Niall Taylor's Activities

Stonewall

An On MRCVS — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 20:19:14 GMT

Following on from the Nolan podcasts, is it not time that the RCVS withdrew from Stonewall? And if not, should we at least not be allowed a debate about it, rather than being silenced?

I have used anon account for obvious reasons but the gender indoctrination of our children terrifies me.

Calling all Yorkshire folk!

Niall Taylor — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 11:51:17 GMT

I have had an email from an acquaintance living in the USA and I wondered if any northern types on this list might be able to help answer her questions and/or suggest any other things that they might like to do on their planned trip. Here's the relevant portion of the email:

I'm planning a surprise trip to Yorkshire for my husband to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary next year. Certain things I just haven't been able to find on the internet, for example: Is the purple heather on the north York moors all gone by the end of August, or does it continue into September? I'm thinking of either August or September; what is your opinion on the best time to go? Have you ever been to the little horse fair near Dewsbury---Lee Gap Fair---and if so, is it worthwhile to go to?

Looking forward to enlightenment .

Many thanks in advance,

Niall

Idiots!

Niall Taylor — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 12:11:24 GMT

Family pug seized by town over unpaid debts and sold on eBay

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47401439

There isn't a single participant in this sorry story who isn't a complete idiot, with the sole exception of the unfortunate dog itself.

Original owners buy mega expensive, high maintenance dog then don't have enough money to pay for its upkeep = idiots

Debt collectors think it is a sensible thing to sieze a live animal and sell it on Ebay = idiots!

New owner buys dog cheap on Ebay = idiot!!

New owner is surprised that a high maintenance dog bought cheap on Ebay has health "issues" = idiot!!!

Sorry, just had to vent

Niall

Belgium bans non-stun slaughter

Niall Taylor — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 12:17:55 GMT

So why can't we do the same here?

https://www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/newsroom/news-releases/belgium-s-non-stun-slaughter-decision-shows-that-a-ban-is-possible-in-law/

Niall

Unusual lip masses

Niall Taylor — Sat, 29 Dec 2018 12:08:48 GMT

I've just seen an 18 week old newfoundland with 3 small, firm, white masses on the lip, left side at the commisure.

They look like papillomas but I'm not sure there is a papilloma virus in dogs in the UK, and this dog is UK bred. I've never seen anything like them previously so any suggestions as to what they might be would be most welcome. Otherwise it'll be sedate and biopsy!

Unusual lip masses

Niall Taylor — Sat, 29 Dec 2018 11:08:56 GMT

I've just seen an 18 week old newfoundland with 3 small, firm, white masses on the lip, left side at the commisure. Pictures are here:

https://www.vetsurgeon.org/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/m/photo-video-media/138054.aspx

Thanks in advance.

Niall

P.S. I'm not sure why the pics have come out upside down, but you can see what they look like anyway. Perhaps Arlo Guthrie could see if it's possible to get them the right way up - they are ok on my PC!

Underhand homeopathic tactics

Niall Taylor — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 06:58:17 GMT

https://ukhomeopathyregulation.blogspot.com/2018/11/animal-quackers.html

An excellent article describing the underhand tactics used by veterinary homeopaths and their supporters. In the UK they are a tiny minority of the profession (the British association of veterinary homeopaths only has some 46 members), yet they mislead the public about the evidence against homeopathy. They also ally themselves with fringe groups such as CAM4animals who have even less of an understanding of how evidence, science and medicine work. The article doesn't mention the personal attacks and threats made by some veterinary homeopaths against those who campaign for a rational basis to the profession.

There are many well documented cases where humans have been harmed or even died as a result of homeopaths and homeopathic treatment, there is no reason animal homeopathy should be any different. It's just that if such things happened to animals we wouldn't hear about it because animals don't have the benefit of inquests and boards of inquiry or simply grieving relatives pushing for an explanation in the same way that humans do.

Furthermore, we all know there are cases where seemingly untreatable diseases, things that by right shouldn't have got better simply did, even with minimal or no treatment. Yet these cases are the ones vet homeopaths claim that they have cured on the odd occasion they happen to 'intervene' at the right time.

If anyone knows of any cases where animals have been harmed by homeopathy, or have witnessed an unexpected 'miracle-cure' and is happy to have an anonymised version published on a blog I would be very grateful to hear from them either here or off list.

Many thanks in advance.

Niall

Maintaining dental water lines - help!

Niall Taylor — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:17:12 GMT

Has anyone got any suggestions as to how best control bugs and biofilm in the water lines of dental equipment? Apparently chlorhexidine doesn't do the job these days

Thanks in advance,

Niall

Couple of interesting articles in The Scientist journal

Niall Taylor — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 08:28:35 GMT

I thought folks might be interested in these brilliant articles from the (free) Scientist e-journal. Some interesting animal-related ethical posers and tales of how enthusiastic researchers can be blind to bias, even when it's in a good cause ;-)

As Brain Organoids Mature, Ethical Questions Arise

Inserting human “mini-brains” into rodents has the potential to broaden scientists’ understanding of neurological disease, but raises quandaries about consciousness.

https://www.the-scientist.com/features/brain-organoids-mature--raise-ethical-questions-64533

and

Replication Failures Highlight Biases in Ecology and Evolution Science

As robust efforts fail to reproduce findings of influential zebra finch studies from the 1980s, scientists discuss ways to reduce bias in such research.

https://www.the-scientist.com/features/replication-failures-highlight-biases-in-ecology-and-evolution-science-64475

Niall

Help needed with a skin case please!

Niall Taylor — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 09:04:00 GMT

Hi folks, I have a strange skin case I wondered if anyone had any ideas about. The patient is a young, otherwise healthy GSD cross. A while back he developed a deep infection in a toe on the right fore paw. The owner is antibiotic averse so the infection got quite a hold before we were allowed to intervene properly. Eventually though after a few weeks on meds the infection seemed to come under control and the toe returned to normal.

Coincidentally during this time the adjacent toe lost its nail due to trauma and also had to be treated. One of the nails on the right hind is also 'wonky' and has occasionally fallen off because of a long-standing problem which seems to have started before the owner acquired the dog.

Now however he has developed multiple red, ulcerative areas on the middle of the pads of all 4 feet as well as crusting lesions on the pinna margins and a pale pink spot near one of the nares. His feet are sore, but otherwise he seems well. We have bloods pending from an external lab and I have advised the owner to brace herself for the possibility of biopsies.

I have included a composite set of photos below, the originals can be seen on our google drive here :

Any help would be gratefully received! Many thanks in advance, I'll post updates of blood results when I get them.

Niall

Head tremor in a spaniel

Niall Taylor — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 08:17:20 GMT

I have just seen a case of head tremor in an otherwise perfectly healthy, neutered female springer X cocker spaniel, 1 year 10 months old. Absolutely nothing of note on clinical examn and the dog is reportedly completely well otherwise. The first instance was about a month ago and came on following exercise so the owners didn't think too much of it, the second one was just a couple of days ago about two hours after agility class and got them a bit more worried.

Dr Google apparently says it's 'idiopathic tremor' which I thought was an accurate but unhelpful description - is there such a thing and do we know anything about it, or could it be a form of epilepsy? Currently it's a bit of a curiosity but the worry is, is it going to get worse.

The owner has very helpfully videoed the most recent episode and placed it on her google drive here (ignore the green device next to the dog, it's the owner's 'vape'):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_MjzXXZM4pihai4Mfnw_fe9g487bi2u7/view?ts=5b22a61f

All suggestions welcome, thanks in advance,

Niall

Stray parrot

Niall Taylor — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 08:51:24 GMT

Just a quickie - we have been contacted by a member of the public who has found a stray African grey parrot. We are currently helping her try to find an owner (it is ringed) but she has announced her intention to keep it if it isn't claimed (we've had about half a dozen people try to claim it already ). A rescue organisation has got involved however and advises that the finder is unable to keep the parrot without the relevant CITES paperwork and it should be handed over to a pukka organisation who are set up to deal with this sort of situation.

My question is - is this advice correct? To me it sounds plausible but harsh.

Thanks in advance,

Niall

Home-made renal diet

Niall Taylor — Mon, 14 May 2018 16:01:08 GMT

Does anyone know of a sensible recipe for home-made renal diet? I have a client whose dog has just been diagnosed with renal insufficiency, seems relatively well at the moment and the owner is keen to home prepare. She has already bought a supposed renal diet from a pet shop and read something online about red meat and pumpkins and I'd like to point her in the right direction.

Thanks in advance,

Niall

Animal 'first responders'

Niall Taylor — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 11:17:27 GMT

A mate sent me this link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-43865467/how-to-perform-cpr-on-a-dog

Is this a gimmick to separate caring yet gullible owners from their cash or does it serve a genuine need?

In my humble opinion it (CPR and the whole animal 'first responder' concept) just gives false hope. In human medicine, where someone has had a heart attack (i.e. myocardial infarction (MI)) then CPR can help until someone arrives with a defibrillator to restart the heart (although with no breathing or heart beat your chances of survival are slim).

Dogs don't get MI though, and that's the problem for me. If they have stopped breathing and have no pulse then it's going to be a completely different situation, there will be something else which has caused the problem (trauma, neoplasia, organ failure etc), for which human first-aid type CPR is no use. The best thing to do in those circumstances surely is to get the dog into a car and take it to a vet - staying in one spot while you do chest compressions and artificial respiration is a waste of time. But to most vets a dog who is not breathing and doesn't have a pulse would be considered deceased - there really would be no realistic chance of doing anything other than advising an owner of this.

What does everyone else think? Do we have anyone in the group who has worked with a 'first responder'?

Niall

Parrot problems

Niall Taylor — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 12:05:08 GMT

Hi Folks,

I need some help with a 30+ year-old, African grey parrot I've just seen. The owners have noticed a respiratory 'click' for a while and on examination he had laboured breathing after a short period of exercise (flapping while on the owner's arm). Also he has the occasional watery stool. Otherwise he seems fine, eating well, the plumage is excellent and he seems well cared for (the owners have had him for 30 years).

Initially I suspected a respiratory infection so trialled Baytril. After a couple of weeks on that there is only a marginal improvement according to the owners. They have self referred to a specialist who has suggested tests but they were concerned as they sounded quite invasive (not sure exactly what was suggested) and there are financial considerations also.

I know, given we've already done a treatment trial, there probably won't be anything which can be done other than what the specialist has already suggested, but I wondered if anyone might have a light-bulb moment about the case and, if possible, a miracle cure as well?

For a parrot, he really is quite sweet!

Thanks in anticipation,

Niall