Members News!

Jenny sent me this photo of Eddie. Breakfast looks fun in the Carr household!

David and Jan Morgan sent me this photo of Jack. It's that time of the year again! Taken in the woods near Hitchen.

Obituary

Jan Chamberlain writes:

I'm sorry to say that we had Meg put to sleep this morning. ( 24th April 2017). She was finding life a struggle. It was kinder to let her go while she still had her dignity. As you can imagine, we are both in bits right now.

Editor: I'm sure all of Weltos will join me in saying how much Meg will be missed. She was a wonderful dog and a popular member of the Weltos gang. Our thoughts and sincerest best wishes go to you and Nigel. May she rest in peace over the Rainbow Bridge.

Sue Webster writes :

Jan & Nigel,

So sorry to hear about Meg, she was a lovely dog. I expect Willow is missing her. It leaves a big gap in your life when they go. Thinking of you both at this sad time.

Lynn French writes:

So sorry to hear the news about Meg. As you say, Pat, she was a wonderful honorary member of Weltos and we shall miss her on the rambles and at the parties. Love to Jan and Nigel- our thoughts are with you at this sad time.

Lynn & Pete French

Vaccinations

Elizabeth Jenyon writes:

I just wanted to update people on the latest recommendations from Novibac, the makers of the vaccines that dogs in this country are given, page two , bottom left sections the document linked below shows that the vaccination only needs to be given every three years to cover parvo, hepatitis and distemper, they should not need any extra vaccinations for three years for all three of these diseases. your vet should be up front about this but if they are still trying to get to vaccinate yearly, please print off this and show them.

www.nobivac.co.au

Cushings

Francesca Taylor writes:

This is the story of Maud's journey with her adrenal tumour, she really is like a puppy again.I'm so happy we went down the surgical route. She is completely medication free. I'd be really happy to answer any questions people may have.

For any of you not lucky enough to have met her yet, this is about Maud! Maud's human is vet Fran. She's a 10.5 year old Welsh Terrier. On her routine annual bloods in October her liver enzymes were abnormally high, further tests and an ultrasound scan revealed she has a condition called hyperadrenocorticism, more commonly known as cushings. There are two different types - Mauds is caused by an enlarged adrenal gland. This type can be managed medically or cured surgically. She will go to the Royal Veterinary College next week for a CT scan to decide if that's the best option for her. Good luck Maud!

We recommend annual bloods for your pets so we can diagnose conditions early, giving the best chance of successful treatment. We also recommend insurance, fortunately Maud is insured meaning cost hasn't had to be a factor in deciding the best treatment path for her. We'll let you know how she gets on. If you have any questions please ask!

Maud update!! I'm lying on the sofa with a broken knee (skiing accident, oops - sorry to all my lovely clients, I'll be back as soon as I can) with my gorgeous Maud to keep me company. She is fully recovered and definitely healthier and happier than before her surgery so I'm so glad we made the decision to go ahead.

For those that are interested, this is her (rather long) story! You may remember she had been diagnosed with hyperadrenocorticism (Cushings) in November. This was due to a tumour of her adrenal gland that was producing excessive amounts of cortisol. As this tumour increased in size Maud started to drink more and became very hungry. She was also very sleepy but I couldn't be sure this wasn't age related (she will be 11 in June). The disease affects the liver as well as many other body functions. She was started on medical therapy but this is less effective in cases related to the adrenal gland (some cases are due to a pituitary tumour). We went to see the amazing team at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) near Potters Bar.

On Day 1 Maud had a CT scan under sedation and the final year veterinary student took some photos for me to share with you. This confirmed she had a left adrenal tumour which was not invading any vital structures such as the kidney or vena cava (large abdominal vein). If this condition is diagnosed later the tumours are often larger and more difficult/risky to remove. Following discussion with the surgeon we decided we would go ahead with removing the tumour as I felt the risks were relatively small and the benefits of complete cure were huge.

On Day 2 Maud had her surgery. I was a nervous wreck and felt sad that she didn't understand why she was having all this work done! The surgery went smoothly and after a night in ICU she was allowed back to the wards. She had lines in every leg and was on a drip to maintain her electrolytes and hormones which are all affected by the important adrenal gland. In photos smuggled out for me she looked rather sad, or maybe that was just me....

Days 3-5 Maud continued to do well, her pain relief was reduced and then she came home! Over the course of 6 weeks of tapering oral treatment she recovered really well and now over two months later is amazing! During this time her other adrenal gland has kicked back in (it had stopped functioning due to the other ones over activity!). She is definitely more lively, less lethargic and demanding walks again....which is currently rather tricky...😬.

I am so happy that I proceeded with treatment, grateful that we have these advanced veterinary centres that can do these specialist procedures and relieved that Maud was insured. Her total bill was around £3500. Please insure your beloved pets so we can give or help find the best possible treatment for them. Also consider annual blood test - excellent value on the Healthy Pet Club so we can diagnose and treat these conditions early. I can obviously talk about Maud all day so if you have any questions please ask! Fran x"

Editor's note: Thanks Fran, I found this extremely interesting, especially as our previous Welsh terrier Jack, was diagnosed with cushings. He had a tumour on his pituitary gland. He was the same age as Maud when it was detected.