Latest news with #veterinary
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Significant delay' at Yarmouth races after incident in the starting stalls
ON HOLD They hope to be back on track soon THERE is a 'significant delay' at Yarmouth races after an incident in the stalls. Just before the second race, Blue Mountains, was withdrawn after getting upset entering the stalls. 1 She required veterinary attention but attempts to load her into the horse ambulance failed. It meant she was having to be walked back up the track from six furlong track. The runners for the next race, scheduled for 3pm, were removed from the parade ring. A BHA statement read: "There will be a slight delay to Race 3 @GTYarmouthRaces. Update to follow." More to follow. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fern Britton makes 'emotional' return to This Morning 16 years on from ITV 'sacking' - and fans rave 'it's great to have her back!'
Fern Britton made an 'emotional' return to This Morning on Thursday, 16 years on from leaving the show. The former ITV presenter, 67, anchored the programme alongside Phillip Schofield, 63, from 1999 and featured on screens for seven years before quitting in 2009. On Thursday's instalment of This Morning, Fern sat down with co-hosts Cat Deeley, 48, and Ben Shephard, 50. Since departing from the daily programme, she has presented a range of other shows including Fern Britton Meets..., Ready Steady Cook and even featured on Celebrity Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing. The TV star discussed her new show, Fern Britton: Inside The Vets, with Cat and Ben and admitted it was 'emotional'. The six-part series delves into the work of veterinary surgeons and follows a range of pets and their owners. Ben introduced Fern as a 'friend of the show' and wished her a 'warm welcome'. Reflecting on her new series, Fern said: 'The thing about this programme is, when you have had to pass your animal over for some kind of procedure that might be anaesthetic, you have to go home and leave him/her there and wait for the phone call. 'And I think most pet owners will understand how sick you feel so we are actually taking you behind the reception, through the door and into the vet surgery to see exactly what does happen.' She gushed: 'I must say, I was just blown away with how respectful the vets were to these animals who were in very insecure situations.' Fern admitted the show pulled on her heart strings and added: 'I found the whole thing very emotional, but so do the vets. Fortunately, we didn't have any beloved pet who died.' Viewers were happy to see Fern back in the ITV studio and gushed on X: '@Fern_Britton Saw you on This Morning today,looking fabulous. New series good don't see enough of you.' Another said: '@thismorning great to see Fern back.' 'Fern is so lovely. And her dad was great in Don't Wait Up. #thismorning,' someone else added. Viewers were happy to see Fern back in the ITV studio and gushed about her on X 'I do love Fern. If anybody says anything against her, I'll fight them. #thismorning,' one viewer said. Someone else commented on Fern's show and penned: 'Another one on the animal bandwagon #ThisMorning.' Ahead of Fern's This Morning departure back in 2009, the star and Phillip famously fell out and haven't spoken since, with Phillip previously claiming in his autobiography their relationship was 'beyond repair'. It was claimed at the time she felt 'undervalued by ITV' and that she was 'living in Phil's shadow'. Though 15 years on, Fern said she had 'great fun' hosting This Morning with her former pal whilst speaking about his own controversial exit. Speaking to Saga, she said: 'It brought up a lot of mixed emotions. 'The years we worked together were mostly great fun and we were a very good partnership, which I can remember with fondness. 'I knew how much he loved his job and cared deeply for his public perception. It must have been a terribly difficult time for him and his family.' In 2022, Fern ended their long-running feud when she congratulated Phillip in a video message to celebrate his 40th anniversary in television. Last year the mum-of-four returned to screens, appearing on Celebrity Big Brother alongside Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne. Phillip stepped down from This Morning and subsequently all TV projects after he admitted to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a 20-year-old running on the daytime show Tensions between Holly and Phil reached further heights when he boldly declared there were 'three s**ts' at ITV on his Channel 5 show Cast Away Phillip stepped down from This Morning and subsequently all TV projects after he admitted to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a 20-year-old crew member on the daytime show. Holly Willoughby, who took over hosting duties on This Morning from Fern, released a statement at the time saying she had felt 'hurt' by his 'lies'. Holly stepped down from presenting This Morning after 14 years on the show due to a terrifying kidnap threat and subsequently took time out from the spotlight.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Doggy gut health and kitty longevity diets: How wellness came for our pets
I'll be the first to admit I've lost the plot when it comes to my dog. She's on a posh raw food diet for optimal gut health, takes her steps and supplements daily, and gets brushed and massaged more often than I do. I've fed her doggy electrolytes, taken her to pup spas and splashed out on behavioural therapy sessions. Her wellbeing is as important to me as my own, but is all this really good for her health, or have I been sold an expensive fantasy? Wellness products have become increasingly more expensive and good health now appears to be a modern-day status symbol. Against the bizarre backdrop of optimisation culture, pet wellness has emerged as the latest iteration. It begs the question: do our dogs and cats need this, or is the wellness industrial complex simply going after the one thing we'll spend money on without question: our pets. If a dog has regular walks and a vet-recommended meal plan, surely that's enough? Veterinarian Guy Sandelowsky, also known as The Dog Doctor, doesn't think so. He believes pet nutrition needs an overhaul and believes that we owe it to our four-legged friends to take better care of them, given the overwhelmingly positive impact they have on our wellbeing. 'As a vet, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of dogs in people's lives. They are more than pets. They are our therapists, our companions, and sometimes, our lifeline,' he says. 'The simple act of stroking a dog can lower cortisol levels, ease stress, and increase feelings of happiness. Their unwavering presence offers a sense of security and routine, crucial for those struggling with mental health challenges.' Many studies show that dogs do something positive to our brains. They make us better, so don't we owe it to them to deliver the best possible care and ensure their health is looked after? A leading voice in the human optimisation space, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, recently spoke with Karolina Westlund, an ethologist and professor at the University of Stockholm, about this very subject on his podcast. Westlund specialises in animal emotion and behaviour, and uses science-based methods to improve the lives of animals in human care. The pair discussed the often overlooked needs of domesticated animals, primarily dogs and cats, and the things we can do to improve their wellbeing and our relationship with them. In essence, Westlund believes that we have a responsibility to act as a conduit to deliver the best care to domesticated creatures who didn't choose to be in our homes. My dog has been with me for years and is part of my family. I understand her expressions, I know what she's saying without words. So why wouldn't I cater to her emotional and physical needs? Of course, I want her to be happy and to live for as long as possible. Enter Loyal, a pet biotech company founded by California-based entrepreneur Celine Halioua. Her mission is to develop drugs that will extend the lifespan of dogs by delaying or preventing age-related disease. Halioua asks, 'What if we could develop a preventive medicine for seemingly unrelated age-associated diseases like cancer, arthritis and cognitive decline, which all share the same root cause? It all sounds very much like modern wellness and the biohacking movement to me.' 'The goal of the company from day one has always been to get the first drug FDA approved for healthy lifespan extension,' Halioua told Slate magazine in April. And she claims she's close. But Loyal aims to offer more than just drugs. Its purpose is to teach pet owners the breed-specific biohacks that will help their beloved pets live healthy lives beyond their average projected lifespan. Halioua calls it 'compensating for the genetic mistakes' that dog breeding has caused. How much a subscription to Loyal's daily longevity supplement might cost pet owners is unknown, as it's not yet available to buy. However, given how much a quality supplement for humans can cost on repeat subscription, it's safe to say this service is likely to be one that the privileged few can afford. Another parallel with the world of human health optimisation is expensive organic food, and fancy raw pet food is really having a moment. For animals, eating raw meat arguably makes more sense than it does for the influencers suffering through slabs of raw liver and guzzling offal. I feed my pomeranians, Bella and Duke, a RAWsaf-accredited brand (meaning that all meats used in the food are tested for E coli and other bacteria to ensure they're safe to eat raw). Incidentally, humans on the carnivore diet do not go by such accreditations. But I still find myself asking, 'Does my dog really need probiotic supplements, pre-prepared raw food, calming bedtime biscuits with human-grade organic ingredients and chicken-flavoured electrolytes?' Wild animals seem to manage just fine without all this. 'I think what we are probably seeing with pet wellness is an extension of the wider wellness perfectionism that's been increasing in recent years,' says psychologist Dr Lara Zibarras. 'We've gone from obsessing about our own health to obsessing about our pets ' health.' Zibarras says we're likely witnessing and partaking in a phenomenon called 'psychological displacement': 'This is when people feel out of control in one area of life (let's say work, study or relationships), so they end up hyper-focusing on other areas. So projecting wellness onto their pets could be one way to stay feeling in control, especially if other areas feel out of control.' Are the pampered kittens I see having coconut oil rubbed into their toes while wearing under-eye patches needing a full spa day to be happy? But, then again, if the animals are enjoying it and it brings us joy, is there any harm in it? Zibarras explains that though videos showing pet spa days might be cute, we're now exposed to intense and unwavering levels of perfectionism presented by staged videos on social media. 'In wellness culture, there's this idea that if we just do everything right, then we will be happy, healthy, safe and successful. It's possible that this is extending to our pets, [who] are now becoming a reflection of how 'together' we are.' Just like clean eating or fitness obsessions, pet wellness can become a status symbol. 'We believe that doing pet wellness says something about who we are – caring for our pets and doing life 'right',' She says. If we're not mindful about all this, pet wellness stands to become yet another metric by which to measure whether we're winning at life. Whether our dog's gut health is optimal. Whether we've cracked their communication style, do our pets need wellness? The honest answer is probably not, at least not in the way that humans, with all our anxieties and foibles, need healing. The very idea that we want to protect our beloved pets is admirable and natural, however, the idea that they need any of this special attention plays into wider anxieties about modern life, the rise of perfectionism, and the constant push to be more, do more, and live forever. When we use our pets to signal some kind of human success, we may have drifted from the true meaning of the word and into very bizarre and distorted territory indeed.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Jail, up to Dh1 million fine: UAE passes draft law for illegal import of animals
A new draft law has specified jail time and fines ranging from Dh100,000 to Dh1 million for illegal import of animals through unofficial channels, as part of a broader effort to protect the UAE from animal-borne diseases. Under the draft law passed by the Federal National Council on Wednesday, June 25, all animal shipments entering, exiting, or transiting through the UAE will be subject to enhanced veterinary quarantine procedures designed to detect and prevent the spread of disease. The proposed legislation grants the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment powers to impose import bans or restrictions on countries or regions where outbreaks pose a threat to national biosecurity. It stipulates that no animal shipments may enter the country except through officially designated border crossings. The ministry will identify these authorised ports of entry and specify which types of shipments are allowed at each. In cases where an animal disease is detected in a source country, the law allows for imports under strict conditions, provided that the exporting country meets health regulations determined through risk assessment. Detailed procedures and documentation requirements will be outlined in the law's executive regulations. Importers must apply in advance for veterinary health certificates and permits from the ministry, with regulations also covering animal feed, by-products and waste material, not just live animals. Violations will carry heavy penalties. Those who bypass official ports may face at least one year in jail and a fine ranging from Dh100,000 to Dh1 million, with confiscation of the animals or products involved. Repeat offenders will face doubled penalties. Fines of up to Dh500,000 may also be imposed on those who fail to comply with animal health import conditions, including transport specifications. Importers or owners who refuse to implement ministry directives concerning non-compliant shipments can face fines of up to Dh100,000. The draft law also lays out administrative violations and penalties, which will be approved by the cabinet based on the minister's recommendations. It designates authorised inspectors appointed in coordination with the Ministry of Justice to act as judicial officers in identifying legal breaches. Fees related to the implementation of the law will be set by cabinet decision, following proposals from the minister and coordination with the Ministry of Finance.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
How to prevent heatstroke in dogs and other pets in summer, plus symptoms and treatment
Humans are not the only ones who experience heatstroke: our four-legged friends can suffer from it too. And with summers getting more intense around the world, they are at more risk than ever. The data speaks for itself, with the World Meteorological Organization confirming that 2024 was the warmest year on record. Hong Kong, too, sweltered through scorching temperatures in 2024, logging its hottest year since records began in 1884 – and this year is shaping up to be another summer of hot weather warnings For veterinarians in the city, summers of soaring heat, combined with high levels of humidity and pollution, means that treating dogs for heat-related illnesses has become a frustrating cycle. 'Every summer, we see dogs in Hong Kong die from preventable heatstroke,' says Lloyd Kenda of Hong Kong's Valley Veterinary Centre. 'Unfortunately, this is a topic that needs to be repeated regularly.'
