Brucella Canis in imported dogs

What is Brucella Canis?

Brucella canis is a contagious bacterial infection mainly affecting dogs.  It did not previously exist in the UK but with the increase in imported dogs from Brucella endemic countries we have seen a marked increase in cases in the last few years

Brucella canis is also a zoonotic infection.  A zoonotic infection is an infection that can pass from animals to humans and from humans to animals.

Brucella is now also reportable to Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)

What are the symptoms?

Many visible symptoms relate to pregnancy and abortions and also lameness, discospondylitis, lethargy, enlarged lymph nodes, persistent vaginal discharge, swollen testicles.

Many infected dogs are also asymptomatic and show no signs of carrying the bacterium.

Most infections in people can be initially mild.  HOwever, immunocompromised people are at significant risk

How is it Transmitted?

Most transmission is via bodily fluids, including during birth, blood and urine

How is it detected?

Brucella blood tests look for antibodies to the disease and it can take up to 3 months after infection for these to be present.  This means that even after a negative test prior to entry into the UK, a repeat blood test should be carried out at least 3 months later to confirm that there is no infection.

Is testing compulsory?

No, Brucella testing is not compulsory, however, to protect our staff we require a negative test result for imported dogs or dogs mated overseas before we can complete their registration with Mark The Home Vet.

It is becoming increasingly common for surgical hospitals to require a negative test result for Brucella canis before they will accept patient referrals.

Is Brucellosis treatable?

No, currently there is no treatment

What happens if my dog tests positive?

All positive Brucella canis tests are reported to APHA who will then contact you.  It is likely that due to their being no effective treatment that they will recommend euthanasia.  Whilst that sounds drastic it is not a decision recommended lightly and is done with safety of all concerned in mind.  Whilst euthanasia is not compulsory, we will not be able to provide ongoing care for Brucella cases.

Whilst this all sounds rather drastic, please bear in mind that Brucellosis is still rare in the UK.  By taking these proactive measures we hope to prevent this devastating disease becoming endemic in the UK dog population.

If you have any questions then please get in touch - 01780 678876

Titre Testing for Dogs.

At Mark The Home Vet we believe in giving our Owners choice. We offer Vaccine Titre Tests for the Canine diseases: Distemper, Parvovirus and Hepatitis. At your Annual Health check if you would like to check your dog's immunity levels for the above diseases we can take a small amount of blood and run the test during the same consult, the results are instant and we can then vaccinate if necessary.

Please note. there is no test available for Leptospirosis and as such we would recommend you have this vaccine annually under the vaccine companies recommendation. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease which means it can cross species from dog to human.

If you would like more information please get in touch in the usual ways: Call us on 01780 678876, email hello@markthehomevet.com or book online (if you are already a client of ours) : www.markthehomevet.com

Have a great day!

A New Puppy

We have spent the weekend in Devon meeting some very important dogs. The lovely Buttons and Luna are proud parents to some English Springer Spaniel puppies. 
We are proud to announce that we will be having a new addition to the family. A little boy puppy that we're naming Magena. 
Many of you will know that we've lost 4 dogs in the past 3 years and whilst they are never replaceable we are now ready to open our hearts and home to a new fur baby. 
He'll be coming home in the new year as he's only 3 weeks old and Mummy dog Luna is doing a fine job looking after him and his litter mates. We are very excited!

Working On Your Day Off?

We spent the day volunteering at a charity cat neutering event which between all the volunteers we managed to neuter 105 cats. Well done all! We even managed to do some teaching for our fantastic final year vet student from the Royal Veterinary College.

#voluteering #neutering #charity #workingonourdayoff #homevisitvet #vet#vetnurse #holisticvet

Heat Stroke is a Killer...

Please be very careful with you pets in the hot weather, it is incredibly easy for people and pets to succumb in our current hot weather.

What to do to help save your pets life if they get heatstroke:

1 - STOP, find shade and get your dog to drink water

2 - Spray and soak their coat with cool or lukewarm water

3 - Use a fan or air conditioning to blow cool air over your dog

4 - Ice packs onto groin, armpits and neck

5 - Seek medical advice ASAP

We prefer not to use wet towels to cool dogs down, these very quickly warm up and can actually insulate their fur stopping the cooling process

A gift from a grateful client

After a busy week, a client handed Rebecca this bottle to thank us for our service and to celebrate our "new" independent business. We were very thankful not just for the gesture but in realising that our vision has come into being. We (Mark and Rebecca) offer relaxed appointments when the client is given the time they deserve and where a relationship is nutured with both pet and owner. We are proud to offer this service and thankful to our wonderful clients. 
#homevisitvet #champagne #vet #veterinarynurse#homevet #holisticvet #busyweek

Birthday Boy Chip

This beautiful boy is Chip, he is having an acupuncture treatment on his birthday. Happy 12th birthday Chip x
#animalacupuncture #homevisitvet #birthdayboy

Bees.....

Don't our bees have a wonderful place to buzz around...

We at Mark The Home Vet are proud to support our local community and adopt an entire Buckfast honeybee hive with Bees For Business.  We have the privilege of naming all 60,000 bees Mark The Home Vet. 

It has been widely reported by the media that the honeybee population is increasingly under threat by disease, lack of pollen sources and pollution, however, a greater threat is a lack of social awareness of the importance of the bee: one third of the food we eat relies on pollination by the honeybee.

So, we have adopted a beehive to help make a difference to the environment and to help to reverse the decline of the honeybee, a critically important and integral part of our eco system. 

Some interesting bee facts:

- Beekeeping is an ancient art thought to be more than 8,000 years old.

- Each honeybee makes just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

- Honey is often used as a natural antiseptic in medicine for its anti-fungal, anti-septic, anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties. 

- During the peak summer season a healthy honeybee colony can contain as many as 80,000 honeybees. 

- In one flight, a honeybee can visit as many as 50 to 100 flowers at a time, averaging up to 2,000 flowers per day. 

Shouldn't your pet receive first class Veterinary Treatment AND be relaxed in their loving home environment whilst receiving that treatment from your Vet?

Shouldn't your pet receive first class Veterinary Treatment AND be relaxed in their loving home environment  whilst receiving that treatment from your Vet?

Actually, that is exactly what Mark The Home Vet offers.

Animals, understandably, feel stress when they are taken out of their comfort zone and asking them to travel in a car, sit in a waiting room with other stressed and noisy animals heightens these levels of anxiety. Your pets then have to undergo an examination with stethoscopes to listen to the heart and lungs and probing thermometers whilst standing on an unknown and strangely scented table in a small room. I know how I feel waiting at the Doctors despite the fact I can at least understand why I am there and what will happen. Pets can also feed off how you are feeling and start to feel similar emotions, for years I have watched worried owners sitting anxiously with their pet waiting to be seen by the Vet.

Now, transfer that same pet into its comfy, warm bed when the door knocks and you, the owner, calmly opening it to a smily Vet. The Vet is still there to examine your pet but this time your pet has not felt the stress and worry beforehand. We have time to listen to your pet’s body language, we sit on the floor with them, we ensure that they feel relaxed and comfortable before and during the examination. We have extra time to spend with your pet.

We strongly believe in treating pets holistically, in looking at the pet as a whole and not just treating the disease it has. We build a relationship where there is mutual respect. Your pet is much more than its disease, it has things its likes and dislikes, it has had experiences both positive and negative that cause it to behave in the way it does. When we work holistically, we listen to your pet, we want to learn about it, we want it to be calm and relaxed when we ask it to sit for its treatment or examination.

In Veterinary Medicine, there are times when your pet is poorly and that gentle loving hand to lift a head, or cuddle a crying sob away, works miracles in a healing journey. How does a human feel when they cry and they receive a kind word, or a warming touch or a hug is received? An upset cat that doesn’t want its blood sample taken can be eased through the process with love, care and attention by the people handling it if they have the time, compassion and empathy to do so. Veterinary practice is a busy place! and unfortunately, Vets and nurses cannot fix and help every pet that comes through the door.

But to that one pet, how you treat them is the only important thing to them and to you, the owners. The popular quote by Karen Davison explains that “Saving one dog will not change the world but for that one dog, the world will change forever”. How your pet experiences its Veterinary care can change “its world”, its whole experience. Your pet is not just a disease, it is a dog, cat, rabbit, a friend, a companion, a support, a trusted, loving, respected animal. It has lots of layers and these layers all need to heal.

If a Vet had the medical knowledge and experiences, the compassion and empathy, the time and your support as an owner, wouldn’t the overall experience for your pet be richer if we listened to them, let them be themselves in the relaxed environment of their own home? This is our vision. This is Mark The Home Vet.

Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month

May is Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month and we wanted to celebrate the role of the Veterinary Nurse.
We are lucky to have Rebecca as our Veterinary Nurse. We thought we would tell you some of her jobs: she offers nurse consults to include second vaccinations, medication applications and injections, flea and worm consults, adolescent health checks, nail trims, dematts, senior clinics, the list goes on. She also answers your calls, orders medications, plans the diaries, talks with drug reps, practice manages, checks the fridge temperatures daily, organises our waste and liaises with our cremation partners, sends sympathy cards, and her biggest job is managing Mark!

Rebecca qualified in 2005 after doing her English degree, she has qualifications in Canine Behaviour and runs her own business ( www.peacehheallove.com ) offering Animal Reiki and Canine Bowen Technique to animals and Reiki and Bowen to people. She is a Reiki Master Teacher and has many interests as well as animals such as yoga, dancing, drumming and poetry and was Stamford's Poet Laureate a few years ago.

Rebecca has volunteered abroad using her nursing skills to neuter, nurse, educate, rehome and even run charities in Bardados, Rarotonga, The Cook Isands and Grenada

As well as a Mummy to 2 little ones she provides nursing support to us and we celebrate the varied and important roles the Veterinary Nurse provides to all Vets and Practices.

#whatvnsdo #VNAM18