In the last month we have sadly said goodbye to Sue who has been a valued part of the practice team for 8 years. We wish Sue all the best and hope that her decision brings her the changes to her work life balance she needs. Seren, who has been with us such a short time, has sadly decided that veterinary nursing is not the career path she wishes to pursue, we wish her all the best wherever her future takes her.
This week, June 26th - 30th, is rabbit awareness week (RAW). The rabbit awareness action group (RAAG) is, once again, sharing information to help maximise awareness and understanding of rabbit welfare needs. This year the key focus is on the benefits of neutering rabbits for both physical and behavioural health. To find out more and access owner information packs, the 2023 RAW competition, RAW quiz, blogs and information on adopting rabbits just visit the RAW 2023 website.
Sarah Caney, one of the UK's leading specialists in feline medicine, is hosting a webinar for cat owners on Thursday 11th May at 8pm (GMT). The webinar will help owners recognise the symptoms of hyperthyroidism and understand the available treatment options. If your cat has hyperthyroidism, or you are the owner of an older cat who is losing weight, to find out more then go to the Bova website to register for the event . The webinar can be watched live or later on demand/at your convenience. Additional feline webinars on caring for cats with hypertension (high blood pressure) and arthritis will be live on June 1st and 22nd respectively.
New government legislations means that all cat owner have until 10th June 2024 to ensure that their cat/s is/are microchipped. It will now be a legal requirement for all cats to be microchipped by 20 weeks of age, and equally imperative that the owner details relating to the microchip are kept up to date. An owner of a cat found not to be microchipped will be given 21 days to have a chip implanted or they may face a fine of up to £500. It is hoped that this new legislation will help owners be reunited with lost or stray cats. Compulsory microchipping will not be required for free living (feral or farm) cats which have minimal or no human contact.
If you are uncertain as to whether your cat is microchipped then they can be quickly and easily checked at your veterinary surgery. You will need to contact the specific microchip company, who originally supplied your pets microchip, to check that your contact details are up to date. One microchip company, Identibase, are this week running an identiday. On Monday 20th March owners whose cats have an identichip microchip will be able update their details for free, to do this all you need to do is visit www.identibase.co.uk
Further information regarding the compulsory microchipping of cats can be found on the gov.uk website.
After nearly 5 years working with us at Holmer we said a sad farewell to Sandie this week. Sandie goes on to take on new challenges as a clinical director. She is an amazing vet and it has been incredible working with her. We will miss her greatly but wish her all the best in her new role.