25 Years of Glenbrae

With a fantastic celebration last Saturday of 25 years of Glenbrae’s existence, I thought it a good time to reflect on the last 25 years and how Glenbrae, and the service it now provides, came into being.

Just over 25 years ago I was working in a mixed practice in Northern Ireland, my second job after graduating and a short stint in Australia.  I had always wanted to run my own practice and 7 years after graduating, with a lot of experience gained, I felt the time was right.  After 2 unsuccessful attempts at purchasing practices, I secured the lease on a unit at Baljaffray.   My husband and I did most of the work in setting up and a lot of the initial furniture and equipment were second-hand, some from a local hospital that was closing down.  We painted the interior, set up the rooms and opened the doors-to very few clients.  I began by doing all my own reception work, nursing duties,  the lot.  This was in the days before most practices had veterinary nurses, however in May 1990 Tracy joined me as a trainee and as most of you know, is still nursing in the clinic to this day.

This industry relies heavily on recommendation so gaining new clients is slow at first.  However I engaged with as many animal charities, groomers and other pet people as possible to get myself known.  At first the clinic did small animal and horse work which grew steadily busier, and after 3 years I took on a part-time vet to assist.

With the birth of my son in 1995, I  then had another full time vet and we continued to grow in size. When the next door unit in Baljaffray became vacant I decided to go for expansion and I hope a lot of you will remember those exciting times.

During most of the 90’s I handled all the "out of hours" work myself which at times was truly exhausting and when the first emergency provider in Glasgow opened, I signed up and ended any horse work in the clinic;  times change!!

It slowly became obvious that even the extended premises in Baljaffray was not going to be large enough for our continued growth and several years were spent looking for a new site, which thankfully popped up locally in Stockiemuir Avenue - our current home.

It has been a roller coaster ride, at times-fighting with banks to keep financing the business, taking on new staff and making the whole thing work.  I have always been passionate about good personal service and with my interest in holistic work, the overall ethos has been one of individualised care and empathy for you and your pet.

With our most recent expansion into the adjacent unit (I am going to stop doing this soon!!!) we will now offer even more integrated care with physiotherapy and holistic support.

If I could turn the clock back, would I do it again?  Answer - a resounding 'YES' and although it has been a challenging life, it has been an exceptionally rewarding one as I have been privileged to meet so many wonderful people and their pets and I hope the legacy that is 'Glenbrae', will still be here in another 25 years.

Thanks to all who have been involved with the journey.

Raisin's story

"I'm sorry but the news is not good".  This is always the most difficult of conversations to have with any owner but worse when it is unexpected.

Raisin was an 11 year old Beagle, who up until June 2014 had been very healthy.  Unfortunately, in June Raisin had a couple of bouts of unexplained lethargy with a fever and when he again fell ill early July, an abdominal scan revealed a bulging bleeding tumour in his spleen.  Due to the risk of fatal haemorrhage, Raisin was admitted for a splenectomy (removal of his spleen), an organ he could live without.  He made an uneventful recovery but the pathology report from the tumour did not make good reading.   This was an aggressive sarcoma with a poor prognosis and a median survival time of approximately 3 months.  

Following a discussion with one of the Oncology team at Glasgow Vet School,  who felt that chemotherapy would not extend Raisin's survival time, it was the moment to discuss with Raisin's owners what options, if any, they had available.

This was where a holistic approach came in. Realistically there was no more that conventional medicine could do to aid Raisin, however having attended a number of holistic conferences in USA over the last few years, I am treating more and more terminal cancer cases with a mix of diet, supplements and my own speciality Homeopathy.

Most cancer cases benefit from a change of diet, even if it is just trying to increase the digestibility and the quality of the ingredients, but in the main to reduce the carbohydrate levels (that includes treats also) as cancer cells rely on carbohydrates as fuel to multiply .  That is one of the reasons why Cancer is the scourge of the developed world - we all eat too many carbs!

Depending on the type of cancer, I use various supplements including anti-oxidants, omega 3's and other immune stimulating herbs.  Care must be taken however with supplements as some can act against others and some may enhance the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in those patients undergoing conventional cancer treatments.   It is very important to let your oncologist know if you are taking any supplements before starting treatment, they may advise you to stop.  However there is an increasing body of evidence that supplements, used correctly, can often have anti-angiogenic properties (this is decreasing blood supply to tumour cells thus slowing their growth) and increase apoptosis (natural cell death).

The main treatment for me is the use of Homeopathy - as a registered specialist with The Faculty of Homeopathy.   I have trained for years and have now treated a number of different types of cancers.  Some of these cases were similar to Raisins case that is not suitable for conventional treatment or too highly malignant to benefit from chemotherapy.   For some,  the cost of chemotherapy was prohibitive and some owners opted for holistic treatment as the first approach.  In all the cases I have treated, I have seen an improvement in the animals quality of life and increased energy without any of the side effects (which can be severe) of conventional treatment.

I do not profess to cure cancer but with a balanced approach,  I see mean survival times in most cancers as good if not better than a solely conventional approach.

Raisin regained his old energy after his surgery and starting treatment, so much so, that 4 months after his op his owner was asked while walking in the park "what age is your pup",   Raisin continued to do well until 5 and a half months following diagnosis when he suddenly developed a hindlimb lameness which progressed within a couple of days to severe spinal pain.  On closer examination, a diagnosis of metastasis (tumour spread) to his spine was made and there was only one option available.  Raisin was allowed to go gracefully just before Christmas.  

Although his owners were devastated to lose him they were glad he had a good few months of quality time, still able to go out for walks and be a close companion to his friend Candy at home. 

This is why at Glenbrae Vet Clinic we offer an integrated holistic approach to treatment using the best available from both conventional and complementary therapies and we aim to treat your pet as an individual so that we can have the best outcomes for everyone.

A trip to Helsinki

I have just returned from a homeopathic seminar in Helsinki.This comprised of 2 days of teaching on autoimmune diseases in not only small animals but horses and cattle(and humans)too.Common autoimmune diseases I see in practice include Immune Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia (IMHA) certain inflammatory bowel conditions including colitis,thyroid disease,some respiratory problems and many of the common skin conditions to name only a few.
The group organising the seminar comprised of veterinary surgeons but also lay homeopathic practitioners who were not vets but have studied homeopathy for both humans and animals.In Finland it is legal to treat animals if you are a lay practitioner with the relevant qualifications However that is not the case in UK as only vets can treat animals regardless of what type of medicines are used
The main emphasis on Day 1 was looking at the conventional understanding of these diseases and explanations as to why the numbers of cases of autoimmune disease continues to increase every year.Theories extend to dietary factors,chemical exposure vaccination,genetics and in breeding (especially in some susceptible breeds),environmental pollutants,overuse of antibiotics and disinfectants.In this latter case it is thought that the immune system may not get enough to do early in life and therefore starts to turn on itself instead.
Day 2 looked at this group of diseases from a homeopathic perspective and how changes in diet exposure to toxins and good case taking to establish the triggers that may have pushed a susceptible individual into autoimmune disease can give insights into ways of treating that animal which didn't always require suppressive conventional medicines.In a lot of cases these same medications often ultimately cause the animal more problems and would usually be lifelong with associated long term side effects.The use of dietary manipulation,supplementation especially with omega 3's and in some cases herbal preparations can be successful in the support of autoimmune conditions
Day 3 was completely different with the emphasis being on the human-animal interface,what makes us as a species relate to animals(and animals relate to us),our roles in their development and our relationships with animals in food production,competition and day to day life
I however did manage to find a little bit of time on the last day to see some of the city of Helsinki A charming city easy to get around with Western and Eastern influences excellent food and some lovely shopping districts-who said it has to be all work!

Commonwealth Scottie Dogs

Scottie dogs at the Commonwealth Opening Ceremony

The waiting is all over and the secret is now shared,the Opening Ceremony at Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games passed without a hitch.
The “secret” is out -the placard bearer for each country’s team was a lovely little Scottie dog Didn’t they behave well?It’s quite daunting for these little dogs to go into that kind of atmosphere with their owners and walk around a track at the correct speed for the athletes and not be too fazed by it all.Some of the dogs are show dogs and used to a lot of fuss and noise but others were pets that had never been involved with this type of event and neither had their owners.When some people realised they were being watched by over 1 billion people worldwide there were a few butterflies in stomachs!

How did I get involved-well it was a phone call back in May which had my receptionist Fiona guessing as the caller would leave no details except a phone number.When I phoned back I was invited to a meeting in Glasgow but no details could be given and sounded like someone from MI5 I was intrigued as the quote of the day was”it’s to do with that large event happening in Glasgow in July work it out for yourself” Thats how my association with representatives Tom and Caz from Jack Morton Worldwide(the organisers of the Games) began.When they suggested finding 40-50 Scottie dogs to act as placard bearers I have to say I laughed as Scottie dogs have become very scarce and just finding suitable dogs was the biggest challenge, Step forward Elly from Casting who did an amazing job of getting the dogs from all over Scotland and England.
I started with a day in Barrowlands Ballroom meeting the first 30 dogs at the start of June,all dogs were vetted by me to see if they were healthy and if their temperaments were suitable.Following on from there a second rehearsal was held in Bellahouston Academy where costume fittings were done for handlers and dogs alike and dog coats were taken home to get the dogs used to the design of them.
From there we had 2 short rehearsals at Celtic Park allowing the dogs to walk around the track and get used to more people and more noise A large marquee was supplied for the dogs and handlers to wait in and their every need was catered for including even their own grassy toiling area!As the weather became warmer cold water and flannels were available to help keep them all cool along with huge fans inside the tent.All coped well with the heat especially on the last day.

Finally 2 full dress rehearsals took place over the preceding weekend from the ceremony opening. It was amazing to not only watch the show come together but also watch the dogs become more and more familiar with the venue until they started to think -as terriers do-they owned the place. First out onto the track was Rory or Mr India as he is now called leading the team from India,he is a tremendous little dog and with his grey hair around his eyes looked like an elder statesmen. Any of the dogs who weren't keen on walking were just scooped up by their owners and waved to the crowds.You will have noticed some of the Scotties were not black as we had a mix of brindle and wheaten dogs.

With 71 teams some of the dogs got to go around a second time and you could see from their whole manner how much they were lapping up the attention both in and outside the stadium.With over 2000 volunteers on site many people came up to talk to the dogs including some of the police!
In fact can I say a special thanks to the Glasgow Police who helped to make the transfer of the dogs into Celtic Park on 2 coaches as smooth as possible and tried to get us all through the intense security in as short a time as possible due to the hot weather.
I would also like to say it was a pleasure working with such professional people in the organising group and I now can see how these huge ceremonies actually happen,a lot of hard work with military style precision.
Now I wonder if they need a vet for the Olympics in Rio??!!

Natural Diets

We are pleased to recommend and stock a new range of natural dog and cat food.  Natures Menu is a genuinely natural pet food company who recognises the benefits that nature has to offer when it comes to health through feeding and also health and well being through a holistic and natural understanding of your pet.   We encourage our clients to follow an     integrated approach of both conventional and more natural approaches known as complmentary or holistic veterinary medicine.   By integrating both approaches you can be assured you have received the best of all worlds and have looked into all the possibilities available to help your pet with his or her ailments. Natural approaches aim to find a way that can solve the problem at the root rather than simply providing symptomatic relief.

Diet plays a huge part in an integrated approach and we feel that natural diets can provide all the nutrients that your pet’s body needs for optimal health.   It is now widely reported that feeding or changing to a natural raw diet can assist with both healing of ailments and alleviating the symptoms of these ailments.

Types of conditions that can be helped are eczema and inflammatory skin disorders, digestive conditions such as colitis and inflammatory bowel disease,  anal gland issues,  bad breath, flatulence, appetite loss, overeating and weight gain.

Natures Menu provides both single protein plain minces and a range of complete balanced ready made raw meals for your pet.  Raw foods haven’t been cooked or heated so all of the natural vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and enzymes are readily available to give your pet a completely natural diet just as their bodies are designed to digest and benefit from.  They also make tasty natural treats which your pets will love.

Come and speak to our nurse and reception teams for more advice.

Bringing home the bacon..

As we drove to see the litter of three kittens I distinctly remember cautioning the family that we were only going to pick one kitten.  "Just one," I said.  "Oh but, Mum, they're all so gorgeous and look at their wee tiger stripes." Famous last words and all that; their liquid amber eyes and tawny paws captured our hearts. We chose two.  I thought they'd be company for one another and reasoned to myself that there would only be a few more mice and small birds to contend with (such 'gifts' surely being the worst aspect of sharing your home with felines).And, to start with, that's how it was with Kizzy and her brother Hobbes.  Although Kizzy was a bit of amagpie and liked to purloin little shiny lip gloss tins and skittle them across the wooden flooring, Hobbes merely dropped the odd mouse on the carpet now and again.  He hardly ever kills his catches, just brings them home as presents for me, then sits a few feet away and watches intently.  Then one day there was a bit of a commotion at the cat flap.  "Mum", yelled my daughter "Mum, I think you'd better come and see this."  i don't know what I was expecting, but what I saw was a dead squirrel on the grass right outside the cat flap and Hobbes inside resting on his haunches looking rather.... rather what?  Judging by his rumbling purr he was rather pleased with himself.  Hobbes had been hunting and, living up to the early potential of his stripy markings, had clearly found his inner tiger!  

Next, he brought home a pigeon and also deposited it outside the cat flap.  His prey seemed to be increasing in size.  Did he mean to bring them inside?  Yet, despite what appeared to be his best efforts, hauling larger prey through the cat flap was thankfully not his forte.  He therefore changed tactics and reverted to smaller cat flap sized prey; bringing home a (live) duckling one dusky evening.  It was too late to put the duckling back on the nearby pond so Barry the duckling stayed overnight in the bathroom.  As Barry paddled and preened his downy feathers in the sink I had a fleeting vision of becoming like Joey and Chandler from the TV series "Friends" who kept a duck in their apartment. 

 Hobbes returned to the pond the next day.  However, presumably being mindful that his duckling had been taken away from him, he brought home a frog instead. Hobbes likes frogs. Very much.  In fact, he likes frogs so much that (as fast as I returned them to the pond in a bowl) he'd simply bring another one home.  He sits in front of them and stares at them, amber eyes shining with excitement like a small boy in a toy shop, almost daring them to jump so he can leap back in stunned amazement and then slowly creep forward again to resume his watching position.  I believe that became known in the family as "frog week." Come to think of it, we've had a "frog week" every year since.

Although the squirrel was the first in a long line of rather peculiar prey for Hobbes, the one which secured his reputation as a hunter extraordinaire was the live seagull I found standing on the lounge rug one day.  The live not-very-happy-at-all seagull. I  was talking to a friend on my mobile telephone as I entered the lounge that day and literally stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it. "Er, would it be all right if I called you back later? Only I really need to go now..... Why? Oh, er, well, it's a bit odd really but there's sort of a seagull in the lounge...... Hello? Are you still there?..... Yes, a seagull..... Yes, honestly, there's a seagull standing on the rug.... Yes, it's a real one.... Hobbes? Yes, actually you're right, he's here too..... How am I going to catch it? I've no idea but that's sort of why I need to call you later."  I ended the call and looked at Hobbes, "So, buddy, any hints on exactly how I should catch this??"  But he simply looked at me in a way that implied it was totally my problem.  After all, he'd brought it in, what more did he need to do? And, indeed, catching it was interesting for it was very much alive and exceptionally angry at finding itself inside being stared at by a rather smug cat. Having finally caught it and placed it in the cat travel basket, I telephoned Glenbrae vet practice.  "Er, can you help me? Is it okay to come down to the practice now?  Hobbes just brought a seagull in and I've..... Yes, I did say a seagull.... Really, yes.  A seagull.  Can I come down with it?"  So it was that I took the seagull to the practice and - for anyone who's ever travelled with a noisy animal in a car - try having an angry seagull in a basket!  That really makes for an interesting journey.  So too for that matter does a magpie in a basket.  I found the magpie wandering round my bedroom in stunned amazement some months after the seagull.  "Hello is that Glenbrae?  Hobbes has done it again.  I'm on my way down, only this time it's a magpie."   Now when I phone the practice or walk in with an angry occupant in a basket, I'm met with a chorus of "What's he done this time??"  Bless them for all their skill and assistance.  

Hobbes has unfortunately been quite poorly in recent months with blistered weeping sores in between the pads of his feet and great big scabby patches on his face. The staff at Glenbrae have again been wonderfully kind in their care and unstinting in their efforts to resolve this painful recurring problem.  As a buster collar alone did not stop the ever flexible Hobbes from chewing his feet and making them worse, Glenbrae advised that he should also wear baby socks.  I was incredulous at first, but they worked a treat and so it was that Mr. McBucket Head (as he was temporarily affectionately known) also sported bright blue baby socks.  Glenbrae diagnosed an allergy and referred Hobbes to a specialist dermatologist; where there was much discussion of his eating and hunting habits; followed by a skin prick test under general anaesthesia to definitively diagnose his allergy.  The dermatologist told me (with a slightly wry smile) that they had a positive result, noting however that this was a rather unusual result for a cat.  "Go on," I said with my face in my hands "nothing would surprise me with Hobbes."  But, oh yes, it was a surprise.  He's allergic to horses!!  Do I own a horse?  No.  Do I live near horses or know where he goes to come across a horse?  No.  "Gosh," I exclaimed "I don't know how he's allergic to horses.  It's about the only thing he hasn't hauled through the cat flap....."  Hobbes now goes to Glenbrae once a month for an injection; which thankfully controls his allergy.

So, while his sister Kizzy skittles lip gloss tins and stray buttons across the wooden floor, Hobbes has become a legend in his own lunchtime.  The cat flap broke one day and I implored family members to help get it fixed before nightfall that same day "No, no it HAS to be fixed today.  This is Hobbes we're talking about.  Otherwise he'll bring in the largest nocturnal animal he can find and I'll probably wake up to find a badger in my bedroom..."  BUT it seems his culinary tastes are changing as recently he's altered the type of "gifts" he brings home.  A few weeks ago he raced into the kitchen, threw something on the floor and hunkered his whole body over it growling ominously all the time.  Given that all previous "presents" have been deposited on the floor and watched curiously from a distance, I approached with a due sense of fear and trepidation.  What on earth would he guard so protectively? As I neared, he swished his tail and increased the crescendo of his warning.  I hardly dared to look but then burst out laughing; my first thought being that, despite this being Hobbes, nobody was going to believe me.  It was a string of raw linked sausages!  He had literally brought home the bacon!!  Much to his bewilderment, I couldn't pick them up for laughing.  He looked hurt.  His "gifts" are normally met with a sense of awe and wonder, not raucous laughter.  As with all "gifts", the tale of their arrival into the house have been much told to incredulous friends and family.  It would seem however that Kizzy has been aware her brother has been hogging the limelight as, one week after "Sausage-gate", I noticed she didn't come when I called her.  I eventually found her under my bed, curiously patting at a gently rolling white...."Oh my goodness, it's a pigeon egg! How and where on earth do you two get these things?" I wondered as I reached under the bed to retrieve it. I got the answer to the "how" the very next day when she proudly trotted in with another intact pigeon egg cradled in her mouth. Sadly the pigeon itself also followed suit on the third day. Honestly it's like living with two tawny tigers!  Yet as they slink along the sofa towards me in the evening and slide onto my chest for a cuddle and a tummy tickle (these are not lap cats), it seems I would forgive them anything --- even sausages and seagulls!! 

A light hearted day in the life of a receptionist

I usually start my day by waking up the delivery driver who is enjoying his morning snooze in his van when i arrive. The noise of the shutter going up usually gives him a fright and this cheers me right up (sick, I know!).
I then spend my morning filling out at least 300 forms for new clients, vaccination records, 4 weeks free insurance, healthy start, health care plans etc. in between answering the phone and getting prescriptions for clients.

After morning consults I start to clean, by that I mean, searching the place to try and find where the smell of dog pee is coming from (usually the other side of the desk which clients conveniently forget to own up to!).

Afternoon is spent much the same as the morning and even more forms to be filled out because the pre filled ones from this morning are no use as the client has decided they don't actually want the package previously discussed but instead want the health care plan form filled out!

If I'm on a late shift I also have the added bonus of cashing up which means I get to count all the money (wishing it was mine), only to find there is £200 more/ less than what there should be?!
Then I go home and wonder why i didn't get any of my things done that were on my to-do list from a week ago! Ha Ha!