MIMRAM
SPRING
NEWSLETTER
2017
their pets down to us
(either due to
transportation trouble,
nervous animals or
multiple pets!), we can
come to you on one of our regular 'visit
rounds'. These take place several days a
week so call us on 01438 712300 to book
a visit or chat to one of our lovely staff
members for more details.
Hello and welcome to our Spring
newsletter!
Royal Canin Approved Weight
Management Centre- As many of you
know, at Mimram our nurses have been
running weight clinics for years with
much success! Head Nurse Anna's keen
interest in pet obesity and nutrition has
led to her gain a certification in Canine
and Feline Veterinary Health Nutrition
and a collaboration with Pet food
Manufacturer Royal Canin.
Staff Matters
We have some lovely news about our vet
Mia: she very recently got engaged to
George, her long term partner after he
romantically proposed whilst away in
Italy. Next, lots of news about our
reception team… Nicola will be off on
maternity leave soon and we wish her well
(and lots of sleep in the run up!). Kate is
back from her maternity leave now that
little Evie is a year old. We have very
sadly said goodbye to wonderful Fiona
who is finally retiring after being a
stalwart of the practice for so many
years. She will be sorely missed but we
wish her a long and happy retirement.
Finally, you may have spotted a new face
behind the reception desk! A very warm
welcome to our new team member
Tracey! With 10 years’ experience as a
veterinary receptionist under her belt we
are sure she will fit in very well.
Royal Canin have
launched a national
weight management
programme for elite
practices across the
UK and at Mimram we
are currently working very hard towards
becoming a Royal Canin Approved
Weight Management Centre!
Once approved, we will gain a “Centre of
Excellence” status and all staff members
will be trained to advise and discuss your
pet's weight and diet as well as raise
awareness of obesity and its prevention.
We will be running a formal Weight
Management Clinic "in-house" to which
we can refer overweight or obese pets
for a free 30 minute appointment with a
weight management nurse to provide lots
of support (in person and over the
Practice Matters
Home Visits- We are very pleased to
see that our new service is proving a
great success! Perfect for
anyone who struggles to get
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Spotlight on: Obesity
phone!) and advice specifically tailored to
your pet to help them reach their ideal
weight! For more information come and
chat to us at the practice or phone
01438 712300.
Obesity in pets is on the rise globally.
Worryingly, the 2014 PDSA Animal
Welfare Report revealed 1 in 3 dogs, 1 in
4 cats and 1 in 4 rabbits are overweight
or obese in the UK. It is the most
common nutritional disorder in dogs and
whilst cats are thought to be efficient at
regulating their food intake, cases of
feline obesity are also increasing.
Obesity, in most the simple terms, is
caused by too much energy (food) going
in and not enough energy being used up
(e.g. not enough exercise).
DogFest- We are very excited to let you
know Mimram Vets will have a stand at
this year's summer festival for dogs:
DogFest! Taking place on 24-25th June
at Knebworth House, come down and see
us! We will be on hand to give advice
about canine diet, weight and you'll also
be able to buy food to take home too!
Other Matters
Whilst any animal can become overweight
or obese there are certain factors that
will put your pet at higher
risk and many you, as an
owner, can have a direct
impact on. Risk factors for
dogs over which we do not
have any control, include:
age, sex, breed and others
which we can influence
such as: environment, lifestyle (e.g.
inactivity), living in a single dog
household, owner's decisions on diet,
intake and giving treats. Risk factors for
cats are similar to dogs but also include:
living an indoor, sedentary lifestyle and
boredom.
Animal PoisonLine-Following a successful
pilot helpline started last year, the
Veterinary Poisons Information Service
(VPIS) will be launching “Animal
PoisonLine”: a 24 hour expert advice line
for pet owners from 9am on 10th April.
This will be a triage service aimed to
advise owners whether or not they should
take their pet to the vet in the event of
them ingesting something they shouldn't!
Calls will be charged at £20 from
8am-8pm on Monday to Friday
(excluding Bank Holidays) and £30
where the call is outside of these
hours. The new number for this service
will be: 01202 509 000. If possible,
please gather as much information about
the potentially poisonous item (i.e. have
the packaging to hand) to aid the advisor.
Pets very commonly become overweight
following routine neutering. After
sterilisation, our pet's hormone balance
will inevitably change leading to a
decrease in their energy requirements
and energy expenditure. This is further
exacerbated by reduced oestrogen levels
(a hormone which slows fat production)
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resulting in an increase in weight if fed in
the same way as before they were
neutered. This can altogether be avoided
if their diet is adjusted to meet their
new energy requirements (our staff
members are always on hand to help you
with this).
So how do I know if my pet is at their
ideal weight?
All of us would be confident to identify a
severely overweight/obese pet but do
you know if your pet is at their ideal
weight? Signs that your pet may be
overweight include: reluctance to go for
walks and lagging behind, excessive
panting, appearing to be very tired or
"lazy" and not wanting to move or play.
The consequences
Surely it doesn't matter too much if your
pet is carrying a few extra pounds? Sadly
it really does. Being overweight or obese
has profound effects on our pets’ health
and well-being. Whereas fat was once
thought of as a fairly inactive tissue
(functioning as an energy store and heat
insulator), recent research has proven
that fat tissue is actually active,
secreting proteins causing inflammation
in the body as well as many hormones
affecting appetite, sensitivity to insulin,
water balance and blood pressure. We
must also remember that animals will not
only carry excess fat where we can see
it, much of it is internal so we can't tell
how much there really is!!
Other conditions may result in these
symptoms so it is also wise to look and
touch your pet to gain a better idea of
their fat cover. A very useful tool we use
at the practice and you can also use
yourself at home is "body condition
scoring" (BCS). A bit like the "body mass
index" idea for humans, this is a visual
scoring system which helps highlight an
animal's ideal weight. Royal Canin have a
very useful online BCS tool:
www.royacanin.co.uk/discover/bodycondition-score/ which allows you to
assess what score your pet is currently
and what their ideal should look and feel
like.
Obesity and excess weight decreases
lifespan and puts pets at risk of:
 musculoskeletal disease 
e.g arthritis (exercise 
is more difficult and

so harder

to reduce weight)
 diabetes
 cardiovascular disease 

 urogenital problems
cancer
heat/exercise
intolerance
As a brief outline for dogs and cats, at
hormonal conditions
an ideal weight:
anaesthetic and
 Ribs, spine and pelvic bones are not
surgical complications
visible but easy to feel
skin conditions
 Waist should be seen behind the
severe airway
ribs when looking from above and
problems (e.g.
their tummy should be tucked up
tracheal collapse)
when looking from the side
 There should be a thin layer of fat
over the ribs when felt
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Treatment and Prevention
If you have any concerns about your
pet's weight or want to learn how to body
condition score yourself, please book in
for our free weight clinic and we will be
more than happy to help!
If you like to give treats, setting aside
some of their daily ration is a great way
to still do this or try giving raw carrots
as a treat! (lots of dogs enjoy them!)
Amount out- Aim to
increase exercise
together through
longer or more
frequent walks or
you could consider
fun doggy activities
such as Flyball or agility! Food can also be
fed from interactive feeding toys to use
up calories and provide mental stimulation
too!
Amount in- what and how much you
choose to feed your pet is obviously
crucial to maintaining or decreasing their
current weight. Canine and feline
nutritional requirements are very
different to our own and when looking to
reduce weight it is very important not to
just decrease the amount of food given
as your pet will still need to meet its
daily vitamin and mineral requirements to
stay healthy.
Finally, regular weight checks with
ongoing support from us are a proven way
to get your pet to their ideal weight so
stick with it and you'll have a happier,
healthier and more energetic pet! We
love to see our slimmers's before and
after photos (and this helps motivate you
too) so please do send some in :)
We work closely with Royal Canin and
recommend their carefully tailored diets
which are designed for different ages,
breeds, sex, size and activity levels. For
pets requiring weight loss, we will work
with you to formulate a feeding plan and
can recommend diets which have been
designed to not only meet all of your
pet's nutritional needs but keep them
fuller for longer (higher in protein and
fibre but low in fat) whilst still allowing
you to feed a sensible quantity so they
won't feel like they're even on a diet!
Always weigh their daily allowance and
divide this into several meals though try
not to feed too late in the day as they
won't burn many calories overnight!
Vaccinating Your Pet
As you may have read online or in the
papers, the subject of vaccinating our
pets is often hotly debated.
So why do we need to vaccinate our pets?
Quite simply, there are a whole range of
life threatening diseases our dogs and
cats can contract which are sadly often
fatal. This is not unlike the concept of
vaccinating our children or ourselves to
protect against human deadly diseases.
Treatment available for our pets once
infected often does not provide a cure
and may only ease symptoms.
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At Mimram, we vaccinate dogs against:
distemper, infectious canine hepatitis,
leptospirosis, parvovirus and
parainfluenza and in cats: feline flu
viruses, feline panleukopaenia and in some
cases feline leukaemia (risk assessment
made based on your cat's lifestyle).
pet's immunity at that moment in time
and their immunity may wane
unbeknownst to us at an unknown rate. If
levels are deemed low, we would
recommend vaccinating your dog.
If you have any questions about your
pet's vaccinations then please do not
hesitate to contact us and we will be very
happy to go through them with you.
In dogs, we vaccinate against all of the
above diseases every four years and
against Leptospirosis annually (which is
why your dog is invited for an annual
booster). This is because the canine
immunity to Leptospirosis has been shown
to only last around 12 months and given
that Lepto is a very serious
disease which can be
transmitted to humans, it
is crucial to keep this
protection up to date.
Similarly, cats will receive
a "full shot" every three
years but will need an
annual booster of the cat
flu viruses and feline
leukaemia if they are receiving this
(usually no need for indoor only cats).
Seasonal Snippets
Spring has well and truly sprung and many
of us will be out with our dogs enjoying
the warmer weather and beautiful
flowers. Unfortunately spring does bring
its share of hazards for our furry
friends! Daffodils, spring flower bulbs,
azaleas and lilies are all poisonous so
please give us a ring if your pet ingests
any!! On the subject of gardening, please
also be careful not to let your pet eat
cocoa mulch or slug pellets as these are
highly toxic too. Finally, with Easter just
around the corner, please remember not
to allow dogs (or cats!) access to
chocolate or treats such as hot cross
buns as raisins (and grapes) can cause
kidney failure!
Don’t forget! Female cats who are
entire/not yet spayed will have begun to
look for a mate as the days get longer. If
unmated, they will show heat cycles every
14-21 days so to prevent unwanted
pregnancies, we are very happy to discuss
neutering both females and males from
four and a half months of age.
You may have heard of a pre-vaccination
blood test or "titre testing" for dogs
used to establish whether they have
adequate immunity. This involves taking a
sample of the dog’s blood which is then
tested for levels of antibodies present
against distemper, canine infectious
hepatitis and parvovirus.
Unfortunately titre testing is not black
and white and whilst it can show whether
antibody levels are consistent with
adequate protection, always bear in mind
that this is a just a "snapshot" of your
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Wishing you a
very Happy
Easter from all
the team at
Mimram Vets!