If your pet is displaying behavioural problems, we offer a service with our animal behaviourist Caz. A qualified and experienced vet nurse, she has also worked as a police dog trainer.

She holds a certificate in companion animal behaviour and has recently completed an advanced diploma in canine behaviour management to keep up to date on the latest principles in this field, as many older or traditional methods are now out of favour and may even be detrimental.

You can arrange a consultation directly with Caz or you may be advised to see her after a discussion with a vet. Behavioural problems take time to consider; a consultation takes an hour or more and can be undertaken at the clinic or at home.

Similarly, with regard to canine and feline behaviour therapy there is often no quick fix, but Caz will be there to support you as you put her advice in to practice over subsequent weeks and months.

Inadequate or inappropriate socialisation of puppies can lead to ongoing behavioural issues. Caz is keen on prevention in preference to cure and has puppy resources she will happily provide free to those who ask, as well as providing guidance on appropriate modern methods of dog training.

Wick & Thurso based DS McGregor & Partners recently shared in the success of a campaign to help support owners of older horses which scooped a major veterinary industry award. The ‘Old Friends’ initiative was developed by XLEquine to help horse owners to provide the best care possible for their ageing companions.

Ewe Nutrition

Nutrition hugely affects all aspects of sheep health and production. Poor nutrition has negative effects on ovulation rate, early embryonic loss, lamb vitality, peri-natal metabolic disease and passive transfer of antibodies through colostrum.

Trace element deficiencies in sheep

Deficiency of essential trace elements may lead to significant economic losses within affected sheep flocks; however diagnosis can be tricky as clinical signs are frequently mild and insidious in onset, such as poor growth rates, weak neonatal lambs, non-specific ill thrift or reduced feed intake. Problems tend to affect the whole group rather than individual animals and are frequently recurrent on a farm; organic units may be particularly susceptible due to increased reliance on home-grown feeds and restrictions on use of mineral supplementation. Diagnosis requires careful differentiation of trace element deficiency from other common causes of poor productivity such as chronic parasitic disease or inadequate nutrition; it is not uncommon for a combination of factors to be present, each of which will require appropriate intervention to correct. The most common trace element deficiencies in sheep include Copper, Cobalt, Selenium/Vitamin E and to a lesser extent Iodine and Manganese.