ISSUE 130
Welcome
Putting this issue together, I seem to have been experiencing repeated flashbacks to my time years ago as a veterinary student. These began when I was speaking with Mary Pinborough of Pinmoore Animal Laboratory Services (better known simply as PALS). It soon became clear that what one of our pathology lecturers used to say (“If you want to know how the animal lived, then talk to the pathologist!”) was definitely true.
Mary and her colleagues in the veterinary laboratory field may not be on the front line unlike veterinary surgeons, and so their contribution to the health of our pets often tends to be rather overlooked as a result, but it is crucial, not only to help in an individual case, but also to draw conclusions about management practices that have a much wider impact across the hobby. There are a number of interesting points ranging from the use of hand creams to how bioactive set-ups have brought new problems with them that came out of my discussion with Mary, and are included in the resulting article which starts on page 18.