On behalf of all the staff at St. Anne’s we wish all our clients and their owners a happy and healthy 2008. We have a New Practice Brochure and recent visitors to the practice and new clients will have received copies of our new practice brochure. There is a great deal of useful information in the brochure about our practice including information about our staff, our available services and the terms under which we do business. There are sections to advise clients on our medicines’ policy and details of our out of hours’ service. Further advice sheets can be added which detail our recommendations for best practice when caring for your dog, cat or rabbit. We hope that all our clients will take a copy and the brochures are available from reception at any of our branches. We say goodbye to one of our trainee veterinary nurses, Claire Bates and wish good luck to Menna Field and Natalie Harris in their forthcoming nursing exams.
Simon DeVile, Jim Dash and Raymund Bouwman

Cold Weather Precautions
As it’s starting to get cold now it’s worth thinking of a few precautions to keep our pets warm and safe. With all animals and birds ensure they have a warm place to sleep, away from draughts.
Cats and Dogs
• Ensure that there is protection from stoves and open fires. • Check water bowls outside are not frozen and don’t use metal bowls. • Make sure that antifreeze is safely locked away as if drunk it can cause kidney problems.
Cats
• If there is no cat flap, ensure that there is adequate shelter outdoors from wind and rain. • Check underneath your car before starting as cats like to hide there.
Dogs
• Wash and dry your dogs’ paws after walking on streets and pavements as the salt and grit can cause sores and inflammation.
Rabbits
• Cover up the hutch at night to protect against the damp and draughts. • Change bedding frequently as wet bedding might freeze. • Get a spare water bottle so if one freezes you can change it quickly without waiting for it to defrost. • Put a layer of newspaper on the bottom of the sleeping area for insulation. • Give plenty of hay for extra feeding and bedding. • Move the hutch into a shed or unused garage.
Phillip Speer

Obesity-the need to be lean!
An amazing 50% of the UK’s pet population is clinically obese! Obesity is a serious disease that can lead to many other health diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis, to name just a few. Your pet only has to be 15% over their ideal weight to be clinically obese.
So why are our pets obese? Has your pet ever given you those puppy dog eyes whilst begging for food and you’ve given in? These little treats are often the root of the problem. The bits of ham, cheese, digestive biscuits for example, we throw to them are just not suitable. They are high -fat, high-sugar foods that will only add to your pets’ weight.
FACT: 1 biscuit fed to a 10kg dog is the equivalent of us having 1 whole hamburger! 1 cup of milk fed to a 4kg cat is the equivalent of us having 4½ hamburgers! So why not reward your pet with love instead of treats. Exercise also plays a big part in our pets’ health. More and more of out pets are not getting enough exercise. Some examples of exercise are, walking your dog for 30 minutes a couple of times day, agility classes, swimming, playing ball with your pets, cats love to chase lights, and even walking your cat on a harness! Here at St Anne’s veterinary nurses run free weight clinics. Together we will plan a weight loss program that suits you and your pet. We will change you onto a diet specifically to suit your pet and set your pet’s exercise plan, which involves set walks, increased play times and even hydrotherapy. If you feel your pet is overweight then why not ask a vet nurse for some advice and join St Anne’s Slimmers today!
Natalie Weston

Dog of the Year
We are very proud to be the Vets of Sooty who for his outstanding devotion to his master, was named by Labrador Rescue (LRSE &C) as their Dog of the Year.
Sooty is a 2 year old black Labrador who was re-homed when 6-7 months old into the family of Graham and Sheila Harper and their son Antony. In November 2006 Sheila, Graham and Sooty went on holiday to the Lake District. One morning Graham and Sooty set off to walk from Hawes End to Catbells expecting to return for a late lunch. Unfortunately they failed to return, as light fell and the weather deteriorated, the alarm was raised. The Keswick Mountain Rescue Team began a search which turned into its largest ever, with helicopters dogs and 130 volunteers.
Graham had died on the Fells but Sooty stayed with him overnight until rescue workers found them the following lunchtime. The police and rescue teams paid tribute to Sooty’ s devotion and loyalty because he was not on a lead and whilst there were sheep grazing all around, Sooty had remained guarding his master’s body. Sadly he did not want the rescuers to touch Graham so they had to frighten Sooty and drive him away, but later 3 volunteers including a dog handler went in search of him but he did not want to be caught. They eventually lured him to safety with the help of steak pies and Cornish pasties as this is the food the rescuers carry with them. Sooty was taken to Keswick police station to be checked over for possible injury, where he endeared himself to all the officers on duty by finding where they kept their lunch boxes. Later that evening Sooty was returned to Sheila, tired, frightened and very sad. During the next few days he wouldn’t eat but being a young dog and still growing he soon recovered and started to enjoy life again.
For his outstanding devotion, Sooty was named Dog of the Year, Sheila, Antony and Sooty attended the prize giving this summer.