The Chatty Vets Podcast
Meet The Chatty Vets — Charlotte & Brendan — two UK small-animal vets navigating the wild, wonderful, and occasionally ridiculous world of veterinary practice. Expect monthly news, clinical cases, odd consult moments, and the kind of humour only someone who’s survived a chaotic consult room can appreciate.We give you REAL confessions from the Clinic Floor: Practical, relatable, and CPD-APPROVED.We release three episodes a month: two fortnightly updates on what’s happening across UK vet med, plus a bonus episode that might be a clinical deep-dive, a research paper chat, or an excuse to talk to interesting people who also chose this bri...
Episode 33 - Bonus Episode! Endocrinopathies IV - Canine Diabetes FEAT a VERY VERY special guest!!!
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 33 - Bonus Episode! Endocrinopathies IV - Canine Diabetes FEAT a VERY VERY special guest!!!
More drinking, more weeing, losing weight… could it be diabetes? And once you’ve made the diagnosis, what comes next?
This week, Brendan and Charlotte are joined by Dr Stijn Niessen for a very exciting instalment of our endocrinopathies series, taking you through canine diabetes from initial presentation to work-up, treatment and long-term management. 🎙️
We chat through:
🩺 Recognising the presenting signs and when to suspect diab...
Episode 32 - Two Week Takedown. Updated RECOVER first aid guidelines, and a VERY exciting GUEST chatting about all things ECC!
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Updated RECOVER first aid guidelines AND a very exciting guest… it’s time for another Two Week Takedown!
This week, Brendan and Charlotte chat about the updated RECOVER first aid guidelines and what they mean for helping pets before they reach the practice. Be it heatstroke, thermal burns or choking pets; what’s changed, and how can we help owners feel more prepared when an emergency happens?
We’re also joined by Dr Iain Keir, ECC specialist and founder of APEX ECC Telehealth, for a chat about all thin...
Episode 31 - Two Week Takedown. Developments in oncology, CKD, autotransfusion, and is AI taking over Vet Med??
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Episode 31 – Two Week Takedown: Developments in oncology, CKD, autotransfusion… and is AI taking over Vet Med?!
We’re back with another Two Week Takedown, picking apart some of the latest developments in veterinary medicine – and there’s a LOT to talk about.
This week, we’re getting into:
🩸 The new IRIS guidance on anaemia in dogs and cats with CKD – when should we actually be treating, what are our options, and what does this mean for GP vets?
🩸 Autotransfu...
Episode 30 - Bonus episode! Survival Guide for your first year in GP World
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🎙️ Episode 30 – BONUS EPISODE! Survival Guide for Your First Year in GP World 🩺🐾
Your first year as a vet is exciting, rewarding, terrifying, exhausting… and sometimes all of those things before lunchtime. 😅
In this bonus episode, we’re talking about what it’s actually like to survive your first year in GP practice — the bits vet school prepares you for, the bits it definitely doesn’t, and everything we wish someone had told us when we started.
We chat about the highs and lows of being a...
Episode 29 - Two Week Takedown. Canine plasma in Cats?! A new update for Librela, and is sepsis ACTUALLY sepsis?
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 29 – Two Week Takedown: Canine plasma in Cats?! A new update for Librela, and is sepsis ACTUALLY sepsis?
We’re back with another Two Week Takedown, breaking down some of the biggest veterinary stories, new research and clinical updates from the last couple of weeks. 🩺🐾
This week, we’re asking…
🩸 Canine plasma in cats?! We look at the latest evidence around canine-to-feline plasma xenotransfusion. Could dog plasma actually have a role when feline plasma isn’t available?
🦴 Another update for L...
Episode 28 - EXTRA Bonus Episode! Endocrinopathies III - Addisons Disease and the Addisonian Crisis
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 28 – EXTRA Bonus Episode! Endocrinopathies III: Addison’s Disease & the Addisonian Crisis 🩺
Surprise — we’ve got an extra bonus episode for you! 🎙️
This time, we’re heading back into the world of endocrinopathies and tackling Addison’s disease and the Addisonian crisis.
Addison’s can be one of those conditions that feels a little overwhelming when you’re faced with a vague, unwell patient in practice — so we’re breaking it down from a real-life GP vet perspective and talking through how we actua...
Episode 27 - Two Week Takedown. Catastrophic aspiration pneumonias, giant breed dog disasters, dentistry and burn out
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 27 – Two Week Takedown: Catastrophic Aspiration Pneumonias, Giant Breed Dog Disasters, Dentistry & Burnout
We’re back with another Two Week Takedown, chatting through some of the cases, conversations and general chaos that have been keeping us busy in practice recently.
This week we’re joined again by Jonathan from Frost Referrals for a chat about all things teeth – the realities of dentistry in general practice, gingivostomatitis in cats, feline oral pain syndrome, staging dentals and much more...🦷
We also chat about...
Episode 26 - Bonus Episode! The Dreaded Heatstroke and SIRS
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Heatstroke. SIRS. Two words that can make even experienced vets feel uneasy.
In this bonus episode of the Chatty Vets Podcast, we take a proper deep dive into the challenging world of heatstroke and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) — from what’s actually happening inside these patients to how we can realistically manage them when they arrive in practice critically unwell.
These cases can deteriorate incredibly quickly, become extremely complex and, sadly, often carry a very poor prognosis. We explore the pathophysiology behind heatstroke and SIRS...
Episode 25 - Two Week Takedown. Chronic Enteropathies and GIQuest, clients getting Kennel Cough and promising new medications for CKD and CHF
What would you do? Tell us
🎙️ Episode 25: Two Week Takedown!
This episode is proudly sponsored by Carus Animal Health 🐾
We’re back with another Two Week Takedown – aka, what’s happened in vet med over the last fortnight that’s made us stop and go “oooh… we need to talk about that.” 👀
This week, we’re getting properly stuck into GIQuest and faecal calprotectin testing. What is it? When might we actually use it? And could it make navigating those “the diarrhoea is back…” cases a little less painful? 💩
El...
Episode 24 - Two Week Takedown. Surgical nightmares and cases you want to forget, neutering controversies in cats and small furries and sending RVN’s abroad for charity work
What would you do? Tell us
🎙️ Ep 24 – Two Week Takedown
Surgical nightmares, neutering controversies, vitamin D rodenticides & RVNs changing lives abroad.
Ever had a case that still makes you wince when you think about it? 😬 In this week's Two Week Takedown, we're sharing the surgical complications and nightmare cases that have stayed with us—and, more importantly, the lessons they taught us.
We also dive into one of the biggest areas of debate in small animal practice: when (and if) we should be neutering cats and small furries....
Episode 23 - Bonus Episode! Chronic pain management part II - Zero Pain Philosophy with SPECIAL GUEST MATT GURNEY!
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🎙️ BONUS EPISODE! Episode 23 is LIVE!
Chronic pain is one of the biggest challenges we face in practice, so we couldn't resist bringing Matt Gurney from The Zero Pain Philosophy back for Part II!
In this episode we tackle some of the biggest talking points in veterinary pain management, including:
🐾 The Librela controversy
💊 When (and if) we should be using paracetamol and gabapentin in arthritic patients
🧠 Why amantadine and memantine might be some of the most underrated drugs in our pain toolk...
Episode 22 - Two Week Takedown. The Well-Pet Update: A new Nutrition Handbook from Purina Institute, Polycystic Kidney Disease & Osteoarthritis Care
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🚨 New Episode Alert! 🚨
Episode 22 – Two Week Takedown is here, bringing you the veterinary updates everyone will be talking about.
From game-changing nutrition resources to brand-new medications hitting the market, we're breaking down the latest clinical news, real-life cases, and practical discussions you can take straight back to practice.
In this episode, we cover:
🩺 The new Well-Pet Nutrition Handbook from Purina Institute
🐱 Polycystic kidney disease case discussions
🐶 Spaying dogs during a false pregnancy
🔍 Sedating patients for ultraso...
Episode 21 - Two Week Takedown. Chewing on needle caps, regurgitating BOAS patients and bleeding bitch spays. Feat a VERY special guest - BRADLEY VINER
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Episode 21: Two Week Takedown
What do chewing on needle caps, regurgitating BOAS patients, disciplinary hearings, and a bleeding bitch spay have in common?
Absolutely nothing... until now.
This week, we're joined by a VERY special guest: Bradley Viner, former RCVS President, veterinary heavyweight, and living proof that being a GP vet is anything but "just" anything. We chat about why general practice deserves more respect, what really happens during disciplinary processes, and the lessons the profession can learn from both.
<...Episode 20 - Endocrinopathies II - Hyperadrenocorticism, 'the stuff you never really understood about cushings'
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Episode 20 – Endocrinopathies II: Hyperadrenocorticism
The stuff you never really understood about Cushing's.
We've all learned that dogs with Cushing's drink more, wee more, eat everything in sight, and somehow still end up with a pot belly... but have you ever stopped to think about why?
In this episode, we're diving into all things hyperadrenocorticism and tackling the bits that often get glossed over. We chat through the physiology behind the disease, why these dogs present the way they do, how to make sense of th...
Episode 19 - Two Week Takedown. Travelling pets, scary bradycardias, career changing complaints, and a new wormer from KRKA!
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 19 - Two Week Takedown. Travelling pets, scary bradycardias, career changing complaints, and a new wormer from KRKA!
Fed up of the drama and changing rules surrounding pet travel?
Panic if you see a dog with a heart rate of 36bpm and changes on the ECG?
Had a complaint and not sure how to deal with it?
Your favourite podcast is back to help you out. We're back for the first episode in June, our...
Episode 18 - EXTRA Bonus Episode! Chronic Pain Management Part I - Regenerative Medicine, featuring our SPECIAL GUEST, RUSSELL CHANDLER!
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🩺 Episode 18 – EXTRA Bonus Episode!
Chronic Pain Management Part I – Regenerative Medicine 🎙️
✨ Featuring our SPECIAL GUEST: Russell Chandler ✨
Could regenerative medicine completely change the way we manage chronic pain in veterinary practice?
In this special bonus episode, we sit down with Russell Chandler to discuss all things regenerative medicine — from:
🩸 Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
🧬 Stem Cell Therapy
🐾 Osteoarthritis management
💥 Chronic pain treatment in practice
📈 Where the future of veterinary medicine may be heading
We explore how these therapies work, which patients may benefit...
Episode 17 - Two Week Takedown. Neutering Controversies, Euthanasia payments and tricky discussions, plus eye issues FEAT A SPECIAL GUEST!
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 17 – Two Week Takedown: Neutering Controversies, Euthanasia Payments, Tricky Discussions… plus Eye Issues with a Special Guest!
In this episode of The Chatty Vets Podcast, we’re back with another Two Week Takedown — and this one covers some big, tricky and very real topics from life in practice.
We dive into the ongoing controversies around neutering, including the evidence around timing, mammary neoplasia, pyometra prevention, and the rise of ovary-sparing spays. We also discuss the difficult subject of euthanasia payments, client conversations around cost, and how emot...
Episode 16 - Bonus Episode! Endocrinopathies I - Hyper and Hypothyroidism
What would you do? Tell us
🩺 Episode 16 – Bonus Episode!
Endocrinopathies I: Hyperthyroidism & Hypothyroidism 🎙️
Welcome to the first episode of our brand new mini-series:
🧠 Endocrinopathies
We’re kicking things off with two of the most common endocrine conditions seen in small animal practice:
🐱 Hyperthyroidism
🐶 Hypothyroidism
Weight loss despite eating everything in sight?
Lethargic dogs that “just seem older”?
The cat that won’t stop yowling at 3am? 👀
In this episode we discuss:
• Common presentations in dogs & cats
• Clinical signs to look out for
• How we approach...
Episode 15 - Two Week Takedown. It's Vet Nursing Awareness Month, so we've got some very special GUESTS on the show!
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 15 – Two Week Takedown 🎙️
It’s Vet Nursing Awareness Month… and we’ve brought in the experts 👀
This week, we’re shining a spotlight on the absolute backbone of veterinary practice — veterinary nurses. From clinical expertise to client care, we’re diving into just how skilled, versatile, and undervalued they can be in practice.
We’re joined by three brilliant guests:
✨ Jade (@jadethevetnurse)
✨ Elle (@thepositivevetnurse)
✨ Alexandra (iCatCare)
Together, we unpack:
– The true scope o...
Episode 14 - Two week takedown. Are vapes affecting our dogs? the brachy debate AND A SPECIAL DENTISTRY GUEST!
What would you do? Tell us
🚨 This might be one of our most controversial episodes yet…
Welcome back to Episode 14 – Two Week Takedown on The Chatty Vets Podcast 🎙️
This week, we’re tackling some of the biggest topics currently circulating in small animal practice — the kind that spark real debate in the consult room and beyond…
💨 Are vapes putting our dogs at risk?
🐶 The ongoing brachycephalic breed debate — where do we stand?
🦷 PLUS a special dentistry segment with Jonathan Frost from Frost Referrals.
If you want to learn more about...
Episode 13 - Bonus Episode! Survival Guide for GETTING STARTED as a GP Vet
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🚨 Starting your first GP vet job soon? Read this before your first consult…
Episode 13 is here — and this one’s for every vet who’s about to take that leap into practice (or remembers exactly how daunting it felt 👀).
In this Bonus Episode, we break down your ultimate survival guide to getting started as a GP vet — from landing the right job to actually surviving those first few weeks on the clinic floor.
We cover:
• How to choose the right first job (and the...
Episode 12 - Two Week Takedown. Difficult owners, aggressive pets, spinal surgeries in GP and no antibiotics for pyo's?
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 12 – Two Week Takedown 🎙️
Difficult clients. Aggressive patients. Big surgical decisions in general practice… and no antibiotics for pyos?! 👀
In this fortnight’s Two Week Takedown, we’re diving into some of the real-life challenges that every vet team faces but doesn’t always talk about openly.
We kick things off with the tricky topic of “difficult” owners — how to manage expectations, communicate effectively under pressure, and keep consultations on track without burning out. Then we get into the realities of handling aggressive o...
Episode 11 - EXTRA Bonus Episode! Toxicology in Dogs and Cats
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Episode 11 - EXTRA Bonus Episode! Toxicology in Dogs and Cats
It’s Easter… which means chocolate, hot cross buns, daffodils… and a waiting room full of potential toxicology cases.
In this bonus episode, we’re diving into the common toxins we see in dogs and cats — with a seasonal focus on the Easter classics (yes, we’re looking at you, raisins, chocolate, and garden-loving puppies with a taste for daffodils).
We talk through how we approach these cases in real-world practice, including:<...
Episode 10 – Two Week Takedown. The big scary Brucella… GV20 injection site, and who actually follows the vaccine schedule?!
What would you do? Tell us
Ep 10 – Two Week Takedown. The big scary Brucella… GV20 injection site, and who actually follows the vaccine schedule?!
Vaccinations ontop of the head? Brucella isn't a thing in the UK, is it? And who actually sticks to the vaccine schedule anyway…
In this Two Week Takedown, we dive into some of the topics that reliably spark debate in small animal practice — including a deep dive into the increasingly talked-about (and slightly nerve-wracking) topic of Brucella.
From new viral injection techniques to the prac...
Episode 9 - Bonus Episode! Acute Vomiting in Dogs and Cats
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 9 - Bonus Episode! Vomiting in Dogs and Cats
Vomiting… or is it regurgitation? And how worried should we actually be?
In this bonus episode, we’re diving into one of the most common — and sometimes most stressful — presentations in small animal practice: the vomiting dog or cat.
From working out whether it’s true vomiting vs regurgitation, to spotting the red flags that turn a routine consult into an emergency admission, we talk through how we approach these cases in real-world...
Episode 8 - Two week takedown. Leaving the uterus behind, Charlotte raving about Ketamine and spaying from outside the abdomen!
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 8 - Two week takedown.
Lap spays, leaving uteruses behind, ketamine enthusiasm, and the never-ending neuter list…
Welcome back to another Chatty Vets Two Week Takedown — where we break down the real clinical topics that have been filling our consulting rooms and operating theatres recently.
This episode we chat:
• Laparoscopic spays in bitches
• Ovariectomy vs ovariohysterectomy — what are you actually doing and why?
• Using sub-cutaneous ketamine in practice
• Anaesthesia protocols for elective neuters
• Plus plenty of the real-world de...
Episode 7 - Two week takedown, turmeric on chicken legs, seasonal fleas? and whatsapping clients?!
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🎙️ Ep 7 – Two Week Takedown: Turmeric on Chicken Legs, Seasonal Fleas, Dental Chews, Euthanasias & WhatsApping Clients?!
It’s time for another Two Week Takedown — where we round up the cases, conversations, and clinical curveballs that have been keeping the vet world busy lately.
In this episode, we’re covering everything from the slightly bizarre (yes… turmeric on chicken legs 🫠) to the genuinely challenging realities of practice life. We chat seasonal flea myths, the truth about dental chews, the emotional weight of euthanasia decisions, and the ever-growing q...
Episode 6A - Bonus Episode! Deep Dive into Dypsnoea, PART 1
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🎙️ Episode 6 – Bonus Episode: Deep Dive into Dyspnoea (Part 1)
Breathing difficulties. Worried owners. High-pressure decisions. 😅🫁
In this bonus deep-dive, the team at The Chatty Vets Podcast tackle one of the most stressful presentations in practice: dyspnoea in dogs and cats 🐶🐱
From that first “this doesn’t look right” moment, to emergency stabilisation, hands-on clinical exams, and those crucial early decisions — we walk you through it all in our usual relaxed, real-world way.
And yes… we’re getting into thoracic POCUS 👀📟
Wh...
Episode 6B - Bonus Episode! Deep Dive into Dyspnoea, PART 2
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🎙️ Episode 6B – Bonus Episode: Deep Dive into Dyspnoea (Part 2)
Same breathless patients. New level of confidence. 😅🫁
In Part 2 of our dyspnoea deep-dive, the team at The Chatty Vets Podcast build on Episode 6A and take things even further — helping you turn uncertainty into clear, practical decision-making 🐶🐱
We wrap up our discussion on thoracic POCUS 👀📟, explore what other diagnostics can really help in respiratory emergencies, and break down the most common differentials in dogs and cats — plus how to actually treat them in real-life pract...
Episode 5 – Two Week Takedown. THAT Panorama Episode, Cuffed ETTs in Cats & Tricky Cases, FEATURING CAT THE VET!!
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🎙️ Episode 5 – Two Week Takedown: THAT Panorama Episode, Cuffed ETTs in Cats & Tricky Cases…
In this week’s Two Week Takedown, Brendan and Charlotte are joined by very SPECIAL GUEST @cat_the_vet for an honest, hilarious, and refreshingly real deep-dive into life on the vet front line 🐾
From that Panorama episode everyone’s been talking about, to cuffed endotracheal tubes in cats (yes, really), and difficult cases we struggle thinking about after the fact — nothing is off-limits.
Expect:
🐶 Real-world clinical in...
Episode 4: Two-Week Takedown. Is Librela dangerous (?) and a new weekly NSAID.
What would you do? Tell us
Episode 4: Two-Week Takedown. Is Librela dangerous and a new weekly NSAID...
It’s time for another two-week takedown 🎙️ and we’re back with the things that have been filling up our consult rooms, group chats, and on-call brains over the last fortnight.
In this episode, Brendan and Charlotte dive into the new weekly NSAID, daxocox—how it works, where it might fit into practice, and the questions we’re already being asked. We also tackle the big Librela debate, sharing honest thoughts, cli...
Episode 3 - Bonus Episode! Deep Dive into Head Tilt
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Episode 3: Deep Dive – Head Tilt
That's right, the dreaded neuro! But don't worry, we're here to break it down for you.
In this episode Brendan and Charlotte talk through how to approach head tilt cases across species, from vestibular disease in dogs, to working up head tilt in cats, and the truly impressive head tilts we can see in rabbits. We cover how to assess these patients in the consult room, what to focus on in your clinical exam, how to build a sensible diagnostic pl...
Episode 2 - Two Week Takedown. Dreaded CMA report, no more IV fluids & blinking for angry cats!
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Episode 2: January 2026 Two-Week Takedown
It’s our first full episode 🎉 and we’re kicking things off with the January 2026 two-week takedown.
In this episode, Brendan and Charlotte chat about festive toxicities, questionable foreign bodies, the CMA report and what it could mean for the profession, dreaded dentals, and the joys and challenges of dealing with particularly feisty feline patients.
As always, this is a relaxed, honest chat between two practising vets—covering the news, the clinical reality, and the things that have been filling u...
Episode 1 - Who Are We?
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Hi and welcome to The Chatty Vets Podcast! 👋
We’re Brendan and Charlotte; two UK-based small animal general practice vets. If you work within the Veterinary Profession, then this is the podcast for you.
In this short intro episode, we explain who we are, why we've started this podcast, and what’s coming up. Expect twice-monthly “two-week takedown” episodes where we chat through the latest UK vet news, drugs, papers, events, and the cases that have made us laugh, learn, or lose sleep. Plus, a monthly bonus episode wher...
