Joint Rot - What’s in a name?
Disappointing Conversations…Is human behavioural change even possible.
Ball thrower Bollocks
You are not stopping… you are changing. Not the end of the road, just a change of direction.
After a giggly start at our guest’s expense, we dive into an overview of Hannah’s veterinary career – a path that led her to specialise in chronic pain management for our companion animals and to the subsequent development of Canine Arthritis Management (CAM).
Her solo journey, alongside her dog, quickly evolved into something much bigger – now involving a growing team and a wide support network.
An interest in complementary therapies and how they can work alongside veterinary medicine spurred Hannah on to ensure that veterinary professionals do better when it comes to managing chronic pain in dogs.
Hannah very much lives in the real world and recognises that people may have a budget… or, in some cases, no budget at all. With this in mind, she brings different perspectives and aims to raise awareness of osteoarthritis through education – ultimately to reduce suffering in dogs.
We explore the difficulty of spotting subtle signs of pain, and the challenges in reaching a diagnosis. We also ask why arthritis isn’t always taken as seriously as other long-term conditions. When poorly managed, this can be a terminal disease – perhaps ‘joint rot’ is a more appropriate name?
So, what is arthritis? What causes it, what makes it worse, and what can we do to manage it?
Ethical and welfare considerations are, of course, always at the forefront of decision-making. As we often do, we wander into a discussion about what people should be doing better when it comes to breeding or selecting dogs – stopping physiological suffering at the source.
Perhaps it all comes down to where people want to invest their time and energy?
We even dared to mention joint care supplements – which led to a fascinating discussion. Maybe your money is better spent on a rug for the laminate floor?!
There are some brilliant resources on the CAM website – especially tips on how to refer clients to the vet with observations from a trained eye – so get involved and support the movement.
https://caninearthritis.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/CAMarthritis
https://www.instagram.com/canine_arthritis/
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Lez and Ross have both been in the industry professionally for well over 20 years and each has been involved with dogs for over 40 years.
Whilst sensibly they have stayed away from the ‘limelight’ regarding TV offers, they have regularly been on national and local radio, spoken at national events at NDWA, CFBA, and Kennel Club / Crufts events as well as bespoke speaking engagements for the Dog Safety Education Executive (DogSEE).
Ross wrote for Dogs Monthly Magazine for over 12 years and Lez was the first lady feature writer for a national Shooting Magazine (both Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter).
They were also 'study buddies' and were the first in the UK to achieve a Masters Degree (Professional Practice) in Canine Behaviour and Psychology in 2011.
They work well together and apart, support and work with dog rescue organisations and train professional dog trainers and behaviourists.
Different as chalk and cheese, but maybe not as different as they like to think.
Intrigued? want to know more? then check out our websites...
www.rossmccarthy.com ~ www.lezgraham.com
And if you'd rather watch than listen, you can catch Gundogs and Guard Dogs on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@gundogguarddog
