Casenotes Vol. 3 - weight loss tips, "canine autism" and making decisions in medicine

This week- some tips on managing weight in dogs, a response to ITV and making decisions based on evidence

Hello ,

This week ITV came up with a humdinger: “Does vaccinating your dog cause canine autism?” After I stopped laughing I managed to pull together a video to look at the evidence.

I’m also pleased to feature Lola and Daisy, two dogs that have managed to lose a huge amount of weight and now have healthier, more active lives.

After a week of cycling in Valencia it’s great to be back in the saddle at the surgery again :)John

Weight loss in dogs

Weight loss can be tricky sometimes- in this article Mel Loveridge tells us how she worked with Lin here at the surgery to get her two dogs, Daisy and Lola, lighter and heathier.

Read the full story

Video: A response to ITV

Vaccination is always a tricky topic- not helped by sensationalist reporting about “canine autism”. In this video I discuss why these stories are so attractive, any why they’re so dangerous.

Watch now

Making evidence based decisions

The internet is a wonderful resource, but it’s fair to say we should view a lot of it with a certain amount of scepticism. Whilst hypotheses and theories make good gossip, we need hard evidence to base decisions on.The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has a wonderful website “RCVS Knowledge” where contributors are invited to present their evidence for various questions as “Knowledge Summaries”For instance to the question “In adult dogs, does feeding a raw food diet alter urine composition compared to a kibble diet?”, the answer is that evidence is lacking, and we need to be cautious in our advice (link).It’s easy to read and a great educational resource for owners and vets.

Check out their website