August

A lost family history
Small animal veterinary care during the
Covid 19 lockdown.
‘What we can and can’t do.’
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has outlined very clear guidelines about the provision
of veterinary care during lockdown which all veterinary practises must follow. The ultimate
aim of these rules is to protect the public, protect veterinary staff and protect animal welfare.
‘Animals should only be seen in emergencies or where, in the judgement of the veterinary
surgeon, urgent assessment and/or treatment is needed in order to reduce the risk of patient
deterioration to the point where it may become an emergency in the near future (ie within the
three-week time frame currently laid out by the Government for these measures). Routine
treatments, other than those essential to maintaining the future food supply chain, should not
be carried out until further notice.’
If you have any concerns about your pets, please contact us by phone in the first instance.
If we feel your pet needs to be seen we can book you an appointment. Upon arrival at the
surgery car park, please call us and the vet will speak to you over the phone to obtain the history
of the problem. We will then collect the animal from you in the car park and take it inside
for examination. The vet will then call you to discuss their findings and recommendations for
treatment. We will not compromise social distancing so please ensure all cats and small pets
are suitably restrained in a pet carrier.
Examples of routine treatments which we are currently unable to provide include
vaccinations,new pet checks, adolescent heath checks,senior health checks,routine dental
checks, neutering surgery and routine reproductive work. Please contact us if you are unsure
about the urgency of a problem.
Many owners with ill and debilitated animals will be rightfully concerned about what would
happen if their animal needed to be put to sleep. We are obviously not undertaking home visits
at the moment so the animal would need to be brought to the surgery. We would then take the
pet inside and insert an intravenous catheter attached to a long tube called a giving set before
returning the animal to the owners in their car. This tube allows us to give an intravenous injection
but at the same time maintain social distancing whilst the owner is holding and comforting
the animal.
We are happy to post repeat prescriptions and flea/worm treatments for our clients and payments
can be made over the phone. Our 24 hour emergency service is operating as normal.
Our Wincanton surgery will be unmanned after 4pm, but please call our normal number if you
have any concerns and the vet can come and meet you. Out of hours charges only apply after
6.30pm.
Shaftsbury and Tisbury 01747 852064 . Wincanton 01963 400499
www.longmeadvets.co.uk
I was raised in Charlton Musgrove and have
lived in the Wincanton area for most of my life.
I have an interest in local history and also the
wildlife of the area. This was stimulated and
encouraged by sitting in local pubs and chatting
with some amazing local characters who
were always happy to share their knowledge.
I hope to share some of this with you in future
issues, but I wanted to start with something a
little more personal to me.
I’m sure that many of us have had the experience
of discovering old family photographs
that had long been forgotten. The memories
that these can bring back often prompts us to
record them in a more modern format, creating
files and albums full of history that can be
pinged across the world in seconds, and saved
in perpetuity by many family members to be
shared with others as they come to a suitable
age. But what do you do when you find the
family photos of a family that have no direct
descendants to share with?
Recently I came across a
heavy wooden box, in a
cupboard at my Mums family
home. Upon investigation
the box was filled with hundreds
of glass stereoscope
slides dating from the 1920’s
and 30’s and a binocular
style device for viewing the
pictures. As I started to explore
the images it became
apparent that these were not
images of my family, but those of some friends
of my Grandparents. My mum explained that
this couple had only had one child, Molly, a
daughter who been killed in a motor accident
after she was married, she had no children and
therefore the family line was no more. They
were obviously avid travellers for their time, as
the photos represent holidays taken all over
the south of England, and even to the WW1
cemeteries and memorials in France!
To choose some of these images to share
has been such a challenge, there are so
many interesting topics:
London Zoo, showing the Grizzlies and Polar
Bear on “Bear Mountain” 1926.
The British Empire Exhibition of Wembley
(1924) for which Wembley Stadium was
originally constructed.
Naval Exercises in the English Channel
1922.
A collection of professionally taken (and often
quite gruesome!) shots showing life in the
trenches during WW1.
But to me the most valuable images of this
collection are the poignant glimpses of a
young family enjoying the many experiences
that our country, at that stage had to offer to
those who had the time, money and inclination
to make the most of it.
A fascinating insight into middle-class life in
the inter-war years!
Dan Thurston