jamez654

Have a look at this:

http://www.mylandy.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Water_Ingress.pdf

James

NFG,

Deer can also spread TB but not the the same extent as badgers. It has also been found in cats on infected farms.

Cattle cannot be vaccinated because there is currently no test capable of distinguishing between infected and vaccinated cattle. The BCG vaccine as used it people has been tested in cattle but it is not very effective (it isn't very effective in people either).

Badgers will eventually repopulate the area. But if badgers are culled for a period and infected cattle are removed hopefully a healthy badger and cattle population can be achieved.

James

As a farm vet, I am all for it. As long at is done humanely.

It has been proven that TB is transmitted from cattle to badgers and badgers to cattle. It is a shame that vaccination is not particularly effective for badgers and cannot be used in cattle as it is not possible to differentiate with a test between vaccinated and infected cattle.

At the end of the day everbody wants healthy badgers and cattle and TB is not good for either species.

The debate revolves around the study which showed that despite a significant reduction in TB breakdowns in cattle in trial badger culling areas, there tends to be a slight increase in TB breakdowns in cattle around the perimeter of the areas. This is likely due to TB infected badgers from further away moving in to replace those which have been culled. They are very terratorial.

I hope that the cull will take place in areas with good boundaries which badgers cannot cross such as major roads, rivers etc. so that this does not happen.

James

Stephen.

Do you think he can see OK? If his sight has deteriorated he could cope OK in the house if he is familiar with the layout but not want to go outside.

Just a thought.

James

Stephen,

This is always a difficult decision to make and I always tell owners that whilst I can advise them it is a decision that only they can make. You know your dog and you are best placed to assess his quality of life.

What you describe sounds like what we call senile behavioural changes although people think of it as "doggy dementia" for want of a better phrase. There aren't really any good treatments although nutritional supplements or medication seem to help in some (usually mild) cases.

I think you have probably already made the very difficult but right decision.

James

Mine sleeps on sofa downstairs. He is retired working "collie" as seen in my avatar. The spinone was my girlfriends dog which also slept on sofa but unfortunaly passed away a few weeks ago. We have a no dogs upstairs rule but the "collie" thinks there are two exceptions:

1. to raid the cat's food bowl

2. if there is thunder or fireworks to come and sleep under our bed as he hates them.

I would only allow dogs on the bed if you are happy for them to be allowed on the bed all the time as they only understand one rule for all the time.

Hi Team ANB,

Not sure whereabouts you are but this looks like a good one:

Used Land Rovers UK, land rover 130 models - land rover specialist

I bought my 110 hard top from them 4m ago. Marc was good to deal with and paid for a fuel pump when it failed 2 days out of warranty.

James

Hi Predator,

Trimming black nails is always tricky as you can't tell where the quick is and if you catch it it bleeds a bit. Dogs usally wear there normal claws down on their own if they walk on paved areas at all. The dew claws don't wear down as they don't put them on the floor and often need trimmed.

Best advice is to trim little and often to get the dog used to it and minimise the risk of making them bleed. May be wise to get a silver nitrate pencil (available on ebay) as this can be used to stop the bleeding if you do cut one a little too short.

James

£36 for a 6 foot Nordmann Fir from the forestry commission today at Whinlatter (nr Keswick)

James

I thought it was never going to get through that twig. I'm not sure what is more blunt the chain or the operator.

James

I have a neighbour who has a microwave in his shed for this purpose. I think he microwaves it for a short time then takes it out and lets it cool down then repeats. He also has a dehumidifier in there and leaves pieces he wants to dry quickly just in front of the dehumidifier.

James

I use a Petzl Myo XP approx £50 is LED so batteries last ages and bright enough for me.

James

Mine arrived today. Free pair of gloves included as well. No sure if the girlfriend's parents have recieved theirs yet.

James

Update

Thanks for the advice, I removed the damaged limb as suggested. Unfortunatley though Alec was right and the tree further split with high winds and a large load of fruit over the last few days.

I wil leave the tree until we pick the fruit off it and then fell it. My neighbour is a big fan of the wood for turning so he will get some use from it I will use the rest for firewood.

We might plant a greengage instead.

James

I'll second the vote for the Petzl MyoXP.

Bright enough for me to do caesareans on cows at night.

James

Hi all,

I have an old Lawn Boy 8440 mower. Its old but works great except that there is a small spring on top of the carburetter which keeps becoming detached from the throttle linkage. I think it may be called the governer spring. It is part 6 in the following diagram:

The part number is 613142. Does anybody know where I might get one of these? I have bent it to sort of stay in place for now but it feels like it is about to break and I would like to have a new one handy.

Regards,

James

Hi all,

My advice on this one (as a vet who does get called out by RSPCA on occasion).

You should charge the RSPCA for your time. They have called you to provide a professional service and should expect to pay a professional fee. We always charge the RSPCA for work we do for them although the veterinary profession already have an agreed fee structure with the RSPCA. They are a very wealthy charity.

You need to get a log number from them for the incident as you will need this on your invoice in order for them to pay it. This is a number of the format: 123 followed by the date.

But as others have said cats always come down on their own eventually. They are not actually stuck they just don't want to come down.

James

Hi Alec,

Thanks for the advice. Do you mean cut it off like this:

If I were to permanantly brace it what would be the best thing to use?

James

Hi all,

I am a new member to this forum although have been reading for a while. I would appreciate some advice with the following:

Whilst reversing my landy down the garden today to pick up a trailer of rubble which I was getting rid of, I accidently hit a branch of a damson tree. :confused1:This has caused the trunk to split vertically where the branch joins it as seen here:

My partner is very fond of the tree so I would like to know what is best to do for the tree. I have strapped it to prevent further damage.

Should I remove the damaged branch or can it heal?

Many thanks,

James