One of the givens in this world is that things never stay the same, we are always learning and we are always improving. This is as true for the veterinary profession as it is anywhere else. The information changes are based on must come from somewhere though.
Many of us will be aware of the change in recommendations as to the timing of desexing dogs. When I trained it was almost written in stone that it was by 6 months. It would now appear that the timing isn’t quite that simple. Early spey and neutering has been associated with an increase in non-traumatic orthopaedic injuries. Where did this information from? One of the major studies the updated recommendations are based on is The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study run by Morris Animal Foundation The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is one of the largest, most comprehensive prospective canine health studies in the United States. The Study’s purpose is to identify the nutritional, environmental, lifestyle and genetic risk factors for cancer and other diseases in dogs. Each year, with the help of veterinarians and dog owners, the Foundation collects health, environmental and behavioural data on 3,000+ enrolled golden retrievers and has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Today we have a chat to Dr Kelly Diehl, Senior Director of Science and Communication for The Morris Animal Foundation about: • An overview of The Morris Animal Foundation • What is The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study • Why Golden Retrievers? • An overview of some of the results to date • The relevance to other breeds of dogs, specie
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f you have been a listener of the Vetpodcast for a while you may recall an episode we recorded back in early 2021 with Dr Melissa Trupia discussing end of life decisions and treatment. In this episode we are taking the inevitable next step today and discussing euthanasia. It is a topic that perhaps isn’t discussed as often as it should because but lets face it, almost all pet owners have to go through this process at least once in their pet owning life. I have a broad reaching discussion with Dr Kathleen Cooney, veterinarian, founder and Director of Education for The Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy. This discussion may be a bit confronting in places to some people but fore warned is fore armed.
We talk about: · what makes a good euthanasia? · as an owner, how to prepare for your pet’s euthanasia? · pre-euthanasia sedation – why it is now considered “best practice” · should you be present for the final act? · the mechanics of euthanasia · what are your options with your deceased pet’s body? · what about grief support? Whether you are a pet owner or a veterinary professional, you should probably have a listen to this. |
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October 2022
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