Everything on these shelves is here because of something we have seen go wrong. Which is also why there is a list further down of things we would rather you did not buy at all, including from us.
TravelTop-opening carrierOpens at the top and unclips in half, so your cat is examined in the base instead of dragged out.Ask about this →
Cats & dogs
TravelIATA travel crateRigid plastic, a metal door and ventilation on all four sides — the box an airline will actually accept. Sized to the animal here, because the wrong size is what gets turned away at the desk.Ask about this →How crates are measured →
Dogs
TravelHarness and leadFront-clip harnesses for dogs that pull. Fitted here, because the size on the packet is a guess.Ask about this →
Cats & dogs
FeedingCeramic and steel bowlsHeavy enough not to travel across the floor, and washable properly. Never plastic — see below.Ask about this →
Dogs
FeedingPlastic bowlsLight, cheap, and no trouble at all for a dog. Not for cats, though — see below for the reason.Ask about this →
Cats
FeedingWater fountainCats drink more from moving water, and more water is the single easiest thing you can do for their kidneys.Ask about this →
Cats
Litter & hygieneLitter trays and scoopsIn the sizes an adult cat actually needs, which is larger than almost everything sold here.Ask about this →
Dogs
SummerCooling matThe gel kind that needs no power and no freezer. For the four months when the floor is the problem.Ask about this →
Cats & dogs
GroomingBrushes and combsMatched to the coat rather than the shelf. Ask and we will show you how to use it on your own animal.Ask about this →
Cats & dogs
EverythingBeds and blanketsWashable at sixty degrees, which matters more than it sounds if anything ever has fleas.Ask about this →
The section a pet shop would not write
Five things we would rather you did not buy
Not from us, and not from anybody. Every one of these is sold widely in this country and every one of them turns up in the consult room attached to a problem. If you already own one, this is not a telling-off — it is worth knowing what to watch for.
Retractable leadsTwo injuries come through the door from these. The handler’s fingers, caught in the cord as it runs out, and the dog’s neck when it reaches the end of sixteen feet at a run. They also teach a dog that pulling is the thing that makes the lead longer.
Choke chains and prong collarsThey work by hurting, and on a dog that already pulls they damage the windpipe over time. There is a harness that suits every dog that pulls, and fitting one takes ten minutes.
Cat collars without a breakaway clipA collar that does not release under load is a strangulation risk on a fence, a branch or a gate. If your cat wears one it must be a safety collar — and a collar is not a substitute for a microchip, which is the thing that actually brings them home.
Plastic food bowlsFeline acne. The chin rubs the rim, the plastic scratches, and bacteria live in the scratches. It clears up remarkably often by changing nothing except the bowl. Ceramic or stainless steel, washed daily.
Litter trays that are too smallThe rule is one and a half times the length of the cat, nose to base of tail. Most trays sold here are too small for an adult, and a cat “not using the tray” is very often a cat telling you exactly that.
7secondsPut the back of your hand flat on the ground and hold it there. If you cannot manage seven seconds, your dog cannot walk on it.
The summer half of the year
Between roughly May and September the ground here is hot enough to blister a paw pad, and the damage does not show until the dog is limping that evening. The test on the left takes seven seconds and settles it every time — which in practice rules out most of the daylight hours and moves walks to before sunrise and after dark.
Four things worth owning before the season starts rather than during it.
A cooling mat, not iceThe gel mats that need no freezer and no power. Ice and iced water on an overheating dog narrow the blood vessels in the skin and slow the cooling down.
A collapsible bowl in the carBecause the one time you need it is the time you did not plan for.
Paw wax or bootiesFor dogs that have to be out in daylight. Most dogs hate booties for a week and then forget about them.
Sun protection for pale nosesPale noses, ear tips and thin-coated bellies burn, and they get skin cancer here. Pet-specific only — never a zinc oxide sunscreen, which is toxic if licked off.
The carrier is the appointment
More of how a cat’s visit goes is decided by the box they arrived in than by anything we do afterwards. A carrier that only opens at the front means a frightened cat has to be pulled out backwards, and that is the part they remember. One that unclips means the top lifts off and the cat is examined sitting in the base, having moved nowhere at all.
Worth buying onceOpens at the top as well as the frontUnclips into two halves, so the base stays under the catRigid sides that keep their shapeA slot or strap point for the seatbeltBig enough to stand up and turn around in
What makes a bad dayFront door only — a frightened cat has to be pulled out backwardsSoft-sided, so it folds around the animal when liftedNo way to secure it in a carSized for a kitten and still in use four years later
Questions owners ask
Why is a top-opening carrier such a big deal?
Because of what happens in the consult room. A frightened cat braces against the sides of a front-loading box and has to be pulled out backwards, which is the worst two minutes of the visit and the reason some cats never forgive the carrier. A carrier that unclips means the top comes off and the cat is examined sitting in the base, having moved nowhere. Owners are surprised how much calmer the whole appointment becomes.
My dog pulls. Which harness?
Come in with the dog rather than buying by breed. Chest shape varies enormously even within a breed, and a harness that rubs gets left in a cupboard. Fitting one properly takes about ten minutes and we do not charge for it.
Is a collar enough, or does my cat need a microchip too?
The microchip is the one that works. Collars come off, and the ones that do not come off are the dangerous ones. A breakaway collar with a tag is useful for saying “this cat is owned” to a neighbour — but the chip is what reunites you. Microchipping →
How do I know if the ground is too hot?
Put the back of your hand flat on it and hold for seven seconds. If you cannot manage it, your dog cannot walk on it. Between about May and September that rules out most of the day here.
Can you order something in?
Usually, yes. Tell us what you are after and we will say honestly whether we can get it, how long it takes, and whether we think it is the right thing — which is not always the same answer.
These cards are a live feed, not copy. Every one is pulled straight from your Google Business Profile — the stars, the words, the name and the date are whatever Google holds that day. Nothing here is written by us or by you.
Every review on our Google Business Profile is written by an owner, not by us. We do not publish selected quotes here — read them all, in full and unedited, on Google.
Ask about something
Tell us the animal and the problem
Rather than the product. Half the time the thing you came in for is not the thing that fixes it, and we would rather say so before you buy.
Veterinary Falcon
Pet Clinic LLC
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