Thank you for visiting us at Reading Vet.

Our aim here is to twofold;

• Firstly we hope to provide a detailed and thorough listings of vets in around Reading. This will be done with a lengthy bio of the vet in question using interviews, profile history and video testimonials! If no videos are up at the time of your viewing, please bear with us. We are still quite new and are in the process of building this site!
• Secondly our aim at Reading Vet is to provide some useful pet care advice for all you pet owners out there! This will be through our regular posting of articles.

We hope that you enjoy your experience here at Reading Vet

Castle Vets aims to provide outstanding veterinary care to improve the quality of life for pets, their owners and our staff.

Castle Vets has been caring for pets in the Reading area since the 19th century – Castle Vets has existed as a small animal practice on our site in Tilehurst Road since 1972.

Their 10 vets, 14 veterinary nurses, student nurses and reception staff offer a wide range of expertise to provide individually tailored care for your pet in sickness and health.

About Castle Vets

Castle Vets is a large, single centre, small animal veterinary practice in central Reading. They have been on site on Tilehurst road since 1972 and their recently rebuilt premises now includes a separate but integrated cat clinic, outstanding in-patient wards and operating theatres (including advanced dentistry), spacious comfortable waiting areas, 9 consulting rooms for both veterinary and nurse consultations, diagnostics room with x-ray, ultrasound and endoscopy equipment and a well equipped laboratory.

They treat virtually any animal that is kept as a small pet, from cats, dogs and rabbits, to anything small and furry, feathered or scaled.

Castle Vet aims is to provide a caring, professional personalised service, that recognises the individual bond you have with your pet and works with you to try and keep your pet happy and well throughout its life.

The parrot cage should be the largest expense after practically buying the parrot. So if you are going to spend some money then be sure to spend them on a good deal.

The parrot is going to spend a lot of time in the cage so you’ll have to choose the right one for your pet. There are three parrot care issues that you should take in consideration when you are decided to buy a parrot cage. The most important parrot care issue is you bird’s safety. There are many cases where parrots got injured or killed because of their cage.

I will try to discuss al this three parrot care points that you should have in mind when you are going to buy a parrot cage.

Safety – Like i already said safety is the most important thing when choosing a parrot cage. You can find Knock down cages on the market. You you buy one of those than you’ll have to examine it very good to see if there are any pieces that can be easily removed by you parrot. If there are than i don’t advice you to buy this kind of parrot cages because the little pieces can be swallowed by you parrot.

The majority of parrot cages i saw in pet stores are built from different metals like wire, stainless steel, zinc. From what i found so far the wire parrot cages are the most economical. but you mustn’t forget to inspect the cage regularly for broken welds or broken wires.

You can find metal parrot cages at a medium prices on the market. This parrot cages are built in a variety of metals shapes and colors.

The most expensive parrot cage that you can find in your search is the Stainless steel cage. The advantages of this type of parrot cages is that they will never rust or cause metal poisoning. So i think that if you are ready to make a good deal, buying a stainless steal parrot cage would be the perfect choice. Even if it’s expensive i can ensure you that you’ll never have to replace it.

One important safety issue is the bar spacing. When you buy a parrot cage make sure that the bar spacing is smaller than you parrot’s head. This way you can be sure that your pet’s head won’t get stuck between the bars.

Size – another important aspect for a parrot cage is it’s size. The best thing you can do is to go to a pet store and buy the largest parrot cage that you can find in your budget range. A big parrot cage gives more freedom to your parrot and it will have a happier life. Keep in mind that the width of the parrot cage is more important than the height. Mostly, your parrot will fly from side to side.

The components of the parrot cage is the last but not least of the important aspects when buying parrot cages. Swing out feeders are a good way to feed your parrot especially the aggressive ones.

You can also buy food dishes for you parrot cage. This accessories also come in different styles and colors.

Try to find a parrot cage that has an entry door big enough to get the bird out easily. Remember that parrots are very smart so they can learn how to open the cage doors. If this happens then you will have to take some security measures and ad some new components so the parrot won’t be able to open the door anymore.

Also try to look for a parrot cage with removable litter trays. This way You will clean the cage with no effort and your bird won’t reach the old left over food.

In conclusion if you want a happy and healthy parrot you must provide him with a good home. If the parrot cage meets all he parrot care aspects that i mentioned above then you can be sure that your pet will live healthy in peace.

Following are those tips:

• Check food components: When you go to purchase food for your dog, makes you sure that you check the food components on the food packet. You must ensure that the content of vegetables and meat is more in the food that you are going to provide to your dog.
• Choose branded food: Never compromise with the brand just for few chunks of money because it is the matter of the life of your loving pet. Always prefer good brands. It is true that good brands are little costly but they offer high nutritional value. It has been scientifically proved that the cheaper food that does not contain proper nutrition, which can increase allergic factors in dog’s body.
• Choose food according to the dog’s age: Like Human Beings, dogs also required different types of food as per their ages. This means a puppy cannot be fed upon raw meat. You need to provide him the food, which does not put worse affect on his digestive system. You must take care about the foods requirement of your dog. If you do not know, what type of food will be the best food for your dog then consult any specialist and have a list of the food that you can feed to your pet.
• Purchase food with high proteins and carbohydrates: Food with high proteins and carbohydrates has always considered the perfect food for dogs. Protein builds up muscles in your dog’s body while carbohydrate provides him the required doss of energy. Therefore, you must select the food with high protein and carbohydrates.

Food with high nutritional values makes your adored dog active and smart. Now, when you have got the idea about what your dog’s food should contain then make it a practice to follow these tips to provide your dog the best food.

Pet ownership is increasing every year and this means that there are more animals out there that require looking after while we are away on vacation. Of course there are several options open to the pet owner, you could pay out for kennelling or you could ask a neighbour or family member. Both of these options are acceptable if you are in the position to pay the kennelling fees or have very good relationships with your neighbours. But if not, then there is another option, Pet Sitters.

Pet sitting offers many benefits over kennelling and asking friends and not just for you but also for your pet. Here are just a few of them:

Your pet will feel happier remaining in their home environment. Your pet will have structure to their day and receive regular human contact and care. The sitter will know what to do in and emergency and be able to give any existing regular medications. The costs involved are far less than kennelling. There is no need for your pet to travel anywhere, often a cause for stress. You will not feel as if you are imposing on your friends. Your home will be regularly visited while you are away.

Of course ensuring that you hire a pet sitter that you can trust is not as easy as it first sounds. There are many people advertising themselves as pet sitters who have no formal qualifications or experience and who may have other motives for wanting to access your home. The best way to find a trust worthy pet sitter is via a recommendation either from friends and neighbours or from another animal professional such as a vet or groomer.

There are also some specialist companies set up who act as agents for pet sitters who monitor and regulate their Sitters regularly. They can also provide a backup sitter if your regular sitter is unable to attend your pet due to unforeseen circumstances. This may add to your piece of mind.

Before you hire someone to look after your pet while you are away it is important that you meet up with them to ask them questions about their experience, qualifications and to see how your pet reacts to them and visa versa. This will help you make your final decision.

Once you have hired your pet sitter a written agreement should be made between you both highlighting what services your sitter will carry out and how often and the costs involved. It should also include details of your pets likes and dislikes, there eating habits and routine, any medications which need to be given etc. You should also show your sitter where everything they will need is kept in the house, like cleaning equipment, the food and litter and the pet’s toys and bedding. You should also provide your sitter will full contact details for yourself, a neighbour, a nearby relative and the local vets, along with a copy of your pets medical papers and record of vaccinations.

To ensure that everything will run smoothly and that your pet will be properly looked after and not feel stressed while you are away there are a few last minute things you will need to do.

Make sure you have supplied enough food and litter for the sitter and have left it in a convenient place. Make sure doors are closed to rooms you do not whish your pet to enter. Make sure a small light is left on or is timed to come on for the comfort of your pet. Ensure that familiar toys are left available for your pet while they are on their own. Leave a few items of your clothing lying around, the familiar smell will reassure your pet. Inform a neighbour that a pet sitter will be visiting your home and leave a spare key with them and your contact details in case of emergencies.

With all of this in place, your vacation should be a happy and relaxing experience for both you and your pet.

When it comes to hamster care, the first thing to take care of is feeding your furry little friend a small amount of hamster food every day. The reason that a small amount of food is better than a lot is that these small creatures really do not eat a whole lot of food at any one given time. You might want to check with a veterinarian or animal care specialist about feeding your hamster fresh vegetables and greens.

The next part of hamster care is to keep a fresh supply of cool or cold water in their water bottle for them to drink during the day and at night. The importance here is that the hamster will not want to drink warm or stale water any more than you would. This is not very healthy for the hamster at all.

Changing their bedding and cleaning their cage are the next things under hamster care that are meant to keep your hamster healthy and happy. When you go to change the bedding and clean the debris out of their cage, you can put your hamster in their hamster ball and let them run for a few minutes while you clean out the cage. Your hamster will really enjoy the exercise for a little while and will return to a nice clean cage, which I will thank you for!

The last part of hamster care is to give your hamster a bath once a week to help remove all of the embedded debris, bits of food and bedding from your hamster’s coat as well as to condition it’s coat.

Like a dog who hasn’t had the proper training to behave indoors, cats can create many problems for the owner. Training a cat is not overly difficult. Cats will often use their claws and scratch and destroy the furniture. Kitten training normally includes teaching the animal not to scratch furniture, utilizing a scratching post. The house will smell badly if the cat is not properly potty trained.

Clawing is a problem in many kittens, and has several solutions. Some people feel that declawing is a viable solution. Many people feel that declawing is cruel, and prevents the cat from climbing or protecting itself from other animals. Teaching a kitten when it is young to use a scratching post is a much kinder solution to the problem

Because the kitten won’t know what to do with the scratching post right away, you’ll need to teach it. Try taking its paws in your hands and guiding them through the scratching motion. The cat will need lots of repetitions before it learns, so this type of cat training should be done as often as possible.

The litter box is yet another important part of cat training. It is the means by which you teach a cat what to do when it has to go so that you can eventually collect and discard the animal’s waste products. You can buy one at any neighborhood pet shop. Your choice, of course, must be dependent upon how big your particular feline
companion is.

Using the litter box will take some time and practice so one should try to keep a close watch on the cat. Should it start acting like it is about to do it, one should carry the cat immediately to the litter box. Cats like other animals require time to exercise. To prevent the cat from ruining the house, one should buy toys such as a stuffed animal or a ball for the cat to play with.

Many cat owners know how hard it is to clean cat urine. The smell of cat urine is very difficult to remove even after many attempts to clean it. Cat training products are available on the market and come in different varieties and can be found at your local pet store or online. The person must identify what is needed to make the indoors pet friendly.

Just like an untrained dog, an untrained cat can be a big nuisance. Luckily, training your cat is really easy. Take a simple example, like cat scratches on your bookshelves and tables. Kitten training will take care of this problem, by instructing the cat how to use a scratching post while it’s still young.

Armed with a copy of the breeding standards, go to work searching for breeding stock for your own breeding operation. Remember, however, that sometimes you need to alter what you are looking for.

The best way to obtain breeding stock is to do so with puppies. Of course, this means that you are going to need to wait for a long time to start breeding yourself, but you will have the best breeding stock that is possible. Look for breeders that have a good reputation amongst your own breed of dogs, and make sure that these are the types of breeders you are going to be working with.

Then, seek out a male and a female to start with. It is never a good idea to start a breeding program by getting more than two puppies. You are going to want to start small, no matter what you want to do in the future. Find a male and a female from two separate breeders, or from the same breeder if you can be certain that they are not related.

Look at the pedigrees of the puppies before you buy them. You are going to want to be sure that there are no common relatives within a certain amount of generations. For some dog breeds that are small and new you might find common relatives as far back as three or four generations, and that might be fine for that breed. However, for breeds that have been around for a long time, you are going to want to be sure that there are no common relatives for many, many generations.

Again, a look at the breed standards will help you figure out what types of pedigrees you should be looking for in your puppies. You should know that ancestors that have championships are going to produce good puppies, for the most part, and you will be able to be confident in knowing that you have gotten a beginning stock that has championship blood lines.

You should be looking at the pedigrees of the puppies before you purchase them. Then, be sure to follow all of that particular breeders regulations about the dogs and make sure that you have been approved to own them. Pay for the puppies, and bring them home.

You now have the beginnings of your breeding stock. Remember, however, that you have just started on a journey that is going to be a very long journey indeed. It is going to be important that you follow through with your breeding plan and the breeding standards that you have researched so that you can be sure you are providing your puppies with the best home possible.

There are some things that you want to look for in your breeding stock.

1. Temperament.

2. The quality of the dog.

3. The lineage of the dog.

4. Whether or not the dog has been shown. (if you aren’t buying a puppy)

5. If shown, what type of championships the dog has received

6. The mother and father of the dog – their temperament

7. If the mother and father were shown, if you are buying a puppy, and if so, what type of championships they have received

8. Where the puppies are raised for the first 8 weeks of their life

9. What the breeder’s standards are all about, and what the goal of their organization is all about.

10. What type of training the mother and father have had.

11. What type of situation the puppy was born in.

12. What the puppy looks like – their markings and their colors

13. If the puppies ears are straight and their eyes are bright.

14. If the puppy is friendly.

15. If the puppy will allow you to turn him on his back and scratch his belly while you hold him in your arms – this shows a trust for people and a love for affection.

16. What size the puppy is in comparison to his litter mates – you should choose one that is not the biggest nor the smallest.

17. How the puppy acts with his littermates – you should choose a puppy that is good with the other dogs and that loves being with the other dogs. Don’t pick one that doesn’t play with the other puppies.

If you choose your breeding stock based on these things, you should be able to have good breeding stock that you can depend on.

If we think how human hospitals operate, there is similarity with veterinary hospitals. Veterinarians are doctors, and doctors need nurses to assist them. In veterinary medicine, veterinary technicians take the place of nurses. Then, you have the office staff, of course. Ideally, in a veterinary hospital, office staff should take care of the front office, and technicians of the back, or the animals. Technicians are very busy, and they should not be distracted with administrative work and responsibilities. This is how errors in meds occur, and things that are forgotten. One important aspect is to look that these two areas have separate assigned responsibilities. This is not always like that, especially in veterinary clinics that sometimes are less busy than hospitals. It may also happen in private practices, were staff is limited.

More important is the issue of licensing and certifications. Veterinarians are known as DVM’s, or Doctors of Veterinary Medicine. They are trained and graduated doctors in this field, and possess a license. They are qualified to lead a team of technicians, and the only ones that can diagnose, prescribe medications and treatments, as well as perform surgeries and other procedures. In some states, veterinary technicians will perform minor surgeries such as neutering cats. They will perform dental cleaning, and administer vaccines and injections. Technicians also perform x-rays, blood work, analyzing stool samples, and other treatments such as IV monitoring, and administering medications. They will also assist the vet during an office appointment, surgery, and dental cleaning. They will set up for surgery, and take care of sterilizing surgery instruments. They will feed and care for animals too. Most likely, technicians will refill needed supplies in the back, and straighten or clean around. Their schedule is busy, and that is why they do not belong in the reception area. They do not need these types of distraction with other responsibilities.

Technicians can be registered and certified. They have the title of RVT’s or Registered Veterinary Technicians. This means that they have taken training and education, passed a board exam, and have been certified. Other technical staff is not registered or certified. They can provide medications and assist in other tasks, but always under the direction of a DVM or RVT.

Last, it is good to check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for any complaints that have been filed against the practice or Vet. These are very important issues when getting to know your vet, but sometimes we forget about them.

Looking at breeding standards is a very important way for you to make sure that you are having a responsible breeding program. All of the breeds that exist that are either UKC registered or AKC registered are going to have breed standards that have been developed.

The standards have been developed for each breed by the people who register them and who have bred them for many years. Therefore, these are the standards that are going to be important to you when it comes to making sure that you have been doing the right things in your program.

If you cannot find UKC or AKC breeding standards for your dogs, you might need to look in other areas for the breeding standards. There should be information from the UKC and AKC for those types of dogs. If you are going to be breeding a type of dog that does not have either UKC or AKC standards, you should look for the associations for that breed that you can find in your home country. The associations will help you find the breeding standards.

Once you have the breeding standards, you need to study them carefully. It is going to be important for you to make sure that you know exactly what types of things that you should be looking for when it comes to the dogs that you will be breeding.

The breed standards will talk about physical attributes that you are going to be looking for, and that are important to the breed. This might include a certain color pattern, and a certain idea about the specific markings that the dogs should have. It also should include the ways in which you are going to be looking at things like ear shape, eye shape, and even colors of eyes and coat length.

The breed standards will also contain ideas about gait – which is to say, how dogs that conform correctly to that breed walk and move their body. This is important for you to watch for you in your own dogs.

Breed standards will have both things that you should be looking for when you are breeding the dogs that you want to keep in the breed, and things that you are looking for when you are breeding that you want to keep out of the breed. You should be looking for all of these things when you focus on the breeding standards, because this will help you make sure that you are breeding correctly.

Get a copy of the breed standards and study it, well before you even bring home your breeding stock. This will help you make sure that you know what you are looking for.