Author Archives: Lauren Daws

Health and fitness Tip of the Month: Pets

It has long been known that pets are great company and have been ‘man’s best friend’ for centuries. However, it is now being more commonly suggested that pets can help people of all ages with health problems. For example, recently an autistic child was helped with his communication skills by having a pet dog. It boosted his confidence and provided him with a non-judgemental companion.

Care homes often have pets visit on a regular basis for residents to stroke. People living on their own are often much calmer and feel less lonely if they have a pet. The stroking and caring has a positive effect on them and reduces anxiety.

If you do not have a pet yourself, you might have a friend or relative who would be happy for you to walk their dog. You might be able to volunteer at a pet charity or sanctuary to help look after the animals.

If you want to have a pet yourself think carefully about the costs involved and the time it takes to care for it properly but there are significant advantages in having company and something to fuss and look after.

Click here to find out more about the health benefits of having pets!

New DNA Testing Scheme for Great Danes

After several consultations, The Kennel Club has just approved a new DNA testing scheme for inherited myopathy of Great Danes (IMGD).

What is inherited myopathy of Great Danes?

Inherited myopathy of Great Danes is a degenerative muscle disorder that affects Great Danes. Usually, if the dog is affected, it will develop symptoms before it is one year old. The symptoms of IMGD include struggling to exercise, muscle wasting and tremors after exercising.

How is The Kennel Club helping?

The Kennel Club review many different DNA schemes alongside breed clubs. This helps to make sure breeders have the resources available to help them make responsible breeding decisions.

They work with lots of breed clubs to improve pedigree dog’s health. They are also willing to accept requests from breed clubs to add new DNA tests to their lists. However, they usually need a formal request from the breed’s health coordinator or a majority request from the breed clubs to do this.

How does it work?

After the test, results will be added to the dog’s registration details. These results then get published in the next available Breed Records Supplement.

Results will also appear on any of the dog’s new registration certificates and on the Heath Test Results Finder on the Kennel Club website.

If your dog has already been tested, you can still have their results recorded, but will need to submit copies of the DNA certificates yourself. You should send any DNA certificates to Breeder Services, The Kennel Club, Clarges Street, London W1J 8AB, or scan and email them to health.results@thekennelclub.org.uk.

Lifesaving Heart Scheme for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) is a life-threatening heart disease that affects over 40% of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in the UK. As a result of these shocking numbers, the Kennel Club and Veterinary Cardiovascular Society (VCS) have developed a new heart scheme that aims to reduce the amount of dogs being affected by the disease.

So what are they doing?

After finding out that the Danish heart scheme has been much more efficient than the UK scheme, The Kennel Club and VCS were determined to make a change in the UK methods.

The Kennel Club and VCS are planning to trial one hundred dogs over the next few months. After the trials, all Cavalier breeders and owners will have access to the scheme.

The new heart scheme

Based on the Danish scheme, The Kennel Club and VCS held a training day for VCS members. They trained 18 members of the VCS in methods of testing for early MVD in Cavaliers. They then adapted the methods for testing on Cavaliers in the UK.

The new heart scheme will give the owner an idea of the degree of MVD in their dog. After getting this information, the owner can then make an efficient breeding decision. Through this, they hope that in the future the heart health of Cavaliers will improve.

For more information about the heart scheme, visit the Kennel Club’s website.

Animals in health care settings – can dogs really speed up recovery time?

Earlier this week, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) released a protocol that aims to encourage the idea of allowing dogs to support people who might benefit from it in health care settings such as hospitals.

The idea behind the ‘Working with dogs in health care settings’ protocol is that, according to a recent RCN survey, 90% of nurses said they believed that patients with mental health problems could benefit from contact with animals. 60% also said that animal contact could speed up a patient’s recovery. With such high percentages of professionals supporting the idea of dogs in health care settings, we can understand why the RCN are putting the idea forward!

Which dogs would be able to visit health care settings?

The two main types of dogs recommended are:

Assistance dogs – Trained to a high standard in order to support their owners with everyday tasks, these dogs are unlikely to cause disruptions in health care settings and are familiar with being in different environments.
Animal Assisted Intervention Dogs (AAI) – AAI dogs are usually handled by their owner and brought into health care settings to visit individuals or groups of people to allow people to stroke or interact with them.

How will risks be managed?

The thought of dogs in health care settings, for some people might be a worrying thought. However, guidelines will help keep the environment as safe as possible for everyone. Examples include:

Preventing infection – All staff would need to follow precautionary guidelines before allowing a dog on the premises.
Allergy – Seeing as dog allergies are not uncommon, risk assessments or areas and patients will be carried out to reduce the risk of dogs coming into contact with people with allergies.
The dogs would be on a lead and wearing an ID tag and recognised jacket at all times so that everyone in the building will be aware that it is an assistance dog.
Consideration will be given to those with cultural or religious beliefs and those frightened of dogs or not wishing to interact with them.

To find out more about working with dogs in health care settings, visit the Royal College of Nursing’s website to take a look at the full prospectus.

Mental Health in the Veterinary Profession

Working in the veterinary industry is extremely rewarding but the levels of responsibility and pressure can also make it very challenging. It is a well-known fact that levels of stress in the veterinary profession are often high so take some time to check up on your colleagues.

What makes the veterinary profession so stressful?

Working in the veterinary profession is very demanding; long hours, lone working and high levels of responsibility. All of which can contribute to mental health challenges.

Having to regularly perform or witness euthanasia can be difficult for all those involved. Some studies even suggest that having to repeatedly euthanise animals can lead to a form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It has also been suggested that the nature of the profession can attract specific personality types, some of which tend to be more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. Vets/veterinary nurses tend to be ‘perfectionists, carers and doers’. These personality traits can often have negative effects on mental health when having to deal with stressful and emotive situations day in, day out and also means that they’re less likely to admit when they’re struggling.

What help is available?

According to the British Veterinary Association (BVA)’s “Mental health and wellbeing in the veterinary profession”, UK vets are four times more likely to die of suicide than the general population. 75.5% of vet students also said that they wouldn’t tell anyone if they were suffering from a mental health problem, compared to just 41% of the general population.

In light of these shocking figures, which were released in 2014, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) launched the Mind Matters Initiative, which offers mental health awareness training in order to erase the stigma that comes with mental health problems. The five different areas within the programme are:

Learning and understanding best practice
Changing the culture
Personal support
Supporting the supporters
Making changes

Vetlife have a helpline for “everyone in the veterinary community” that you can call or email 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The helpline allows people in all areas of the veterinary community to speak about anything that might be on their mind, whether its veterinary related or otherwise.

If you’re in need of support, call the Vetlife helpline on 0303 040 2551, or reach out to one of your colleagues because they could be going through the same thing you are.

Need some extra help refreshing your maths skills?

If you’re a student at The College of Animal Welfare and think you could use some extra help to refresh your maths skills, look no further. We now have some additional resources available to help you in your studies! The resources are some short lesson capture videos that are available for students to access on the VLE and cover the following areas:

Fractions
Volume
Area
Circumference
Perimeter
Ratio
Scale

where can you find these?

To find these videos, all you need to do is go to the VLE, U+1, Functional Skills, Maths Level 2, Classroom Materials, and then choose your subject area! You will also be able to find these resources under the Maths Level 1 section.

So, there’s no excuses now, it’s time to make your maths skills to the best they can possibly be!

Carrot or Cake to improve your mental health?

While we know that eating a healthy, well balanced diet helps to keep us in shape physically, have you ever considered the effects eating more fruit and veg has on our mental health?

A recent study by the University of Otago found that people who eat more uncooked fruit and vegetables have fewer symptoms of depression and other mental illnesses, compared to those who eat cooked, canned or processed varieties.

What did the study show?

The University of Otago’s study of 422 adults between the ages of 18 and 25 has shown that adults tend to have less depression/anxiety symptoms and are more likely to have a general positive mood if they eat more raw fruit and vegetables in their day-to-day life. The study was predominantly female (66.1%) and included people from a variety of ethnicities (Caucasian, Asian, Black, Mixed, Hispanic and ‘Other’). So, while the study isn’t proof that eating more fruit and veg can improve mental health, there’s certainly a positive correlation between the two.

So what foods should I be eating?

According to the results from the study, the 10 foods which are thought to be the most beneficial for mental health are:

Carrots
Bananas
Apples
Dark leafy greens (such as spinach)
Grapefruit
Lettuce
Citrus fruits
Fresh berries
Cucumber
Kiwifruit

Why is eating more fruit and veg beneficial for mental health?

It’s all well and good to be told that eating more fruit and vegetables can have positive effects on your mental health, but why is this the case?

It is understood that eating raw fruit and vegetables is the best way to get all the possible nutrients from them, and that cooking or processing them in any way will only leach them of their beneficial nutrients and minerals. So, if you’re always consuming processed/cooked food, your body isn’t getting the nourishment it requires, and neither is your brain.

According to this post, “the reason why diet has an effect on mental health is due to the way certain dietary patterns influence parts of the brain”. The study conducted found that the worse your diet, the smaller your hippocampus (the part of your brain which is the centre of emotion, memory and learning), presenting a clear link between what you eat and the impact on your mental health.

More information about improving your mental well-being can be found here.

We’ve all heard of guide dogs, but have you heard of this new alternative?

More than 7,000 people across the UK rely on guide dogs to help make daily tasks less of a challenge for them. While this is an excellent way to help out individuals in need of assistance, there are occasions when someone needs that assistance but is unable to have a guide dog due to allergies or perhaps a fear of dogs.

So what is the answer?

A guide horse. Yes, you read that right, the first person in the UK is soon to receive a guide horse following specialist training. It will be another two years before the eight month old miniature horse will be able to assist the blind journalist full time, but could be a massive step towards making day-to-day life for him much more manageable, as well as being a friend and companion.

Miniature horses are being taken into some care homes, hospitals and dementia units where it may not be possible to take an assistance dog or in addition, to brighten people’s day and introduce them to potential new companions.

Could they be better than guide dogs?

Many people are now suggesting that having a guide horse could be even better than a guide dog. The reason being because horses have a working life of 30 years, which is around three times longer than a dogs! With guide horses having such a long working life, the stress of having to retrain several dogs over a lifetime and losing your companion is eliminated.

Horses have very good sight and an excellent memory, making training easy and effective. The UK’s first guide horse, Digby, is set to be trained to help his owner cross roads, get to work, take trips to the shops as well as providing him with companionship.

Find out more about the UK’s first guide horse.

Health and Fitness Tip of the Month: Mental Health

According to the NHS, one in four of us will suffer from mental health problems at some point in our lives. With 7.8% of people in the UK meeting the criteria for diagnosis of mixed anxiety and depression; this makes it the most common mental health issue in the UK. With such high numbers of people being affected by mental health, it’s important that we speak about it.

Nearly everyone experiences stress on a day-to-day basis, but what are the best ways to deal with it?

The best ways to deal with stress

Instead of viewing stress as a negative, think of it as your body preparing you for the situation. Click here to watch Kelly McGonigal’s TED talk on ‘How to make stress your friend’.
Accept the things that you can’t change – trying to control everything and becoming stressed when things don’t go as you wanted them to isn’t a practical way to live. Try to accept things which are out of your control and focus on those that are.
Spend time with people you care about – spending time with friends and family can help to take your mind off of the things that are making you stressed.

How can you help yourself?

Mindfulness – make sure to take the time to pay attention to the outside world and notice the things that are going on around you rather than focusing on what’s going on in your head.
Everything that happens in your life is just an experience and will pass, stay focused on the present moment.
Try something new – focusing your energy into something positive is a good way to spend your free time.

Helping someone with mental health problems

If someone close to you is fighting a mental illness, it’s normal for you to want to help them. But you should make sure that you go about this in the right way to avoid putting any added pressure on them. Here are some tips:

Listen to them – while making sure that you’re not forcing them to share anything they’re not comfortable with, offering to just listen to what they’re going through can often be really helpful.
Don’t try to ‘fix’ all their issues – just showing that you empathise with their situation and acknowledging the way that they’re feeling is a good way to show your support.

If you are worried that you or someone close to you may be suffering from mental health problems, you can seek guidance from your GP, speak to someone anonymously by calling the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, or take a look at the mental health helplines page on the NHS website.

English and Maths – Are they really that important?

Do you look forward to the time when your Maths and English skills will cross paths with your studies here at The College of Animal Welfare (CAW)? Or maybe you dread the thought of it? Either way, we’re here to make sure that you’ll never have to panic at the thought of applying your Maths and English abilities to your studies again!

Should we leave Maths in the classroom?

While not many people jump with joy at the thought of doing Maths work, numeracy is more than just the equations you were set to solve in school and can be applied in all areas of your day-to-day life. By keeping your Maths skills topped up, you’ll think of things like managing personal finances as nothing more than a walk in the park! What’s more, there are very few industries where you will not come into contact with Maths in your working life. You may need to order stock, analyse data, process payments or even calculate medicine dosages for patients – where even the simplest miscalculation could cause serious harm to a patient.

I got my English GCSE, isn’t that enough?

Achieving a pass grade in GCSE level English is a great way to show your ability in the field, but keeping these skills throughout the years to come is an even better achievement! Your literacy skills will be put to the test every day at work through communicating with clients and colleagues, writing up notes or reports, and composing emails where you will need to decide whether to write in a formal tone or a more friendly one. Applying your skills within your day-to-day life and being able to identify what tone a situation calls for is vital. So making sure your English skills are the best they can be will only benefit you!

What are CAW doing to help?

At CAW, we want all our students to do the best they can, so we are offering specific support for students who might find Maths and English more difficult than others. We are also offering classroom sessions to assist anyone wanting to refresh their knowledge and have material online which can help as well!

If you feel like your Maths and English skills could do with a top-up but aren’t sure how to go about doing this, speak to your tutor because they’ll be able to point you in the right direction for support!