Today I am going to try and explain why Dalmatians are spotty. I started off the task mentally walking 101 Disney dogs in a field and ended up sinking with them in a jungle of genetic quicksand! The tricky part of the explanation rests on the idea many different genes interact with each other to […]
Focus Magazines
The local magazines for Abergavenny, Crickhowell, Brecon & Talgarth – Events, News and Advertising
Category Archives: Pets
Dog Training… it’s all about Teamwork
Qualified Dog trainer, Tracey Prall, provides some useful dog training advice for new puppy or dog owners. So, you have welcomed your new puppy or rescue dog into your home with open arms. You have invested in all the correct equipment and essentials like bowls, leads, beds, toys, chews, doggy shampoo and so on. But […]
A Big Bang!
I am not too keen on autumn – the season of brown, mustiness, damp and firework’s night. Our dog hates fireworks; fireworks that come with our quaint tradition of burning effigies of terrorists. Storm and firework phobia is a terrible problem for many pets but vets have actually started to treat the condition better over […]
The Dog’s Dinner
Feeding our pets is a fundamental part of ownership; a “no brainer” in terms of a pet owner’s responsibilities. Yet it is a fact that we take little time checking exactly what they need rather than what is simple, cheap or convenient. One problem with the pet food industry has to be that it advertises […]
Grass… yum!
Some questions are easy to answer in my job others are more tricky. Concerned dog owner: Why is my dog scratching and biting out the fur over his tail? Me: Fleas. Owner: No it can’t be, I’ve treated them with powder and a flea bomb. My response: They don’t work and anyway what’s […]
Out of Hours
After several trips to Neville Hall Accident and emergency with my daughter, we began to get slightly concerned when the receptionist greeted us on sight by our Christian names. Thank you to the fantastic staff by the way! However, few pet owners consider out-of-hour (OOH) provision when they choose a vet. All veterinary practices in […]
Aneurin Bevan & Pet Insurance
Abbey Vets has a number of branches, one of which is in Tredegar; birthplace of Aneurin Bevan. The more I read about ‘Nye’ Bevan the more I appreciate the history surrounding our branch where this remarkable Welshman spearheaded the development of a health service, free for all at the point of need. We are a […]
All Creatures Great and Small
Many of my colleagues admit to entering veterinary medicine, at least in part, because of reading James Herriot’s novels. However, the almost romantic notion of a vet with time to flit from calving to cats spay then from colic to kennel cough is long gone. The majority of us now specialise in some way, restricting […]
‘In Defence of Dogs’
I just read a book. “In Defence of Dogs” by John Bradshaw. Now, some books will claim boldly to change your life; this one will change your dogs. Bluntly, in my opinion every dog owner (or person considering owning a dog) should read it. Admittedly he gets a bit bogged down in the early […]
Best child’s pet? Zhu Zhu vs. Guinea-Pig
Children’s pets are a landmark in their young lives and the first real object of responsibility they will have owned. This introduction to the joy of pet ownership is why I recommend a guinea-pig as a great choice for first timers. I was very kindly given some young guinea-pigs, pups as they are known, to […]
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