Vet Pets Magazine

February, 2015

CAVALIERS IN CRISIS:Our exclusive report

3D PRINTED PETS!

Vet Pets Magazine

IF YOU were to conjure up the ultimate memento or keepsake of your beloved pet there is little nowadays to compare with a 3D printed model.

Sketches and portraits can be wonderful but it feels more special somehow to have something that can be held and is very recognisably your pet.

The sculptures are perfect for anyone who is seeking to remember a deceased pet or for those who would like a gift depicting their pet for themselves or perhaps for a pet lover’s birthday or other special occasion.

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital

file. These hi-tech sculptures are created from about ten pictures of a dog or another pet. Then, the designer makes a 3D CAD/CAM computer model of the pet, which is then turned into a 3D print.

The result is a perfect little replica of your pet which captures even small variants in fur colour. The sculpture of Sophie even showed the white strip on her head and bib and the slight difference in colour on her feet compared to the rest of her body.

The sculpture seemed to capture the cheeky look in her eyes, and the texture and contours of her fur and build. Even her chubbiness was captured perfectly!

There’s a new way to immortalise your four-legged friend in the form of

a 3D printed sculpture. London-based Arty Lobster specialises in

creating these hi-tech pet keepsakes. MARIE CARTER decided to have

her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Sophie cast as a 3D sculpture and was

thoroughly impressed with the results.

Pets in 3D

CAD model of Sophie before 3D

printing

Vet Pets Magazine

The market for 3D pet sculptures is a growing one. And with almost 13 million households – 45% of the UK population – owning a pet, the pet market is worth £4 billion a year, so there is plenty of scope.

With more and more households considering their pet to simply be “one of the family”, demand for a wide choice of quality products including bespoke pet memorials has never been higher or more important.

Pet memorials are one of the areas that are increasingly in demand due to this significant global trend. As our pets are members of our family, we also want a memento of them to cherish forever.

So, how are the 3D pet sculptures created?

It all starts with making a virtual design of the pet. This virtual design is made in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file using a 3D modeling program for

the creation of a totally new object. This scanner makes a 3D digital copy of an object and puts it into a 3D modeling program.

The software slices the final model into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers.

When this prepared file is uploaded in the 3D printer, the printer creates the object layer by layer. The 3D printer reads every slice (or 2D image) and proceeds to create the object blending each layer together with no sign of the layering visible, resulting in one three dimensional object.

This technology uses a high power laser to fuse small particles of plastic, metal, ceramic or glass powders into a mass that has the desired three dimensional shape. The laser selectively fuses the powdered material by scanning

the cross-sections (or layers) generated by the 3D modeling program on the surface of a powder bed.

After each cross-section is scanned, the powder bed is

lowered by one

layer thickness. Then a new layer of material is applied on top and the process is repeated until the object is completed.

And voila you have a perfect little

replica of your pet!

For more information and to order your 3D sculpture, which also comes in a bronze version, visit the Arty Lobster website at: www.artylobster.com.

The 3D pet sculptures also come in bronze

Vet Pets Magazine

PIXIE Lott, Strictly star Craig Revel Horwood, Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden and a host of other celebrities have joined thousands of campaigners urging the Kennel Club to take control of a health crisis among Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. A lack of screening means more and more Cavaliers are falling victim to heart problems and another painful condition caused when the dog’s skull is too small to accommodate its brain causing fluid-filled cavities that destroy the spinal cord. Cavalier lovers, including Revel Horwood and his partner Damon Scott, TV presenter Lisa Riley, Made In Chelsea star Binky Felstead, Dr Dawn Harper from This Morning, magician Paul Daniels, dancer Robin Windsor, Pixie Lott, Deborah Meaden, Linda Robson, Fern Britton, Michele Collins, Annabel Giles and Mark Evans, the TV vet

are among over 5,000 backing an online petition. They claim the Kennel Club is not doing enough to ensure that Cavaliers are screened for Mitral Valve Disease and Syringomyelia before they are bred from. Craig and Damon were told recently their Cavalier Sophie, who has MVD, has months to live. “She is the most beautiful little girl. We need to make sure all Cavaliers are MRI scanned and heart tested before breeding,” says Revel Horwood.

“We should be breeding for health, not creating awful problems for our loved pets,” insists Deborah Meaden, a well-known animal lover.

Campaigners say the Kennel Club has failed to take a strong stance, despite outrage after the TV documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed that showed Cavaliers

screaming in pain. This resulted in the BBC ditching its coverage of Crufts in 2008.

“The Cavalier is in serious trouble and the Kennel Club needs to do much more. Mandatory testing for both these conditions is the bare minimum,” says Jemima Harrison, the documentary’s director. “How many more scientists need to raise the alarm before something is done? How many more Cavaliers have to suffer before we see real action to save this breed?”

Margaret Carter, petition organiser and Cavalier campaigner, said: “Many people wrongly believed losing the BBC’s Crufts’ coverage was a watershed but most breeders continue to mate Cavaliers that are untested.”

Cavaliers in Crisis...

Vet Pets Magazine

Aimee Llewellyn, the Kennel Club’s Health Information Manager, said: “Both CM/SM and MVD are very difficult disorders to understand and this makes treatment and prevention very challenging.

“Whilst there are 19 health tests and schemes, for 91 different breeds that are compulsory under the Assured Breeder Scheme, we cannot make the current scheme that exists for CM/SM, or the breed club scheme for MVD mandatory, whilst the link between screening and the ability to predict and reduce future health problems is not proven or precise.”

The Kennel Club and British Veterinary Association established the Chiari Malformation/Syringomyelia (CM/SM) scheme for Cavaliers in 2012. Yet since then only 200 MRIs for the breed have been submitted to the scheme. The development of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) requires that sufficient data is generated from health screening, which has already happened with BVA/KC hip and elbow schemes for the future benefit of the breeds concerned.

The Kennel Club is urging more breeders to make use of the scheme because it can use the results to develop EBVs.

Margaret Carter said: “There is a voluntary MRI screening scheme for CM/SM but most of the small number of breeders who do scan don’t submit their results to it.

“The need for an official scheme for MVD was agreed in 2008 but

nothing has materialised, showing there is no genuine will for reform.”

The SignatoriesCatherine Farnsworth bought two-year-old Kookie started showing severe symptoms of CM/SM at just four months. “He was KC registered but his parents were not tested,” she says. “On bad days, he is very vocal. It’s distressing to watch and the vets are running out of options to keep him comfortable.”

Mother-of-three Charlotte Mackaness says her family was distraught when their first Cavalier died of MVD. “Just months later our two-year-old, Beebee, was diagnosed with CM/SM. Like many with SM, much of Beebee’s pain is around the head and neck so my children can’t play with her like before. “Beebee’s breeders have won several Crufts’ Best of Breed titles and came highly recommended from a Cavalier Club puppy coordinator but we’ve since learnt their health record is far from ideal. While they collect trophies, all our darling dog has to look forward to is a life of pain.”

WHAT IS MITRAL VALVE DISEASE?MVD is a degenerative disease of the heart valves that leads to congestive heart failure. In 2009 a report by a leading veterinary

cardiologist stated that 50 per cent of Cavaliers develop MVD heart murmurs by their fifth birthday. It is the biggest killer of Cavaliers under 10.

WHAT IS CM/SM?Syringomyelia is a painful neurological condition most often seen in Cavaliers, although other breeds like their close relations the Brussels Griffon are also seriously affected. It is often attributed to Chiari-like malformation (CM) of the skull. Put in lay man’s terms, the skull is too small for the brain causing severe pain and forming fluid-filled that cavities that

destroy the spinal cord.

Next page: Charlotte Mackenass profiles Margaret Carter.

Vet Pets Magazine

By Charlotte Mackaness

MARGARET Carter’s professional background as a hospital social worker provided good training for her other role campaigning for Cavalier health.

“It taught me not to back away from making tough but necessary decisions and to speak up for those without a voice,” she says. “It was about doing what was right, not what made you popular.”

While Margaret, who got her first Cavalier in 1976, is a heroine to many, she is considered a ‘traitor’ by some in the Cavalier world.

“Showing and breeding Cavaliers used to be my life. I was the UK Cavalier Club health representative for six years until, completely disheartened at how health issues were being ignored, I appeared on the TV documentary

Pedigree Dogs Exposed in 2008.” The programme, which showed Cavaliers affected with syringomyelia (SM) screaming in pain, led to the BBC dropping its

coverage of Crufts and Margaret’s dramatic expulsion from the Cavalier Club Committee. “I knew I’d put my head on the block and that my actions would damage some good friends in the Cavalier community – but someone had to

stand up for the dogs,” she says.

Faced with opposition, which at times has been personal and ferocious, Margaret remains

remarkably unruffled and reasonable. “Most of my critics are not unpleasant people. It’s just that it is very easy to persuade yourself that what suits you is best for the breed. Self-interest clouds judgement. It’s understandable, but it is the dogs that suffer.”

Perhaps this empathy comes from having experienced the thrill of the show world herself. “For a small breeder I had an amazingly successful dog, Monty, who for two years was the leading stud dog. It was a great time for

me,” admits Margaret. However, when Monty was nine she realised some of his offspring were affected by SM, which at that point was a newly identified problem. Later, Monty was put to sleep after developing harrowing symptoms.

Campaigner: Margaret Carter

Vet Pets Magazine

This discovery started Margaret’s journey from successful exhibitor to near persona non grata. “Everything happens for a reason and I think I’ve been able to achieve more outside the Cavalier Club hierarchy than I ever could have managed within,” she says.

In 2012 she founded the successful Companion Cavalier Club and she also organises the Cavalier Collection Scheme, where owners help health research by donating tissue samples from their Cavaliers when they die.

“My motivation has been to give pet owners a voice. Like many other breeds, there is an unwritten code of silence within the Cavalier community: people talking about the very serious health issues this breed faces, notably SM and heart disease, are hushed up and viewed as disloyal. But how can denial help save this wonderful breed?

“Four out of five KC-registered Cavaliers are in pet homes but their owners have been a silent majority, ignored by breeders and the Kennel Club,” believes Margaret.

“Yet, these are the people who are expert in caring for sick and frail dogs. Flagging up quite how many Cavaliers and their families are affected by hereditary disease was another reason for starting the online petition asking the Kennel Club to only register puppies from health-tested parents,” she explains.

“Opponents of the petition, which

is being supported by the RSCPA, continue to trot out the same tired excuses for not checking the health of their breeding dogs.

“Even after all these years, I’m baffled why anybody who claims to love Cavaliers could be against testing, which has been proven to increase the chances of producing healthy offspring.”

To date, over 5,000 have signed including a number of celebrity dog lovers.

“Sometimes I feel I’m too old to be doing this,” says Margaret, who is in her seventies.

“But the response to the petition has been inspiring. There is something wonderful about so many pet owners coming together to protect the future of Cavaliers, when those that should care have

failed so miserably,” she says. The Cavalier health petition can be found at www.change.org.

You can also join the campaign on Facebook at

Cavaliers Are Special and on Twitter @healthycavalier.

Margaret with Tanki and Woody

Cruel legacy: The Cavalier suffers from many health conditions

Vet Pets Magazine

The magic of homeopathy Pt.1

Expert holistic vet VINCE THE VET Vince MacNally BVSc. VetMFHom MRCVS - Vince the Vet - shares with Pets Magazine readers his fascinating journey into veterinary homeopathy - a

practice that has worked miracles where traditional medicine has failed.

VINCE THE VET

Vet Pets Magazine

I scanned the neat rows of vials, filled with little white pills.

‘Homeopathy,’ someone said.

‘Nonsense,’ I thought.

The year was 1983; I was fresh

from five years at Liverpool University studying to become

a vet and had just discovered

that the ‘remedies’ a colleague

was dispensing to pets for all

sorts of injuries and ills, were homeopathic preparations.

It wasn’t that I was averse to

the idea of using

complementary therapies to treat animals. Quite the

opposite, in fact.

As a student I had seen

acupuncture, herbs and a variety of other ‘unorthodox’

treatments yield positive

results in the hands of a

number of pioneering vets, in

animals both large and small. Naturally inquisitive (some

might say nosey) I had also

conducted a few experiments of

my own.

One particularly fond memory

is of Mum sat stoically on a

chair in the sitting room with a

dozen or so acupuncture

needles in place,while I confirmed whether the

electric shocks she described

matched the

meridians

mapped out in

text books.

This was different.

The

complementary

therapies I had encountered up

until then were

based on

something

‘solid’. Acupuncture

needles

stimulating

neural

pathways. Herbs supplying

biologically active agents.

Physical manipulations

correcting misalignments. The notion that substances diluted

in water to the point of

extinction and beyond could

stimulate healing when given to

pets, seemed patently absurd.

It contradicted everything

school had taught me about the

nature of matter, and

everything I had learned at university about veterinary

medicine. With nothing to

convince me otherwise,

homeopathy was dismissed.

Snowflakes in HarrogateA decade or so later, I was

attending a British Small

Animal Veterinary Association

(BSAVA) Congress in Harrogate, when I found myself

at a loose end. About to make

an early exit, I happened to

glance at the lecture list and

saw that a short presentation on homeopathy by Dr David

Reilly was about to begin in a

room not far away.

Intrigued by what a member of the medical profession might

have to say on the subject, I

made my way over and settled

into a chair.

Vince with Dougie

Vet Pets Magazine

Dr Reilly began by revealing

that he had initially set out to

disprove homeopathy, but as a

result of his experiences had

become a firm advocate of this form of medicine.

Next came a video of a

Glaswegian man who had

suffered terrible cluster headaches for years, which had

driven him to the point of

suicide. It brought a lump to

the throat to hear him describe

the relief homeopathic treatment had given him, when

all else had failed.

Finally, there was an

interesting discussion about snowflakes and the myriad

patterns they form. Could this

ability of water to form

countless, chemically identical

but structurally different configurations enable it to act

as medium for transferring

information from

homeopathically prepared

substances to patients?

It was a fascinating

presentation, and timely too. I

had my own clinic by then and

was feeling increasingly frustrated by the number of

pets I was seeing that

conventional treatment

couldn’t help, and so I resolved

to put homeopathy to the test.

A Snotty Sausage

A few months later Tina, an

adorable little Dachshund,

waddled into the clinic with a very snotty nose. X-rays

showed the moth-eaten

appearance typical of nasal

aspergillosis - a nasty fungal

infection which destroys the bone in affected nasal

chambers and frontal sinuses.

Further tests confirmed the

diagnosis.

The outlook for Tina was bleak,

even with treatment, which

involved drilling holes in her

skull so that the infected tissues

could be irrigated each day with anti-fungal drugs. Faced with

Tina undergoing distressing

surgery with no guarantee of

success, the owner

understandably felt euthanasia was the kindest option.

With nothing to lose, I

explained that I had recently

begun studying homeopathy at the Glasgow Homeopathic

Hospital and that even though

the chances of an improvement

were slim, I was willing if he

was to give homeopathy a try. Luckily, we felt the same and so

a homeopathic remedy was

prescribed.

Over the next month the change in Tina was remarkable.

The discharge vanished, her

appetite returned and she

became her ‘old self’ again.

Follow up radiography

demonstrated significant bone healing, with no evidence of

further damage. Tina went on

to live a long and healthy life

free of any reoccurrence. It was

impossible after that, for me to deny the ability of homeopathic

remedies to stimulate healing.

If further proof was needed

however, I didn’t have to wait long…

Vince the Vet continues his journey into homeopathy in the March edition of Pets Magazine.

Vince MacNally BVSc. VetMFHom (1998) MRCVS is an expert holistic vet. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Liverpool University in 1983. He went on to gain the VetMFHom qualification in 1998. Vince has 30 years experience of using a wide range of natural remedies, therapies and supplements in pets, including acupuncture, homoeopathy, herbs and nutritional supplements. He is currently a Partner in Vince The Vet® https://www.vincethevet.co.uk

Vet Pets Magazine

MR. Grimaldi swirled into my consulting room and with a dramatic flourish typical of a magician, whisked the black and white rabbit from the basket he’d been carrying and placed her on the table.

‘My Tzarina. She’s sick,' he said You must make her better. I’ve a show this weekend for a little girl who's just come out of hospital.’ He gesticulated wildly as if attempting to magic a cure of his own. But as a vet, that was going to be my job.

The rabbit was certainly ill, crouching miserably on the table, the natural red of her eyes accentuated by

swollen, inflamed lids, from the corners of which oozed a brown discharge. Her nose too was wet, the fur sticky: and her breathing came in bellow-like rasps.

‘It’s a cold, yes?’ asked Grimaldi, a tremor in his voice.

‘Pneumonia more like,’ I murmured, picking up my stethoscope to listen to her chest.

Sounds akin to an unoiled wheelbarrow shunting across a cobbled yard echoed in my ears. Even with daily antibiotic therapy she'd never be well enough for the magic show at the weekend.

That evening, discussing the case with my wife,

A vet’s tale of a sick magician’s rabbit

MALCOM D WELSHMAN B.V.Sc shares with Pets Magazine readers

another of his short stories based on his many years as a vet. Never Miss a

Trick tells of his adventures with a magical rabbit.

Vet Pets Magazine

Maxeen, she came up with a solution. ‘Grimaldi definitely feels another rabbit wouldn’t do?’ she asked.

‘He’s adamant.’

‘Hmm. I think it’s just a question of convincing him.’

‘And just how do you propose I do that?’

She started to elaborate. Her idea had me backing away, palms up. ‘I couldn’t possibly do that … it’s daft.’ ‘But if it meant the show could still go ahead. Think what it would mean for the little girl.' Maxeen gave me a hard stare. 'Worth trying, surely?'

I took a deep breath and reluctantly agreed.The following day with Grimaldi due at any minute, I was nervously pacing the surgery, feeling an absolute idiot. The theatrical outfitters had been very obliging when I explained the need for the outfit I was now wearing

When Grimaldi saw me his mouth dropped open, his eyes bulged, his moustache quivered.

‘What on earth ...?’ he spluttered, stepping back smartly.

‘Wait. Let me explain,’ I said and extricated my arms from the black and red magician's cloak draped over my shoulders. ‘I know you said nothing could replace Tzarina but …’

Grimaldi looked puzzled. ‘So?’

‘Well let me conjure one up for you.’ Already shaking with nerves, I began fumbling in the satin lining of the cloak, groping for the pocket in which my daughter’s rabbit was nestling. After losing my top hat and careering round in circles, I eventually located the pocket, grasped Bugsie by his ears and scruff, supporting his hindquarters with my free hand as I eased him onto the table.

‘Hey ... er ...presto,’ I gasped, standing to one side.

Grimaldi collapsed against the side of the table, convulsed with laughter. I tried to explain that I’d donned the outfit to convince him that our rabbit would be a suitable candidate for his show.

Grimaldi dabbed his eyes with a red silk square that seemed to materialize from thin air. ‘Okay. Okay. You’ve gone to all this trouble, so, yes, I’ll certainly give him a try.’ ‘So how did the show go?’ I asked when Grimaldi returned with Bugsie.

‘‘He was fine,’ enthused Grimaldi. ‘A real star. Didn’t miss a trick.’

‘Where is he? I queried staring into the empty basket as the magician swirled round the consulting room still dressed in his top hat, white gloves and black, satin cloak.

‘Ha, ha.' he said, tapping his hat with his cane and then whirling it in front of me to knock down the lid of the basket. ‘He’s in there.’

‘No, he’s not. I’ve just looked.’

Grimaldi whipped off his top hat, passed it three times over the basket and then flung open the lid. ‘Bugsie!’ he cried.

The rabbit popped his head up from what I swear had been an empty basket.

The magician grinned. ‘See what I mean? A star performer.’ Grimaldi’s arms momentarily disappeared beneath his cloak. His right hand reappeared holding a box of chocolates. ‘These are for your wife for giving you the idea.’

Then with a final whirl of his cloak, he vanished out of the door.

MALCOM D WELSHMAN B.V.Sc is a retired vet and author of three pet novels. The first, Pets in a Pickle, with a foreword by James Herriot's son, reached number two on Kindle's bestseller list. The third, Pets Aplenty, has just been published. Pets Aplenty is published by Austin Macauley (0207 038 8212) at £7.99; Kindle version £2.05.

Vet Pets Magazine

CAT and owner David Cliff,

MD of Gedanken, a company specialising in coaching-based support and personal development, reviews a fascinating compendium of all things cat.

The Cat’s out of the Bag: Truth and Lies about Cats

By Max Cryer RRP £9.95Publication date 23/02/2015 by Exisle Publishing

I was really pleased to read this easily read topical book. Just dipping into the first chapter makes you realise how pervasive cats are within our society.

The book not only focuses upon cats, but the use of the expression “cat” where something of the quintessential nature of the cat whether it is form, function or habit features in our society. Take for example, the Cat Suit, made famous by the role of Diana Rigg in the 70’s drama “The Avengers”, the “Cat’s paw” a knot used for hooking tackle or even the term “Copycat”.

Of all the names around the world for cat in different languages, the Romanian “visica” probably

phonetically most resembles the regular used term of “pussycat”.

Activities like cat racing, have been tried in the past; not surprisingly they neither caught on with people or the cats!

There is a fascinating section on cats’ bodies and behaviour. From cat ageing to their incredible senses.

The cat through the ages as constant companion is very abundant throughout this book. From cats accompanying their World War II pilot owners through to the veneration by the Egyptians, their protection and ultimate mummification when all “nine lives” had expired.

The book also looks at so much popular usage in relation to the language, including expressions such as “cat got your tongue?” or “enough room to swing a cat”; the list goes on.

Perhaps the cat is one of the most enigmatic creatures that humans encounter. It’s certainly has had its fair share of the darker side of humanity when black cats were often associated as being witches familiars, often suffering their owners fate at the stake. The crepuscular, agile, athletic, stealthy, height defying nature of the cat has given rise to associations such as “cat burglar”, and folklore association of its survival abilities.

The truth is I learned a lot from this book which was easily readable, topical and sectioned off

in ways that looked at our little friends through so many lenses.

The book ends with a lovely collection of quotations and short poems in relation to cats. One of favourites being included: “There are two means of refuge for the miseries of life – music and cats” Albert Schweitzer.

From truths to falsehoods, from the profound to the humorous, The Cat’s out of the Bag is a truly fun read that is highly informative. It removes any doubt that cats feature in the lives of all; they pervade not only our communities but also our culture and history from “cats eyes” on the road to the simple social act of “being catty”.

Entertaining, and well written, what more could you ask, except your furry friend sitting at your side with a cup of tea while you read it (that’s you having the cup of tea, not the cat, otherwise see “Catastrophe”!).

Pet Tales book reviews

Vet Pets Magazine

Sophie’s Choices

Forthglade Natural Menu Range (Complementary) 395g, RRP £1.05

Forthglade is a natural pet food, containing no dairy products,wheat gluten or artificial additives and is free from bulking agents and chemical preservatives. This was a very healthy meal that came in different varieties and was extremely tasty. We recommend!

For stockist info, visit the Forthglade website at www.forthglade.co.uk.

Faux Fur for your PetRRP £60.

The faux-fur is rich and luxuriant to touch, and is backed with super-soft anti-pil fleece in Oyster. Your dog will think he or she is in doggie heaven, but it's not just dogs who love the blankets we love them too!

Find out more at www.rooi.com.

Personalised Pet Sculptures

In association with...

Top product picks by our resident reviewer Sophie,

the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Antos dog chews RRP £1 each.

Made from compounded vegetable fibres with natural colourings, the Cerea

range offers a healthy alternative to all breeds of dog. - See more at:

www.antos.co.uk/cerea-vegetarian-dog-chews

Clickable link