Interview
Most dog owners do have their pets vaccinated, but it would be nice if it were 100% —Julian Norton
adequate pet/human interaction and food/exercise balance.
earlier this year killed three dogs who had not been vaccinated.
JN: The vast majority of pet owners love their animals in a way that is hugely positive for both owner and pet. It is a wonderful, symbiotic relationship. Occasionally—and usually unwittingly— this can become too much. I have seen situations where the husband has been banished to the sofa because the dog will not allow him into the bedroom.
Q. What common but preventable conditions and complaints do you often deal with in the surgery? PW: Top of the list is obesity. This is much easier to prevent by regularly weighing your pet and adjusting feed accordingly.
Q. What are the biggest myths
surrounding pet health? PW: Common myths surrounding pet health include if a dog has a wet nose it must be healthy and if a cat is purring, it must be happy. Cats will purr in other emotional states e.g. anxiety. JN: I suppose the biggest myth surrounding pet health concerns vaccination. We still regularly see outbreaks of parvovirus. An outbreak celebrityangels.co.uk
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JN: We frequently see the nasty condition of pyometra which is a serious infection within the uterus, usually of a bitch, but sometimes in a female cat too. This is a life-threatening condition and is completely preventable by having a female dog or cat spayed.
Q. What behaviours should we look out for that indicate a problem with our pet’s emotional or physical health? PW: If pets are emotionally upset, this may manifest in different ways. Some pets will become withdrawn, others require human comfort and closeness
and may exhibit repetitive behaviour such as circling and destructive behaviour such as chewing furniture. Physical health issues are much easier to spot such as inappetence, changes in drinking habits, shivering, lethargy, depression and reluctance to go for a walk. JN: Cats, in particular, can be very sensitive to emotional stress, for example if a member of the family leaves or a new baby arrives.
Q. What have been the strangest encounters that you have experienced in your TV show, The Yorkshire Vet? PW: One unusual encounter was the lady who rang me to ask if I castrated ferrets. I asked when she would like to book the ferret in for his operation and she said, ‘no you don’t understand, we need 13 ferrets castrating!’. That morning we set up a ferret castrating production line. JN: One thing that made me laugh out loud, in the early days of the programme,
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