Clothes for pets: a sensible choice or human madness?

A cats-in-designer-clothes calendar hit the headlines this week. What about clothes for pets, anyway? I've written a blog about it - read it here. Click here for full post

Keeping small pets warm in winter

Click on the play button below to listen to this wee's audio discussion about looking after rabbits and guinea pigs in the winter.

VETWARMWINTER.mp3

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Keeping rabbits and guinea pigs warm in the winter

Rabbits and guinea pigs who live in hutches outdoors need special care in the winter. For a few tips, watch my TV3 vet spot by clicking here. Click here for full post

Dog hit by train costs £14000 to fix

Modern veterinary medicine can achieve wonderful results, but it can carry a high price tag. Read my blog on a recent case in the news by clicking here. Click here for full post

Are dogs brighter than cats? What do you think?

Some interesting research has just been published on brain development over thousands of years, but how someone's tweaked it to suggest that dogs are brighter than cats is beyond me. Read my blog on this here. Click here for full post

Pet Subjects in the Telegraph: guinea pigs, itchy cats, fleas and microchips

Here's my weekly Pet Subjects column from the Daily Telegraph. Free-ranging guinea pigs, cats with itchy skin, fleas that may be resistant to spot on drops and a good question: can microchips "wear out"? Read it by clicking here. Click here for full post

Compulsory microchpping of dogs in the UK?

The subject of compulsory microchipping keeps coming up in the UK. Read my blog on this here. Click here for full post

The Advisory Council on Dog Breeding is up and running at last

The Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding in the UK is up and running. Click here to read my blog on this. Click here for full post

High court confirms Welsh ban on electric shock collars

The High Court in London has upheld the ban on electric shock collars for pets in Wales. Click here to read my blog on this. Click here for full post

Vacuum cleaning a dog on TV3

It's difficult to keep a home clean with pets running around, especially in winter. On Ireland AM this week, I discussed various options, including the new Dyson Groom Tool. Click here to watch the clip. Click here for full post

Video questions and answers on TV3

I answered more questions from TV3 viewers this week. To watch, click here. Queries included:
1. Our next door neighbour's cat uses our garden for toileting. I've tried putting things down but they don't keep the cats out. What can I do?
2. How can I house train a ten year old cat?
3. Our five year old terrier keeps eating her own poo. Is she lacking something?
4. What's the best food to put weight on a Labrador?
5. Why is my cat mutilating herself? She licks herself till she's sore.
6. My Rough Collie is very clean, but she's become very smelly recently. What can I do?
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"The Great Animal Rights Betrayal" in the Independent Newspaper

The Independent Newspaper recently used the entire front page to accuse the UK's coalition government of a "Great Animal Rights Betrayal". Yet when you examine the details of the article, perhaps the situation is not quite what it seems. REad my take on it here. Click here for full post

Discover Dogs - like Crufts but with less controversy

The Discover Dogs show is on in London this weekend. Click here to read my take on it. Click here for full post

My weekly Pet Subjects column in the Telegraph

My weekly Pet Subjects column in the Telegraph is online: rabbits, moulting dogs & feral cats. See here Click here for full post

Hedgehogs on TV3

Click here to watch this week's TV3 Ireland AM video: all about looking after orphan hedgehogs. I just love the little prickly critters! Click here for full post

How often should pets visit the vet?

For optimal health, humans - and pets - ought to visit their health professionals regularly. Click here to read my blog on this. Click here for full post

Pet Subjects: questions from pet owning readers

My Saturday Weekend Telegraph Pet Subjects column is now online. You can read it here. Subjects covered include TV for pets, looking after rabbits in the winter, cats that miaow too much and living with a blind dog. Click here for full post

Radio discussion: Are you the parent of your pet?

On East Coast FM this week, we continued the theme of terminology used to describe humans looking after pets: owners, guardians or parents? Click on the play button below to listen.

Pet parents.mp3

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Day old chicks being slaughtered: do they suffer?

VIvA, the vegetarian organisation, has released hidden camera footage of male day old chicks being pruned out then slaughtered. Not at all pleasant to watch, but do they suffer in the process? Read my blog on this by clicking here. And here is the rest of it. Click here for full post

Ireland AM: a cat with serious eye disease

This week the Ireland AM crew came out to Brayvet to film a cat that was suffering from serious eye disease. Click here to watch what happened. Click here for full post

Are you your dog's Daddy or your cat's Mummy?

The term "owner" seems to be going out of fashion when it comes to pets. I've written a blog about the various terms that are often now used instead. Read it by clicking here. Click here for full post