Only interested in shows on specific topics?
Simply click on the channels below to check for the shows you're interested in…
Click on this symbol to add a show to your calendar to alert you when the show starts
Taking care of your dog during the summer
It’s a dog’s life – and it gets worse during the summer.
| Daisy wants to know: "When are the busiest times of the year in the hospital?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | We are always busy we see around 26000 consultations a year and 7000 operations. But summer seems to be the busiest time. |
| Boden wants to know: "Do I have to fill in forms before getting subsidised or free vet care, or can I turn up and get immediate treatment?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | When you telephone a Blue Cross Hospital a nurse or a Receptionist talks to you about what benefits or pensions you receive and then owners bring there benefit details or pension book in with them. |
| ray wants to know: "Is Blue Cross part of the RSPCA? " | |
| Jess Gower said: | No, the Blue Cross is a practical animal welfare charity it's over 100 years old and it runs adoption centres throughout the country and has four hospitals. You can look at our website on www.bluecross.org.uk |
| Gabi wants to know: "Do you think muzzles are cruel?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | An animal shouldn't be left on it's own wearing a muzzle but a well fitting comfortable muzzle can be useful for a visit to the vet. |
| Georgina wants to know: "Are pet owners fully aware of the risks their pets face?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Most owners want to there best for their pets. The Blue Cross produces a series of pet care information leaflets which can be downloaded from our website. |
| Tom wants to know: "what services does the blue cross hospitals provide?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The Blue Cross hospitals provide veterinary care for animals whose owners are unable to afford private veterinary care because they are pensioners or on benefits. We provide basic health care advise routine care and medical and surgical care. |
| Alison wants to know: "Why have Blue Cross started the ambulance service?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The ambulance service provides transport into the hospital for the pets of very elderly or housebound owners if they don't have friends or family to help them. |
| Hazel wants to know: "Where are the Blue Cross Hospitals?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | In London, the hospitals are in Victoria, Hammersmith and Merton. We also have a very busy hospital helping animals in need in Grimsby in Yorkshire. |
| Gavin wants to know: "What is the oddest creature that has been brought in?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | We mostly see cats and dogs. We try to encourage not to keep exotic animals. |
| Dave wants to know: "How long has the Blue Cross been operating?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The Blue Cross has been helping animals in need since 1898. The Victoria hospital has been helping in London since 1905. It is Britain's oldest animal hospital. |
| Ned wants to know: "I love animals and would love to be a vet, but my parents want me to be a doctor. Would you recommend the vets life?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | I love being a vet, because all the work I do is useful practical work helping animals in trouble who would not get care if it wasn't for the Blue Cross. |
| Boden wants to know: "Will I have to wait long at the Hospital to get treatment for my pet?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Because there are so many animals in the hospital to help each day owners may have to wait for up to an hour for their turn. There are usually around 50 inpatient animals being nursed in the hospital as well as the animals coming into the clinic. |
| Will wants to know: "Can working as a vet be stressful?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | It can be stressful because we are working with their owners and their animals at a difficult time. But it is nice that at the Blue Cross we can give each animal whatever care it needs. |
| Molly wants to know: "Which areas of London are covered by the ambulance service?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The ambulance goes to post codes near to the Victoria Hospital. Have a look at the website for information and leaflets. |
| Will wants to know: "Do you have any pets?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Yes! I have adopted a cat and a Jack Russel Terrier from the Blue Cross because they needed a home. |
| Gretchen wants to know: "Do you often refer certain cases to private vets?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | No, because our owners can't afford referral to private practice we make sure that we are well trained to deal with all medical and surgical problems. |
| Jodie wants to know: "Who qualifies for the Blue Cross ambulance?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The ambulance service helps very elderly people if the haven't got neighbours or family or friends who will help them get their animal to the hospital. |
| Michael wants to know: "While my dog is important to the family, a trip to the vets is often impossible with other bills to pay. As someone on a pension could I qualify for subsidised vet fees?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The Blue Cross Animal Hospitals provide veterinary care for pensioners dependant on their state pension if they can't afford private care. Owners donate what they can towards the cost of care. |
| Andrew wants to know: "How can I tell when my pet is sick enough to bring to the animal hospital?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Every pet should be registered with a vet when it is well for routine care and advice. You should contact your vet anytime that you are worried about your pet's health. |
| Rik wants to know: "Do the ambulances operate 24 hours?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | At the moment we are not able to provide a 24-hour ambulance service, but if Blue Cross owners can get their pet to the hospital we are there 24 hours a day for any emergencies. |
| Adam wants to know: "I recently bought a puppy, and while my family had a dog, I had little to do with it except the fun stuff walking, throwing sticks etc. Now four months on I am finding it difficult to look after him especially as he seems to get more mischievous and bigger everyday, he seems to be out of control and destroys my flat on a regular basis!! Any advice" | |
| Jess Gower said: | I would go and talk to your vet. Dogs find it difficult to cope with being left on their own for long periods as they need company and activity. Your vet or a vet nurse will help you or refer you to a behaviourist for advice. Or try our Blue Cross pet care leaflets. |
| Jim wants to know: "My dog is getting a bit fat, even though I walk her every day for at least two miles I only feed her once. She's only seven and I worry there might be something wrong with her. Are dogs like humans with some having a poor metabolism?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Most dogs stay slim if they get plenty of exercise and you are careful with food. But why not take your dog to your vet for a check up which is always a good idea for routine care and advice. |
| Brian wants to know: "What are you tips for keeping dogs healthy throughout their life to help prevent problems such as rotting teeth, blindness, deafness etc" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Most dogs especially healthy cross breed dogs will stay healthy through their lives with lots of exercise company and a good balanced diet. Make sure every dog is registered with a veterinary practice for routine care and a yearly check up is a good idea. Regular flea treatment, worming and vaccination are important the Blue Cross website will advise on all of this. |
| Jon wants to know: "Why was Blue Cross set up?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The Blue Cross was set up to care for animals in need. At first it was called "Our Dumb Friends League" and looked after working horses and poor cats and dogs in London. It looked after war horses and dogs in WW1 and WW2 and now offers practical care for animals throughout the country. |
| Tony wants to know: "My fiend wants to give me her kitten -Do you have any advice before i consider the offer?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | If you are ready to own a cat that sounds a good idea. Check the kitten and it's mum are healthy, get everything ready for the kitten and register the kitten straight away for a check up with your local vet. |
| Brian wants to know: "My dog has canine arthritis and I am worried about the various different drugs that vets are prescribing. What are these and are there any other ways of treating it?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | There are several good drugs on the market to help with arthritis. They are mostly aspirin related drugs made safer for dogs. Never give a dog human medication! Weight loss and gentle exercise also help an arthritic dog to stay active. Your vet may also offer nutritional supplements that may help. Acupuncture helps some dogs with arthritis. Your vet will guide you with all of this. |
| peter wants to know: "Does the subsidised vet care include prescriptions, my dog has arthritis and the prescription costs are ridiculous and putting a real strain on the family?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Licensed veterinary drugs are expensive Blue Cross care includes the costs of drugs but we are only able to help pensioners and people on benefits. They contribute what they can towards the cost of their pets drugs. |
| Kenny wants to know: "Why do we have to be particularly vigilant with our pets in the Summer?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Animals are very vulnerable in hot weather, like small children and elderly people. Dogs need to be kept cool and have access to water. |
| Mikey wants to know: "why did you want to become a vet?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Because I enjoy working with animals and it is a useful job helping animals and their owners in trouble. I especially like working for the Blue Cross because I'm helping animals that wouldn't get care without the Blue Cross hospital. |
| Ben wants to know: "What have been the worse cases of pets swallowing children toys?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Two weeks ago we operated on a small dog called Tinker who had swallowed a ball, which had been stuck in her intestines for a week. Tinker had peritonitis and lost six inches of her intestines with a lot of work from Blue Cross vets and nurses she got better but would have died without surgery. Her owners who haven't got much money are very grateful. |
| Tony wants to know: "working with pets has there been any awkward moments? Aggressive pets that have turn on you? " | |
| Jess Gower said: | We get good training on how to work safely with cats and dogs. I have only been bitten by dogs when I have accidentally hurt them or when they were in pain after an accident. Cats get cross though! |
| Tracy wants to know: "I've got a dog who is 7 years old. I'm thinking of getting a puppy but not sure how he will find it. Is there anything I should do if I'm going to introduce a new puppy into the family?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The Blue Cross produces a leaflet about introducing a new puppy into your family. |
| Pete wants to know: "What is the worst case you have seen come into the hospital?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | There are many! Last year we treated a Spaniel with serious pelvic fractures whose owner was also very ill. We were able to make the spaniel better which brought a lot of happiness to the owner. Pets hit by cars or which have fallen from heights are often the most badly injured. But Blue Cross vets have specialist training to be able to return the majority of pets back to good health. |
| imogen wants to know: "My dog often gets a build up of sticky goo around the eyes. I live far from a vet and my wife doesn't drive, so I don't want to take him to the pet unless necessary because I'll have to take a day off. Is this natural or a sign of ill health? " | |
| Jess Gower said: | Eyes are very important and delicate and easily damaged. I do think it is very important that you ask a vet to look at your dog's eyes. |
| alun wants to know: "What's the best remedy for a severe bout of dog breath? (My pet not me!)" | |
| Jess Gower said: | Most dogs and cat breath doesn't smell that great! But bad breath can be due to poor dental health or to other medical problems. So it should be checked out especially if your pet is elderly. |
| Azalea wants to know: "What are the most common reasons pets get brought into the animal hospital?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | The Blue Cross hospital is like a mixture of GP practice with an A&E dept. and operating theatres so we see a mixture of animals with mild problems, elderly animals needing regular care, young animals needing routine care and advice and very sick or emergency animals needing hospital ward care or surgery in theatres. |
| Jeremy wants to know: "My dog is frequently out of breath - he's getting on a bit but is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | He definitely needs a check up with your vet! One of the Blue Cross leaflets is about elderly pets. Elderly dogs sometimes have heart problems or other medical problems, which can be helped by your vet. |
| Gretchen wants to know: "How long do the animals spend in the hospital?" | |
| Jess Gower said: | We see a lot of very sick animals and they are usually about 50 animals on the Blue Cross Hospital wards. Most animals that have major surgery stay in for at least one night. Animals that have fracture surgery typically stay in the hospital for a week. This is partly because the owners we help are often elderly or have problems at home. |
| Andy wants to know: "How can you keep your dog away from potentially harmful objects around the house? " | |
| Jess Gower said: | Chemicals and cleaning agents like caustic soda are especially dangerous; basically anything that you wouldn't want a toddler to handle should be kept away from your dog. |
| Preeti wants to know: "I often see my dog licking my toddlers face. It isn't pleasant but I want to know if it is dangerous and can the dog be trained not to do it? " | |
| Jess Gower said: | Most importantly, make sure that your dog is wormed using wormer from a vet every three months. The Blue Cross leaflets all give sensible advice on good routine health care to keep your dog and toddler healthy. |
