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Articles by Vicky Payne
If we’re sick of buying online and the high street has died, where will we shop?
iStock In my reporting on women's reproductive rights, I've witnessed the critical role that independent journalism plays in protecting freedoms and informing the public. Your support allows us to keep these vital issues in the spotlight. Without your help, we wouldn't be able to fight for truth and justice.
Take the party politics out of planning and housing policies
Planning, housing and infrastructure have never been more salient political issues – and for good reason. The UK may have recovered economically from Covid earlier than thought, but as a country we are not well. We are ailed by the significant and competing challenges of affordability, productivity and climate breakdown. Where Labour might once have prescribed public spending, a challenging fiscal picture has led them to join the Conservatives in calling for growth.
Fred's leg: a mystery and a miracle!
I’ve been a vet for quite a long time now and have worked in veterinary practices for even longer but there are still things to learn! This story starts out in familiar territory for a gundog vet. Fred, an English springer, had been working on a shoot and had gone a bit lame. His owner had given him some dog painkillers and expected him to be fine the next day, but he was much worse, not wanting to put the foot down.
First aid in the field
Hopefully everyone has managed to get some days out with their dogs on the shoots, even if they have been smaller or less frequent due to bird flu. I started teaching dog first aid to gundog owners after a few close calls with my own rather headstrong first springer, Quincy. It is rare for my team to get through the season without somebody needing my veterinary attention, so it never hurts to review some common shoot day injury risks and what to do about them.
Vaccination, vestibular disease and vomiting in dogs
VACCINATION One of the hot topics in modern dog care is what we really need to vaccinate our dogs against, and how often should we do it? I am firmly in the camp that believes that vaccination has done more good than harm for our dogs. Thankfully, I am not old enough to remember when Parvovirus emerged in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, but I have seen enough puppies devastated by this disease in my career and there are regular outbreaks across the UK.
Should I spay my working bitch?
If you own a female gundog, it is likely that at some point your vet will have asked if, or when, you plan to spay her. Is spaying the best option for gundog bitches, and if it is, when is the best time? When I started my veterinary career, we spayed most bitches three months after their first season, unless they were required for breeding.
Waving, not drowning: what's happening to our high streets?
Is the high street dying or simply changing? Vicky Payne reports three key findings from research carried out with two colleagues – and the message is positive Everyone has a childhood high street memory don’t they? Mine is being allowed to get Pick and Mix at the Llandudno branch of Woolworths (RIP) on the odd family Saturday shopping trip.
Gundog behaviour: why is my dog acting aggressively?
Something that we often take for granted in the shooting field, but which amazes other people, is how well gundogs get on. It isn’t unusual for there to be more than 10 dogs of mixed ages, sexes and breeds on our beaters’ wagon or to see several crammed into the back of the shoot Land Rover with their owners.
How to protect your working dog from parasites
I found myself standing in the dispensary last week looking at the bewildering choice of anti-parasitic agents and wishing for the simpler days when I was training – when the only options were cans of flea spray, worming powder for pups, and tablets for adult dogs. Things have moved on because the old products weren’t always effective and contained ingredients found to cause health problems. Sadly, we face more parasite threats now than in the past.
Keeping gundog care costs down
The problem with getting into gundogs is that you start with one, but pretty soon you have several more. Most serious pickers-up will run a team of dogs on each shoot day and will have youngsters and retirees at home too, and someone with several days beating a week might need at least a couple of spaniels to make sure one is fit for every working day. Keeping multiple dogs has always been an expensive hobby, but as we face the cost-of-living crisis, saving money is more important than ever.
The value of good first-opinion practice
I was feeling quite upbeat after reading an article online about how important Nottingham’s vet school felt general practice was, then I read Simon Wolfensohn’s letter (VR, 9 December 2017, vol 181, p 629). He is right that we have a severe recruitment and retention problem in first-opinion veterinary practice in the UK. His suggested solution made me sad, angry and very concerned for the future.
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