musingsbyromela

I was invited to the United Nations' International Labour Organization for a consultative meeting with the stakeholders of the entrepreneurial system to conduct a start-up ecosystem mapping for the first time in Sri Lanka on the 17th of January 2025 This is my first time to even go to the United Nations and I'm grateful that I was invited. In my invitation it mentioned that I was invited for the potential that I showcased as a young entrepreneur  There were only four young entrepreneurs who were invited while the rest was about 50 other massive stakeholders and entrepreneurs themselves But, what exactly made me to the UN? I was pondering about the "potential" and yes, I think I figured out  1. social impact : aligns with 10 SDGs of UN From healing pets to creating industries, employment and promoting innovation, my work expands in the most sustainable ways 2. health impact : promotes longevity and sustainability of pets directly and human beings indirectl...

Leptospirosis awareness A timely topic as there's a Leptospirosis outbreak in the Northern province of Sri Lanka. I see a gap in the level of awareness on prevention and transmission regarding this topic although there are plenty of sources to explain the symptoms of the disease. It's vital to raise awareness on prevention of spread of the disease among the non-infected at a same level as of the attempts to cure the already infected individuas! Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease - a disease that is transmitted to humans via animals Leptospirosis, also known as "මී උණ" in Sinhala is a highly contagious disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira The carrier of the disease is rodents such as rats, mice and even squirrels The carriers can transmit Leptospira bacteria to most of the mammals such as humans, dogs, cats, cattle, horses, wild animals and marine mammals How does the bacteria enter into an individual? There are several ways by which the bacter...

New Year, New Resolutions - Did you include your pet? As 2025 approaches,  we are all making our lists of New Year's resolutions but, I have a question - did you include your pet in your goals for 2025? After all, who wouldn't want his/her pet to live longer? Last year, I had a resolution to help my dog reach his 16th birthday and yes, he did! Spot Mc Delgado (yes, he was part of the "Salgado" family 🤣) lived almost upto 17 joyous years and passed away one month back. The average life span of most companion dogs is 10 to 13 years How did Spot beat the odds? It wasn't just luck or genetics. It was the right combination of nutrition, environment and proactive care Spot's secret to longevity: 1. Nutrition: Spot thrived on mostly mindfully chosen meals that were crafted carefully to meet his specific health needs from time to time. Research shows that on point nutrition that are considered as personalised pet diets can reduce the need for long term me...

For us, cats are part of our extended family with whom we share our love and even our home! But, not everything we do as humans can be shared with them. For example is giving paracetamol to cats . This is not an uncommon case that we encounter as vets, as cat owners attempt to treat their cats for pain or fever without first consulting a veterinarian Cats face a greater risk with a single dose of paracetamol than dogs do Parecetomol, in the human body is broken down to non toxic substances by the glucoronide pathway in the liver. Cats inherently lack this pathway making them vulnerable to acetaminophen toxicity Signs of toxicity may be seen 1- 4 hrs or sometimes 24 hours after ingestion of acetaminophen. The cats may experience rapid breathing, depression, drooling, swelling of the face and paws, dark urine and muddy gums. Sometimes the first sign of acetaminophen toxicity is death Cats with paracetamol ingestion is definitely an emergency. Prompt veterinary treatment is es...

The most common questions that I get asked by pet parents are what to feed their pets? Which food is the best for my pet? Is it necessary to give supplements? Which supplements are the best for my pet?  About me I'm Dr Romela Salgado, a Veterinarian,  Veterinary Nutritionist and a formulation scientist in pet food and pet supplements. I'm registered with the Sri Lanka Veterinary Council to practice and have years of experience in companion animal clinical medicine since 2018. I'm a national award winning veterinarian innovative serial entrepreneur My mission is to heal pets through food and help pets live longer without medication. I also love to empower pet parents in their pet's journey to longevity  About the blog Through this blog I aim to help pet owners rely on sustainable pet care. Pet care comes in different ways and what's focused in my blog is to care for pets with the least amount of medication while the pet owners adhere to non invasive therapies when po...

Self awareness can also be a goal. The more aware I was of myself, the more content I became. I became more natural and more human while I also understood better where certain perceptions of other's came from   Journaling is now my hobby for growth. I'm yet to reach that ultimate "success" but I'm more self content than ever. With my profession of being a vet, journaling gives me clarity to balance life to a certain extent rather than being in that "busy", "chasing" mode all the time that is unnecessarily over-rated these days Journaling comes in all forms. I decided to write how may day went while also keeping track of my habits that I want to work on, towards sustainable living while providing the same for pets Currently I have almost 9 journals and they can be completed in less than 10 minutes every day. They include: 1. a daily to-do list 2. daily habit tracker (in dots): water intake, peace of mind, cleaning,  exercise, food habits, upskil...

This post is dedicated to all the dog owners, dog owners-to-be, dog rescuers and all animal lovers. Lately I have been seeing a lot of veterinary patients suffering from parvo viral diarrhoea and every year there is an outbreak of the disease Canine parvo viral diarrhoea is caused by the canine parvo virus type 2. It is highly contagious and a deadly disease that is mostly common in puppies and in un -vaccinated dogs. The chances of survival of those dogs that have been infected with this virus is very slim How to prevent your dog from canine parvo viral diarrhoea 1. Vaccinate and deworm your dog properly Make sure that your dog is vaccinated properly against the Canine parvo virus type 2. Regular and proper deworming is important to maintain good immunity levels. Always talk to your local veterinarian about the dog's upto-date vaccination and de-wormi ng protocols 2. Keep your dog away from un vaccinated dogs There's high probability that the un vaccinated or impro...