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    Is ‘Doggy Mouthwash’ Dangerous?

    Joe Dunne - Monday February 18th, 2019
    There has been a big push in the veterinary world in recent years to try and increase dental hygiene in pets. Vets are encouraging owners more and more to make brushing their dog or cat’s teeth, to remove plaque build-up, part of the daily routine, like you would walking or feeding them. Companies have, of course, jumped on this trend, and developed products designed to improve dental hygiene, including pet toothbrushes, toothpaste, and now ‘doggy mouthwash’. Doggy mouthwash is added to dog and cat water bowls to ‘help fight your pet’s bad breath’. The main ingredients, chlorhexidine and xylitol, are supposed to kill bacteria and reduce plaque, with the advantage being that the liquid can reach where traditional brushing might not. Anecdotal evidence and product reviews indicate these products do help reduce bad breath and keep teeth looking cleaner. However, there’s been a recent hubbub around the inclusion of xylitol in the ingredients.
    Dogs
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    The Romantic Lives of the Domestic Species

    Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS - Wednesday February 13th, 2019
    I’m no historian, but rumour has it that the origins of St. Valentine’s day are quite unromantic. Valentine was a Roman guy who helped Christian couples to get married. This was frowned upon in Rome at the time so the Emperor, Claudius Gothicus, had Valentine stoned and beheaded. Anyway, I thought I’d continue this soft, gooey theme and offer you some nuggets of information about the romantic lives of domestic animals. Brace yourselves.....
    Behaviour
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    Equine Flu Outbreak – what do you need to know?

    David Harris BVSc MRCVS - Monday February 11th, 2019
    Once again, the UK has been hit by an outbreak of infectious disease - but this time it’s horses that are affected. As a result, the headlines are full of “Horse Flu!!!” stories, racecourses are closed, and some people are recommending horse owners have their horses vaccinations “topped up” to minimise the risk. So what’s going on? How severe is the risk? And what can we do to minimise it?
    Horses
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    What’s the link between frosted grass and laminitis?

    Aoife Byrne DrMedVet CertAVP MRCVS - Friday January 25th, 2019
    Winter is well and truly here and scraping the frost off my windscreen the other morning reminded me of a common question from my clients at this time of the year; that is whether or not frosty grass is more likely to cause laminitis. There are many misconceptions about laminitis, the commonest being that lush pasture is the primary cause. The reality is that this is incorrect and I have seen many cases occur in horses and ponies grazing barer paddocks, both in summer and winter. In fact, studies have shown there’s an approximately four times higher risk of laminitis in both the summer (June–August) and winter (December–February) months compared to the lusher growth months of spring (March–May).
    Ask a vet online
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    My cat is squatting repeatedly… what can I do?

    Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS - Friday January 18th, 2019

    My cat is squatting repeatedly in his litter tray as though he's trying to urinate, but he doesn’t seem able to go. What can I do?

    Right, this one is serious - see a vet as an emergency. Cystitis in people is often an unpleasant stinging sensation when they urinate, but in a male cat it can be life-threatening.  

    Cystitis? Really? How?

    Cystitis simply means inflammation of the bladder. The lining of the bladder becomes inflamed and painful, but in cats the urethra sometimes gets blocked as well.
    Ask a vet online
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