All the latest info on caring for your pet

There are a number of reasons why you may need to wash your dog. They may have graced your house with a fragrant roll in fox or badger poo, you may find that your own allergies reduce with regular dog baths, or the dog may have a skin disease requiring medicated shampoo as treatment. There is now a massive range of dog shampoos, but surely a human shampoo, or even soap or washing up liquid would be just as effective?

In this final part of our series on zoonotic infections, we’re going to look at rarer or emerging zoonoses – those where the zoonotic risk is perhaps less well known.

Yes, you read that right… and no I haven’t lost the plot, and nor has the website run amok. I’m sure that some of my readers in academia and education will have already sussed out where I’m going… September is the Academic New Year in the UK! And this is something I wanted to talk about, because whether or not you realise it, this has a major impact on what’s happening in many veterinary practices up and down the country.

In the first of this series, we looked at what a zoonosis was, and the 'worst case scenario’ of a rabies outbreak. In this second part, we’re going to look at some of the more common conditions that vets (and doctors!) in the UK see in general practice day in, day out.

Ah, September. Brand new school uniforms still with creases from the packets; the excitement of buying new stationery; trying to find the book bag with the unfinished holiday homework; the inevitable discussions about which teacher will be taking which class. That last week of the school holidays and first week of the new term are more than slightly chaotic for even the most organised of families. But have you ever considered what this time of year does to our pets? Most animals thrive on having a set, predictable routine and even small disruptions can cause uncertainty. New smells can worry our more anxious pets, and some simply just miss the extra company. Consider the family cat that likes to sleep on your son’s bed - but this year he’s off to university. What can you do to help? We’ll discuss some symptoms of animals that are struggling with the change, and some ways of keeping things as comfortable as possible.