And then on the 29th Feb we need to thank Will and Lisa of Trengilly Wartha Inn for letting us use their banqueting suite and supplying some excellant potion No. 9 and huge cornish pasties.

This meeting was aimed more at dairy farmers – we started with Paul Cockerham who delivered (in his usual no-nonsense style) a lecture on lameness – I think we were happy that the really gruesome pictures if ulcerated hooves had been and gone before the pasties were served.  Richard Miller from NMR talked about some general benefits of the Herd Companion program in relation to how they an access the data and benefits from milk recording. The meeting finished with James Kennedy demonstrating interherd + and the benefits of Dairy Co and Mastitis planning

]]> http://www.rosemullionvets.com/2012/02/29/2-farmers-meetings-in-two-different-venues/feed/ 0 http://www.rosemullionvets.com/2012/02/17/a-few-lectures-coming-up/ http://www.rosemullionvets.com/2012/02/17/a-few-lectures-coming-up/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:54:36 +0000 StuartSaunders http://www.rosemullionvets.com/?p=703 Click here for full post

Popped out at lunchtime on Monday 13th February as there was a call to a farm near Mylor to assist with a difficult calving. The calf was laying upside down and the farmer had tried to turn it round but couldn’t. Normally a calf will present itself as if it was “diving” with its front legs straight out infront of it with its head resting on them. This way when the calf is being born it can bend itself over the cows pelvis in the way its spine would normally curve. when it is upside down, it will not be able to do that. If you can’t turn it over then the vet will have to perform an emergency C section. Whilst this is a fairly common operation it will always carry some risks, secondary infection to the uterus being the most common.

calving ropes attached to forelegs after the calf has been turned the right way up

Now the calf has been turned and you can clearly see it is laying in the correct position, with its head over the front legs

still a bit of work to do

final efforthere he comes

the bull calf is right out and on it's way to the ground

vet checks the airways and give the calf a quick once over - it's tired - it had already had a long day

Mum comes to check he's ok

he's lifting his head off the straw to take his first look at his new surroundings, a short time later he was up and about suckling well.

Paul Cockerham is giving a presentation on several of the diseases most commonly encountered in pig herds kept by smallholders and ‘hobby farmers’, together with advice as to how to manage them. discussion to follow. Those that know Paul will not be surprised that the tone of the evening will be highly informal. The venue: Trengilly Wartha pub, Constantine on Wed 25th Jan at 7:30 for 8.00 If you would like to attend don’t hesitate to contact us! Please Call 01326 313 991 and ask for Stuart Saunders. Thanks, hope to see you there.

look on the right side of image and see how sollen it is compared to the other hip

At this stage we continued to treat Harley with anti-inflammatories and rest to try and reduce the swelling. Despite the swelling reducing over the next few days, Harley was still very sore and not using his leg. Once the swelling had gone, it was much easier to feel his leg properly, and at this point we could feel that his knee joint was unstable. One of the ligaments in his knee had been damaged at the time of the original injury. Unfortunately ligaments don’t heal very well, and if left untreated these kind of injuries rapidly lead to arthritis and a significant amount of pain for Harley. We recommended treating Harley’s injury with surgery to place a nylon line next to the joint to mimic the action of the cruciate ligament and therefore stabilise the joint.

Harvey is clipped and draped and ready for surgery

The incision is made through the skin and the joint exposed

An incision is made into the joint capsule- care must be taken not to damage the ligaments underneath

The joint space is opened

The bones of the joint are held apart using the metal retractors, this is to allow close inspection of the structures within the joint. The menisci (the joint’s shock absorbers) are often damaged with this kind of injury so should always be checked.

The joint capsule is now closed and drill holes are made at the top of the tibia (shin) for the nylon line to pass through

The nylon line has been passed behind a small bony structure at the back of the knee joint, then through the holes that were drilled (see last picture) and then brought back on itself in a figure of eight pattern. The ends of the nylon line are then secured together with a metal crimp.

The wound is closed with dissolvable stitches

There are other ways of treating this injury involving surgeries which rearrange the forces through the joint and use the strong quadriceps muscle to provide the stability to the joint such as a TTA (Tibial Tuberosity Advancement) or TPLO (Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy). Various factors influence which technique is most suitable for each individual and this technique known as a Lateral Fabellar Suture was most suitable for Harley. Harley will now have a few weeks of rest with a structured exercise and physiotherapy plan.

Paul qualified  at Cambridge University in 1982  and since then has worked with both companion animals, farm animals and horses. Paul has been with Rosemullion Veterinary Practice Ltd since 1984

We all overeat at Christmas and our pets are no exception.  Whilst it is tempting to give our pets treats that we ourselves enjoy, some of these can actually be harmful to them.  The most common ones to avoid are:

Chocolate
– this is probably the best known hazard, particularly at Christmas when there is more  lying around.  The toxic compound in chocolate is theobromine The higher the cocoa content, the more dangerous the chocolate. You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhoea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there’s increased
absorption of the toxic substance, you’ll see an increase in the dog’s heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia (a disturbance in the heart beat), restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting. This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.

 Christmas pudding

This contains raisins and sultanas and there have been reports of dogs developing renal failure after eating even very small quantities of them.  Grapes can potentially cause the same problem.

Batteries

Pets eating batteries is really quite common at this time of year as they are found in many things under a Christmas tree – particularly in children’s toys. How bad the news is, depends on what type of battery is eaten. The most commonly eaten batteries are the small button like batteries like the ones in watches or the smaller cylindrical type like AA or AAA. Most contain acids/alkalis and many have a significant metal content. When swallowed there could be local burns and/or corrosive injuries in the throat, oesophagus and stomach. Rarer but more dangerous are mercury button batteries. There is a significant risk of the batteries generating a direct current to the tissue it comes in contact with and this would cause cell death and electrical burns. In the stomach the battery could leak which would cause severe caustic injury. There are other risks too – if the battery becomes lodged or stuck there would be a need of x-rays under anesthetic and surgery to remove the offending obstruction. Thankfully most batteries pass through the gastrointestinal tract uneventfully.

Onions
all parts of the plant are considered as toxic to dogs, whether cooked or raw and it is  possible that other members of the onion family such as leeks, garlic and chives may cause the same problem.  Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. Pets affected by onion poisoning will suffer from
vomiting and diarrhoea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over takeaways or even baby foods are not a good diet for your pet

Whilst we are on the subject of hazards around the house, I should remind all cat owners that lilies pose a significant risk and all parts of the plant including the pollen and flower  are poisonous leading to possible kidney failure and death.

I am sure all readers can appreciate that all of the above would be appealing to our furry friends, but over the last 20 years that I have been in practice, I have had to remove a variety of less tasty objects including: socks, knickers, stones, tennis balls, golf balls, handkerchiefs, peach stones, corn cobs with some of the more unusual being a dust pan and brush, a washing machine hose, an engagement ring and the
most bizarre, a rubber smurf!

 I hope that all our friends and clients have a happy Christmas and remember please don’t buy a pet for Christmas, it is a real commitment and responsibility think first and then consult your veterinary surgery who can help you come to a decision that takes into account your needs, the animals needs and your lifestyle. If you make the right choices you will have a loving and friendly companion for life.

For over 10 years you have been able to take your cat or dog with you to certain EU countries (and some non-EU countries too) without having the inconvenience of then having to spend time in quarantine when you return.

In simple terms the new rules require your cat or dog to have a microchip

A Pet Microchip is the size of a grain of rice

and vaccinated against rabies. Once that is done you vet can issue you with a PET PASSPORT

Pet Passport

21 days after your pat has had the rabies vaccination you’ll be able to travel. Whilst there is no legal requirement for your pet to receive tick treatments before you come back – we recommend it. Ticks can carry a wide range of potentially life threatening diseases like Lyme, Babesiosis and Ehrilichiosis. Remember your pet will STILL NEED treatment (by a vet) against tapeworm before coming back into the country

If you are planning to live abroad and are not planning to return to the UK with your pet then for the majority of cases your pet will still need a microchip, rabies vaccination and pets passport. Please be aware each country’s requirement for pet entry is different and it is important that if you are planning to live
abroad you check the individual country requirements before travel.

Finally, be aware that when you travel abroad your pet may be exposed to parasites and diseases that are not currently present in the UK.  Many of these diseases are spread by
ticks

A brown Tick

and sandflies.

There are products available from us to help protect your pet against these parasites and thereby reduce the risk of disease – so make an appointment with your vet before you travel.

Happy Travelling