Lifelong care for pets providing clinical excellence, knowledge and experience
NEWS ASK THE VET by Laura McKirdy
Bonfires A client with a six month old puppy has emailed asking how to keep him safe and calm when fireworks are going off. My advice is to act normally, because if you get worked up, he will too. If he sees you’re not worried, he’s less likely to think there’s something to worry about! At this stage in his life he’s unlikely to have any phobias or significant fears. Walk him before dark but if he does need out after dark, take him on the lead and make the walk as short as possible. Give him somewhere to hide in the house if he wants to, close the curtains, turn on the telly or radio and keep him company.
Please email your questions to laura.mckirdy@paragonvet.com
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At this time of year it’s tempting to make bonfires of fallen leaves. However - little creatures such as hedgehogs will see those leaf piles as perfect places for making a cosy nest where they can keep warm on cold autumn nights and prepare to hibernate. So - if you are planning a bonfire, prepare it the day of the fire to minimise the chance of an animal deciding to call it home. Better still, re-build the stack before lighting it. The fire will produce lots of smoke, which can make creatures sleepy and give them less chance to evacuate the burning pile. If you have a lot to burn and it takes a few days to assemble, check it thoroughly before lighting. Carefully poke a long stick into the leaves and debris around the base of the pile to awaken any sleepy little creatures and give them the chance to move out before you light it. Hedgehogs have recently joined the red squirrel and bottlenose dolphin on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan list of species in need of conservation and greater protection, so the more careful we are about our bonfires the better it will be for them.
PARAGON VETERINARY GROUP Visit us at: www.paragonvet.com and please ‘like’ us on our FACEBOOK page www.facebook.com/ParagonVets.Pets
November 2012
Contact us: CALDEW VETERINARY HOSPITAL Carlisle House, Townhead Road, Dalston, Carlisle CA5 7JF Tel: 01228 710208 vets@paragonvet.com TOWNHEAD VETERINARY CENTRE Newbiggin, Stainton, Penrith, CA11 0HT Tel: 01768 483789 townhead@paragonvet.com LONDON ROAD SURGERY 87 London Road Carlisle CA1 2LG Tel: 01228 591005
INSURING YOUR PETS by
Catherine Fowler (Deputy Head Nurse)
At Paragon Veterinary Group we strongly support the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. As a practice we do not provide any form of pet insurance. However we can advise you on the types of pet insurance available. Like many things ‘you get what you pay for’ and the cheapest policies tend to provide a lower level of cover.
Pet insurance policies can generally be categorised into 3 main types: Twelve month policies These provide cover up to a limit for 12 months. At renewal any condition that has developed during the previous 12 months will be excluded. They are intended to pay out for short term illnesses and accidents. These tend to offer one of the cheapest ways to insure your pet. For example if your pet was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus ‘sugar diabetes’, he or she would need daily insulin injections for life and close monitoring. A 12 month policy would only provide cover up to the limit for 12 months. The condition would then be excluded. Maximum benefit policies These limit vets' fees for any one illness, but don’t apply any time limit on how long the treatment lasts. Here, a £3,000 vet fees policy could pay for treatment over any number of years until the financial limit is reached. Some policies even renew the limit each year - though are likely to be more costly. Therefore, if your pet picked up a different condition, it would qualify for a new round of care. For a pet diagnosed with diabetes mellitus you would be able to claim for treatment until the limit is reached, even if this is over a few years. Life time cover These policies pay out on any condition for the life of the animal, but very few companies provide true life time cover. There is an annual limit for conditions claimed and this is renewed yearly. This type of policy provides the most comprehensive cover for both short and long term ailments; it tends to be the most expensive. If an animal is diagnosed with diabetes mellitus you will be able to claim for this condition for life up to the limit each year. With all insurance policies, any problem your pet has had prior to taking out insurance will be deemed a pre-existing condition and therefore will probably be excluded from your policy. At renewal it is unadvisable to change level of cover or insurance company because any problem your pet has had will be treated as a pre-existing condition and excluded.