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Links

Check out our useful links below

Cats

  • International Cat Care
    A great resource with a wealth of information and advice for cat owners.
  • The Cat Group
    A collection of professional organisations dedicated to feline welfare through the development and promotion of policies and recommendations on the care and keeping of all cats.
  • Cat Friendly Clinic
    We have a dedicated Cat Clinic throughout the week in the Granary, across from the main surgery, so your cat can be seen without waiting in reception with dogs and other animals.  Click here for more about Cat Friendly Practice.
  • Indoor Pet
    More owners are deciding to keep their cats indoors all the time. There is a wealth of information about this, and how to reduce stress in your cat, including help for cats with cystitis.
  • Cat Professional
    Cat Professional now produce some excellent downloadable books on cat problems such as living with a blind cat, renal failure and lower urinary tract disease – and there’s more on the way.
  • Spot Cat Pain
    Is a really useful guide to recognising when a cat is in pain.
  • Cats and the Law
    A guide to current law relating to cats and care of a cat, their sale and damage caused by or to cats.  Use this plain English guide to check your key legal obligations and responsibilities under the law.

 

Rabbits

  • Rabbit Welfare Association
    Thinking of having a pet rabbit?  Please watch the ‘Hutch is not Enough’ video first and look at the wealth of good information for rabbit owners, The Rabbit Welfare Association is a charity dedicated to improving rabbit welfare in the UK.
  • The House Rabbit Society
    Fulfils a similar role in the United States. Both have great websites.
    You can also find some lovely ideas for runs by following this link  http://www.runaround.co.uk/

Expecting a baby?

 
  • The Humane Society of the United States
    Has a great guide to preparing your pet for a new arrival.
  • Tommys.org
    Has an extensive guide to pets and health in human pregnancy – visit for up to date briefings on the issue. You can also find tips from our blog on the subject here.

Canine Health Schemes

 
  • BVA Website
    The British Veterinary Association (BVA) Canine Health Schemes serve to provide dog breeders with the option of testing for certain inherited diseases and thus help to reduce the incidence of these diseases. The site has details of the: Hip Scheme, Elbow Scheme, Eye Scheme, Chiari Malformation/Syringomyelia Scheme (CM/SM Scheme).
  •  The Kennel Club  has more information on their site.
  • The WSAVA website has a great section on testing for hereditary diseases – click here
  • Veterinary Cardiovascular Society has a list of member veterinary surgeons recommended to perform breed heart test certification

Travelling Abroad With Your Pet

 

Have a look at our Pet Travel Clinic page. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, DEFRA, have current information. Do be aware of the risks of taking your pet on holiday and the diseases they can bring back into the UK.  There is a handy map on ESCCAPs website showing the parasites, diseases and recommended treatments for members states.  If you feel safer in the knowledge your home and pets are being cared for while you are away, Trusted Housesitters could be the answer and they can be found here.

Lost your dog?

According to Dogs Trust, nearly 1/3 of owners will lose their dog at least once during its lifetime.  Animal Search UK is the largest lost and found pet organisation in the UK, you can find all their details here.

You can also check if your dog has been found and the council informed by clicking here.

Found a stray?

  • The attached leaflet from the BVA is full of useful information to help you if you find a stray cat or dog.   Animal Search UK is the largest lost and found pet organisation in the UK, you can find all their details here.
  • If you have found a stray dog – follow this link where you will be able to report it to the West Norfolk Council.
  • There is also a list of useful numbers here if you have found a stray dog, cat or rabbit.
  • Doxdirect is an online printing company who will print  50 missing pet posters and also deliver them to you free of charge.  You can find out more here: https://www.doxdirect.com/help/free-missing-pet-posters/

Finding a puppy

 

To find out about different breeds and to find a Kennel Club assured breeder with puppies visit this website.  Many pets, including dogs, cats and rabbits, are born with genetic diseases and disorders.  You can find out which conditions you should be aware of by clicking here.   There is also a helpful link here that can guide you through the needs of each type of dog so that you can choose one which will suit your lifestyle.  It will also point out the welfare problems associated with a breed’s physical characteristics.

Charitable Organisations

  • The Cinnamon Trust is the national charity for the elderly and terminally ill people and their pets. They have a network of volunteers to help owners and their pets stay together and provide permanent sanctuary for animals who outlive their owners.
  • Cats Protection is the UK’s largest cat welfare charity. They help around 235,000 cats and kittens every year through their network of over 260 volunteer-run branches, 29 adoption centres and our homing centre. Click here to take you to their local rehoming centre’s website – they are based at Stow Bridge near Downham Market.
  • Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK. They care for around 16,000 dogs a year in their network of 18 rehoming centres. The most local rehoming branch to the West Norfolk area is at Snetterton – click here to take you to their website.
  • The RSPCA is the UK’s largest animal welfare charity. They rescue, rehabilitate and rehome hundreds of thousands of animals each year in England and Wales. Click here to take you to the West Norfolk local branch site.

Stray Racing Pigeons

 

Advice on what to do if you find a racing pigeon with a leg ring can be found here

Bats

Bats can turn up in unexpected places. If you find you have an injured or an abandoned baby bat, phone the bat helpline. Additionally, the Bat Conservation Trust can give you the address of your nearest bat group.

Chickens

 

The website Vicvet has some great information on choosing and keeping backyard chickens — it is written by poultry vet Victoria Roberts.

Ferrets

 

There is some excellent, informative and helpful information on the Blue Cross website, which you can access here.

 

Tortoises

 
  • Tortoise Trust
    Keeping a tortoise is not something to be undertaken lightly, and this website has some excellent information and resources on general care, hibernation, feeding and common problems, including the different needs of the many species of tortoises kept in captivity.
  • Norfolk Tortoise Club
    Is also of interest for those wishing to contact our local group in Norfolk, and where you can find useful fact sheets and information on keeping and caring for tortoises.

Parrots

 

Greg Glendell’s Website is great for general care and behaviour advice. He also offers lots of help for parrot behaviour problems.

Reptiles

 

Anapsid.org - This is a great website with masses of useful information from Melissa Kaplan on many types of reptile .

Best Behaviour and Advice for Problems

 
  • There is a useful link here, that can help you decide which pet is right for you and helps you to make an informed decision prior to choosing your pet.
  • Dogs need to play!  Keep your dog busy and well balanced by choosing and using the right toys to enable them to express their natural behaviour. We recommend Kong toys – see some useful videos on the Kong website.
  • Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.
    Is great if you want information on pet behaviour problems, now including guidelines for parrots as well as cats and dogs.
  • The Clever Dog Company is also a great website for those who want to unlock the genius in their dogs!
  • Sound Therapy  has some good advice for noise phobias and fireworks problems.
    Adaptil – the secret to happy dogs
    Feliway – can help stop unwanted cat behaviour
  • Problems with Parrots? A  book published in 2008 may help. Called ‘Breaking Bad Habits in Parrots’ by G Glendell, it contains a wealth of practical advice for training and coping with behavioural problems. ISBN 978 1 84286165 3. See the Parrot link above.

Pets and Poisons

 

Did you know that as well as being harmed by toxic substances like antifreeze, dogs can be poisoned by seemingly innocuous things like chocolate, grapes and artificial sweeteners? The websites above have useful information and downloadable leaflets about substances and foods that can be harmful to your pets.

 

Hedgehogs

 

If you love hedgehogs and want to help keep them healthy, happy and safe, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society has some great tips and advice.

Seasonal Canine Illness

 

Visit the The Blue Cross to find our more about this problem. It occurs during the Autumn months and the cause has not yet been determined. They have lots of useful information on this seasonal illness.

How to Give Medications

 

The kind people at BOVA have made some instructional videos showing how to administer a wide range of treatments to your dogs or cats. You can find the videos on their website here.

Bereavement support

 
  • Our pets are members of our family and it is absolutely normal for us to grieve when we lose them.  We have our pets to love and to care for, and the fact that our animals depend upon us, makes us feel their loss deeply.  When we lose a pet, it is normal to go through the same stages of grief that we go through when losing any other family member or friend.  All of our vets and vet health advisors are happy to help you through your loss and we keep books for you to borrow which many have found useful, as well as the following links:
  • The Ralph site for support to pet owners around the loss of a beloved companion www.theralphsite.com
  • There is a Compassion Understood group which can be found here www.compassionunderstood.com
  • The Blue Cross run a bereavement support service and offer information at www.bluecross.org.uk
  • Should you wish to have your pet’s paw print reproduced onto a piece of silver jewellery, silver pet prints are able to do this for you, and provide you with an everlasting memento of your precious pet.
  • A service is also offered by Langham Glass in West Norfolk, where you can arrange to have some of your pet’s ashes put into a piece of jewellery or glass. You can find out more here.
  • Iridescent Glass Design, based in Peterborough, also offer a service where your pet’s ashes can be encased in a rainbow bridge. You can find out more here.

Pet Blood Bank UK

 

Pet Blood Bank UK is the first and only charity of its kind that provides a canine blood bank service for all veterinary practitioners across the UK.

Just like the human blood service. Pet Blood Bank UK collects from voluntary doggy donors are organise collections sessions nationwide, on average three sessions a week.  The blood is then processed into packed red blood cells and fresh plasma, and delivered to veterinary practices where they need it most.

Every unit of blood collected can help save four dogs’ lives.