Buddy & Brooke

11/07/2025

GET THEM WET THEN OFF TO THE VET

Following some sad news about local dogs losing their lives in this heat I thought it would be worth sharing this.

There is a lot of worrying misinformation doing the rounds about avoiding very cold water or encouraging people to use towels or do other things before getting their dog medical help when they have heatstroke and I would hate for anyone else to lose a beloved pet needlessly.

Remember walks can be missed when it’s too hot, there are other ways to entertain our pets at home without risking their health in this heat.

Please don’t travel with your pet in a car during the heat of the day unless 100% necessary and never leave them in a car even for a few minutes.

If you suspect heatstroke in your pet (panting, drooling, red gums, lethargy, collapse) get then out of the heat, get that cold water on as quickly and safely as you can and get to your vet.

Recent research by Vet Compass and the The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) showed correlation between human heat warning and heat stroke cases.

Yellow heat health alerts are now in force with temperatures expected to hit 34C (93F) in parts of the UK this weekend.

Is it true that if we use cold water on heat stroke pets they will go into shock?

One of the most common things we still hear is that we can only use tepid water on a pet with heat stroke, incase they get some complications like hypothermic overshoot, peripheral vasoconstriction hindering a cooling response, and cardiogenic shock...

We have heard not to use cold water in case it causes shock... this rarely happens!

But guess what? In a recent study over 26% of dogs presented with heat stroke died, with flat faced breeds making up nearly half of heat stroke cases seen in the study.

You should:

💧Get someone to call the local veterinary practice and tell them you're going to travel down with a heat stroke patient
💧Pour, hose or if safe immerse the pet in very cold water (this should obviously be done under constant supervision, ensuring the head is fully above water and immersion should not be attempted if the animal is too large, or you are unable to do so without hurting yourself)
💧NB: If using a hose pipe, make sure it has run through until cold, as they can often contain water that is extremely hot in the tubing initially
💧Do not drape in towels and leave them in situ. Keep the cold water flowing.
💧Move to a cool, shaded area
💧Prepare to transport to vets in a cold, air conditioned car

In studies they found that:

🌅International consensus from sports medicine organisations supports treating EHS with early rapid cooling by immersing the casualty in cold water.
🌅Ice-water immersion has been shown to be highly effective in exertional heat stroke, with a zero fatality rate in large case series of younger, fit patients.
🌅Hyperthermic individuals were cooled twice as fast by Cold Water Immersion as by passive recovery.
🌅No complications occurred during the treatment of three older patients with severe heat stroke were treated with cold‐water immersion.
🌅Cold water immersion (CWI) is the preferred cooling modality in EHS guidelines and the optimal method applicable to UK Service Personnel
🌅Studies suggest using either ice-water or cold-water immersion

The best intervention is PREVENTION, but if you find yourself with an animal with heat stroke, using cold water either by pouring, hosing or ideally (if safe) immersion then this may help reduce their temperature to safe levels while you transport to a veterinary practice.

Read more below with updates from Hot Dogs - canine heatstroke education for dog owners

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid

05/07/2025

National pet Remembrance Day

Missing these two extra hard today and thinking of all of the beautiful souls we have said goodbye to this year.

They are never here long enough but they make every moment we get to spend with them worth it!

Please share your favourite memories of your beloved pets if you feel able to ❤️

20/06/2025

Thank you Rebecca for giving wee assistant /co pilot River a lovely tidy up! She has never smelled this good 😂

Love the chance to connect with and support another small local business.

Highly recommend Bark & Groom

08/06/2025

As each of us knows all too well, losing a pet is devastating. The emotions we experience cannot be fully understood or mitigated by planning or expectation. If your pet has borne a terminal illness, knowing that the end is coming is no less painful than one that arrives unannounced.

It's important to remember that there is no 'right' way to feel, no 'normal' length of time to grieve. You may feel bereft and hollow for weeks, or you may feel calm and accepting of your loss within days. Each and every scenario is your 'normal' and cannot be altered by well-meaning friends and colleagues telling you to 'buck your ideas up'. Some people find it helpful to look for a timeline of grief, so that they can see a glimmer of light ahead, identifying a time when they might start to feel better again.

'Time heals' we often hear. Those of us who have been through bereavement know that the pain never magically goes away, although it does become manageable as time passes. It really does. The intense feelings of loss, anger and pain do become less raw as the months inevitably go by. With a physical injury, the wound heals with time and we are left with a scar. The same is true with emotional pain; our hearts and our minds draw a veil over the immediate pain, but a scar remains. With time we can remember our lost friends with a smile instead of a tear.

Just how long this process takes is impossible to predict and difficult to measure. It will be different for each of us and with every pet, as a wide range of factors affect our handling of grief. So whilst we may not be able to say, "you'll feel better in x weeks", we can say for certain that with time, you will start to notice the signs of healing:

- You have more good days than bad
- Energy and motivation levels increase
- Memories are fond, rather than traumatic
- You can think constructively about the loss of your loved one and the impact on your life
- Sleep patterns return to normal
- You feel optimistic about the future
- Performance at work improves
- You’re able to focus on personal health and wellbeing
- Relationships feel more functional and healthy
- You feel as though you are ‘re-joining the human race’
- You begin to seek emotional and physical intimacy again

Until then, don't put yourself under pressure to feel 'back to normal', especially as the parameters of 'normal' in your life have now been changed. Don't allow yourself to feel guilty that you can't yet get past your grief, and give yourself the time to heal. And hard as it may be, try not to begrudge friends and family enjoying precious time with their pets this Christmas. In your head and your heart, permit them the joy that comes from the special bond between us and our pets for as long as it lasts, and remember fondly the many happy times shared with your own dear friend.

Know that the pain will ease, and that with the imminent beginning of a new year, comes new hope and strength.

The Ralph Site, non-profit pet loss support: https://www.theralphsite.com//.

12/04/2025

What does quality of life mean to you?

24/03/2025

It was lovely to meet all the beautiful dogs and dedicated owners at The Barket yesterday.

It’s always so helpful to speak to pet carers about their past experiences of pet loss and what would be important to them when the time comes again.
There are still so many people who don’t know that home euthanasia is an option so if you have come across us please do spread the word!

Thanks again Delizious Bakes for the gorgeous goodies, everyone enjoyed them!

13/03/2025

I’ll be at the Barket in Dundee on the 23rd if anyone fancies popping along to say hello. Lots of lovely doggy businesses, yummy food and a fun dog show!

30/01/2025

This says it all 😭

26/01/2025

Guilt is something that comes up in almost every discussion about end of life care and something I struggle with myself when making these decisions.

This article from the Ralph site explores it beautifully, and the group is a wonderful safe place for any grieving pet carers.

COPING WITH PET LOSS GUILT

Something striking when one reads the many stories of loss on this page, and especially within the private group, is that – although the circumstances of each loss are different – guilt seems to be one of the unifying emotions.

Pet loss guilt is particularly present and overwhelming in the early days following a bereavement. It can haunt us, keep us awake at night, and turn every day into a living hell that taints the memories of our lost pet.

Read more: http://theralphsiteshop.com/coping-with-pet-loss-guilt/

01/01/2025

A very happy new year to all of our followers, friends and family!

As we go into 2025 I’m thinking about all of the beautiful souls we said goodbye to this past year and hope that their loved ones are remembering them at their best ❤️

Wishing everyone health and happiness for the year ahead.

Ashley.

06/12/2024

As always thank you to the wonderful dedicated pet carers who trust me to be there at such a difficult time ❤️

Your feedback helps me know I’m doing what I set out to and helping where I can.

Ashley.

02/12/2024

Quality of life is something we talk about a lot when it comes to end of life care and making the decision to say goodbye but do you know what it really means and how to figure out if your pet has good quality of life?

Quality of life describes how much an animal is managing to enjoy life and engage with the world. Assessing quality of life is a way of evaluating how comfortable and happy they are day to day.
In essence, it’s the difference between surviving and thriving.

Lots of things affect quality of life and it can be hard to look objectively at each and every part when you are faced with difficult decisions or worried about your pet.

It can help to start by thinking about what makes your pet truly themselves, what do they love, what do they live for?

Things like playing with balls/toys, sniffy walks, cuddles with owners, meeting other dogs can be important parts of life.

Is your pet managing to do these things and engage with what they love everyday or at least most days?

Being comfortable and pain free is another big consideration.

Is your pet able to move freely, get up and down with ease and do things like get into bed, play with toys, use scratching posts as normal?
If they have a painful condition like arthritis are they on good pain relief and is it helping?

It’s also important to remember that being able to do the things necessary for survival like eat/drink/toilet does not mean that your pet is ok or living a good life, they are hardwired to do these things to survive whether they are enjoying life or not!

Over the next few posts we will explore all the different factors that affect quality of life, how to assess it in your pet and decision making when it isn’t as good as we want for our beloved pets.

Please do respond with any questions you might have or ideas about what helps you know your pet is living their best life!

Ashley.