Teesside-based animal hospital Wear Referrals has produced a video to help dog owners carry out basic examinations on their pets during the lockdown.
Wear Referrals, in Bradbury, County Durham, has filmed the basic health check video to help provide support and assistance to pet owners who are unable to get their dogs to the vets due to the Covid-19 social distancing measures.
Wear is adhering to guidelines from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to see only urgent and emergency cases at its hospital.
The video contains tips on how to assess breathing rates, the correct way to check a pulse, gum colour and heart rates.
Chiara Giannasi, a clinician in internal medicine at Wear, who presents the three-minute video and said: “This is in no way to try to replace a full examination by a vet and if an animal is in need of urgent attention, pet owners should always get in touch with us.
“However, with the current restrictions in place we wanted to show dog owners how to carry out a few basic checks which will assist them if they need to book a video consultation. We really hope dog owners find it useful and that it provides some peace of mind when it comes to their pets’ health.”
