love a good dental. The pleasure of being able to convert that smelly, infected, painful mouth into an uninfected, uninflamed one smelling just slightly minty, is one of the joys of veterinary practice. And it really brought home to me the message that veterinary dentists (yes, there are a few!) have been trying to drive home - dentistry for animals, as for people, is not just a matter of nice-looking teeth, which in animals would not be particularly important, but of treating and preventing a disease which causes suffering and can shorten life.
Before.........
After...............
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Written by Jo
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Wednesday, 14 April 2010 19:34 |
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 Yesterday we saw our first two adder bites of the year, so the weather has definitely warmed up! Some years we see the first one in January...but it has been a very long and cold winter this year.
This is Daisy. If you look closely you can see the bite on the end of her nose, and as you can see, her face is very swollen. She was feeling shocked, painful, weak and sorry for herself. She hadn't expected that stick to bite, just when she was enjoying her holiday near the beach!
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Read more...
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Written by Jo
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Monday, 15 March 2010 16:24 |
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I have to confess, I always watch as much of Crufts as my family will allow. For a dog-lover like me, it is unmissable viewing, even if I do spend most of the time shouting at the TV (perhaps that's why I'm not allowed to watch much of it!) Agility, flyball and movement to music are my favourites, because I love to see dogs working and having fun. I find the extreme obedience, where the dog has to walk with a crick in its neck and unable to look where it is going because it is looking at the handler's face, a bit too much for me. The control is impressive but is it really what the dog enjoys? I'm not sure.
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Read more...
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Written by Jo
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Saturday, 13 February 2010 14:44 |
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 We've seen some interesting wildlife recently....there was this beautiful kingfisher, found caught up in netting by a garden pond in Braunton, and released unharmed at Vellator by Pamela after some R and R at the surgery; and also a young seal pup found washed up at Ilfracombe harbour - to see picture and full story click here.
It's lovely to see these animals that are so different to the ones we treat every day, but it's even better to see them returned to the wild where they belong. |
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