We have an appeal on behalf of some ex battery hens that are in a really bad way. We are desperate for anyone who can knit to whip up one or a few jumper type things for these poor chickens that have barely any feathers left on them to keep them warm.
You can see from the pictures below just what a state these poor chickens are in all.
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People have often asked me, “What is the difference between a Dog Trainer and a Dog Behaviorist†? The main difference is their approach. Perhaps the first myth to dispel is that behaviorists are ‘better’ than dog trainers. The two are quite different. One is not ‘better’ than the other. They each have a vital role to play!
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Is A Tortoise The Right Pet For You?Many people assume that keeping a tortoise as a pet is an easy thing to do. After all, they move very slowly and don’t seem to get stressed or frightened ever, how difficult could it be? Unfortunately, people who believe this usually end up with tortoises with a very short and unhappy lifetime. Tortoises actually require quite a bit of work to ensure that they remain healthy and happy.
Space Requirements
Even though tortoises do indeed move slowly and deliberately, that does not mean that they do not require much room. On the contrary, many tortoises actually require so much cage space that they are better off if they have free reign of your garden, at least whenever the weather allows. If you can not make your garden safe to leave him in unattended, then at least have him outdoors daily for an extended period of time. During this time they will wander around, munch on some greenery, perhaps dig up some grubs or earthworms, and most importantly soak up some sunshine. Without exposure to enough sunlight, most tortoises will stop eating. This of course may lead to an untimely demise.
Size
When choosing a tortoise as a pet, please take the time to find out what size it will be as an adult. Some tortoises grow to very large sizes. The adult Leopard tortoise, for instance, can reach lengths of over 60cm and weigh more than 35kg. You may not be physically capable of working with such a heavy animal.
Lifespan
With proper care, some tortoises can live as long as 100 years. That is a very long time to be responsible for a pet. Please keep in mind when thinking about tortoises as pets that you may well end up leaving your pet to your children. It is often difficult to think that far in advance, but be aware that it is a possibility.
If you have considered all of the above mentioned factors and you still think that a tortoise is the pet for you, now you must decide where to get your pet. Many pet shops have them, but you may have better luck if you check with your local animal rescues first or a society like the Chelonian Trust. Also, if at all possible, try to get one that has been captive bred. Not only does this protect the tortoises left in the wild from capture, but it also usually results in a better pet.
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Pet Dumping – How do people sleep at night?The RSPCA has reported that as many as thirty pets a day are being dumped by their owners to save money. The credit crunch has created a trickle down effect to our beloved pets and they state that the numbers of abandoned pets have recently increased by 60%!
Food and vet bills can be expensive as we know, and most people have cut back, but this is indefensible behaviour. When you take on an animal, you take it on for life. In extreme cases, owners are killing their pets rather than face the prospect of paying food and vets’ bills. What a sad thing for a family to feel they must do.
This is a huge problem for charity rescue organisations. Not only are they getting less money in donations, they are caring for more and more animals with less and less money, employee’s or volunteers. It’s a challenge for the centers, but it’s a crisis for the pets. An abandoned pet is left completely on its own to fend for itself and it has probably never needed to that before in its life. What a sad prospect for the pet. A death sentence!
The RSPCA dealt with 11,586 dumped animals in 2008 – an average of more than thirty every day. In 2007, 7,347 were abandoned. It represents a rise of fifty-seven per cent. The RSPCA predicts that this trend seems set to continue. Figures from the first two months of 2009 show a further 1,432 animals abandoned and the number of calls the charity has taken from those wanting to give up an animal has risen by fifty-two percent. Cats and dogs are the biggest victims.
Those found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal face a maximum six-month prison sentence and/or a £20,000 fine. The RSPCA says, “It is an offence to abandon any animal and there is never any excuse for doing so. If people have pets they cannot care for, for any reason, then help and advice is always available from the RSPCA.†As well as many other organistions all over the UK
Please do not abandon your pet. If you are feeling the money squeeze, call a rescue centre and ask for help. You’ll be glad you did! You will find many rescue centre in our online directory here www.getsetpet-directory.co.uk
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My Pet is Lost!What is more heartbreaking than having lost a beloved pet? In the case of a missing pet, there are only two possible outcomes. You find your pet or you don’t. So what do you do? Where do you start? The following is a short review of a number of websites in the U.K. and I have outlined their pros and cons. You may find some of them very helpful if you find yourself in this difficult situation. You’ll want to visit them yourself to get more detailed information on what they provide. All are good, some are better. Most are free, but some do charge a fee.
This is a very good site however, it does say that the website is under re-development. You must login to post comments or register a lost dog. It has a phone number you can call if you have lost your pet, or you can register the details of your lost pet online. The message boards are searchable and there dogs lost, dogs found, and a dog reunited board. The notice board is very interesting with short articles and listings of upcoming events.
“To reunite missing pets with their families anywhere in the UK†This site offers a completely free advertising/listing. There is a search function for both lost and found pets. A very unique search and rescue service was launched in 2008. This is a wonderful service that has a designated search vehicle plus five people who will physically search for your animal. You can also volunteer to assist the group as a pet detective. You just send an email and they will provide you with more details.
This website is very extensive with many features. All of the services are free. It lists the latest missing dogs and cats, by county which is very helpful. There are more advertisements on this site than many of the others, but the site appears to be the most comprehensive. You can get a free sticker of their logo, just by sending in a stamped self-addressed envelope. They have teamed up with many leading pet brands and shopping outlets that have kindly donated prizes. Every month they run a ‘members only’ competition for those great prizes. When you register your pet, they provide you with a unique tracking code for your pet. This code will allow anyone who finds your pet in the event it is lost, to notify the Pets Register and they will make the match. They claim they will do their utmost to bring you and your pet together again. Not simply a pet registration database, they also provide you with your own control panel to keep your pet information updated and current. You have 24hr access to your control panel via the username and password they supply in your welcome letter. They do not display any private information about you on their website; visitors will only be able to contact you via the UK National Pet Register.
This is a very popular site and very concise. It was founded in February 1990 by Paula and Harry Greaves of Solihull because some animals were being destroyed when their owners were unable to locate them within the statutory seven days grace before death or resale. They felt that a central point registering all information on lost or found pets was badly needed. They offered this free service seven days a week but the demand escalated to such an extent that Volunteers had to be sought for other areas – and so a National Network of Petsearchers came into being.
This website says that all listings for dogs missing for over six months have been removed unless the owners specifically asked them to leave them on. If you recover your pet, they ask that you tell them so that they can keep the site manageable. It also provides a number of links to other lost pet sites.
www.foundandlostpets.co.uk This is a very extensive and attractive site. There are pages and pages of lost and found pets which are searchable by state. This site has listings for not only dogs and cats, but rodents, birds, reptiles, and horses as well.
www.lostyourpet.net This site boasts the largest online pet registry and covers the following countries: United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Its online lost and found pet database includes cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, and many more types of pets. ‘Finding a pet’ listings are free, however, a ‘lost pets listing’ cost £5.
www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/pets/lost_found.shtml This website is sponsored by the BBC. This section of their online webpages are for reference purposes only, and you should be aware that the information provided may be out of date or otherwise inaccurate due to the passage of time. Be advised that they are no longer updating their web pages. They do list a lot of valuable information particularly, the Petlog Database. It also has tips on how to prevent losing the family pet, and who to contact if you do. The site describes how the RSPCA reunites owners with many of the 250,000 cats and dogs that go missing every year in the UK. You can help the Society by having your pet microchipped so that if your pet is then lost or stolen, there is a good chance that your pet will be returned to you. PetLog, the UK’s national pet identification scheme, was launched in 1995 by The Kennel Club to help reunite stray and abandoned animals with their owners. They suggest a simple procedure whereby a tiny microchip, is inserted under the skin of your pet’s shoulder blades by a vet. The microchip will store a number, unique to your pet and this number, along with your details will be stored on a national PetLog database. The register encompasses all forms of identification, including collar tags and tattoos. If your pet is lost, it is likely that it will be picked up by the police, a dog warden or a rescue organisation, who are equipped with a special scanner. They can then obtain the microchip number of your pet, allowing them to contact you. For more information about joining PetLog and getting your pet microchipped, contact one of the following links:
The Kennel Club - www.the-kennel-club.org.uk
RSPCAÂ – www.rspca.org.uk
Scottish SPCAÂ -Â www.scottishspca.org
Battersea Lost Dogs Line 0901 477 8477 4 Battersea Park Road, London SW8 4AA Their Line operates from 8am-8pm seven days a week. Calls are charged at 60p per minute. National Canine Defence League http://www.ncdl.org.uk 17 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7RQ Tel: 0171 837 0006 National Pet Register Thorpe Underwood Hall, Ouseburn, York YO5 9SZ Tel: 0700 0800 123 Pet Detective http://www.petdetective.co.uk/ A UK pet recovery site PetMatch http://www.petmatch.co.uk/ 24 Hour Information Line: 0800 0725 999 Email: info@petmatch.co.uk RSPCA http://www.rspca.org.uk/ RSPCA Headquarters, Wilberforce Way, Horsham, RH13 9RS Tel: 0870 55 55 999 (24 hour national cruelty and advice line) Scottish SPCA http://www.scottishspca.org/ Braehead Mains, 603 Queensferry Road, Edinburgh, EH4 6EA Tel: 0131 339 0222 email: enquiries@scottishspca.org
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My dog was about twelve years old when he had his first seizure. It only lasted about a minute but it was the longest and most frightening minute of my life. He fell to the floor on his right side and his body began shaking violently. His eyes had a blank stare, all four legs were stretched out and stiff. At first, I didn’t realize what was happening. By the time I figured it out, he had stopped. Remarkably, he got up, shook himself, and went on as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, I was very shook up. I called the vet, but she said if it was over, there is nothing else to do but monitor him and if it happened again to bring him in. Thankfully, he didn’t have one for another year and he only had three in his lifetime. However, some dogs aren’t so lucky. They can have seizures that are recurrent and fierce. It is a terrible thing to watch your pet go through this and not be able to do anything. If they get to the point where they can’t be controlled, your veterinarian may even suggest euthanasia.
Unfortunately, canine epilepsy can be found in any dog, mixed breed or purebred. Some purebreds may have a genetic factor but you never really know. There are various types of epilepsy. True epilepsy can begin between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. Secondary epilepsy is epilepsy that is caused by other factors, injury, genetics, disease, infection, trauma and degenerative conditions, which the vet thought was the case with my dog.
If your dog does experience a seizure, it’s important that you write down exactly what happens so that you can give the vet as much information as possible. There are different types of seizures.
The dog falls, loses consciousness, has rigid limbs and they can last 10 to 30 seconds (this is the one that my dog experienced)
rare and may last only seconds
restricted to one part of the body; for example, facial twitches or one limb only.
may include more bizarre behaviors, like running, chewing, vomiting, diarrhea
a number of seizures in a short amount of time
the worst, one seizure can last for thirty minutes or more. In essence, you need to work closely with your vet; only a professional can diagnose and provide the appropriate treatment for your dog if he is experiencing seizures. We love our pets so much. Good health care will give your dog the very best quality of life possible.
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This is absolutely true and there’s no way around it. Our bodies and those of our pets are entirely dependent on the nutrients they take in to build their body structures and maintain them. So without the correct nutrients our bodies will not be in optimum condition. A nutrient is defined as anything which our body needs. There are 6 classes of nutrients:
This is the most important nutrient. The body is made up of 60 – 70 % water and it is needed to maintain blood volume so the blood can move other nutrients around the body and to ensure renal function is maintained. A body can lose all its carbohydrate and fat stores, and half its protein, but just 10% water loss results in illness and 20% results in death. Also, a body can survive without food for weeks but without water will die in a few days.
This is made up of building blocks called amino acids. 10 of these have to be present in the diet of a dog (only 8 are required in the human diet). These are called the essential amino acids. Cats have an extra one compared with dogs, taurine, and this is one reason why dog food should not be used for cats. Protein is needed to make the body’s tissues and organs. Animals do need good quality protein in the diet, but too much protein, an ‘Atkins’ diet is not recommended.
These are the most efficient supply of energy. 1 gram of fat supplies twice as much energy as 1 gram of carbohydrate or protein. They are also required for the absorption, transport and usage of the fat soluble vitamins. They also supply the essential fatty acids, omega 6 linoleic and linolenic which are important for the skin and coat and for immunity. In addition cats require arachadonic acid in the diet which is another reason dog food does not supply the nutrient requirements of cats.
These are no specific requirements for carbs in the diet but they do supply energy and this energy can be converted into fat in the body. Fibre is a form of indigestible carbohydrate.
These are required for a variety of processes and have to be provided in the diet. Usually though only very small amounts are required. However, it is important that a healthy amount is given as too little is not good but too much can be toxic. Liver is a very good source of Vitamin A, but in cats eating a diet high in liver, they can develop hypervitaminosis A which leads to liver failure. Vitamin C is not needed in the diet of dogs or cats but is essential in the diet of humans.
These include calcium, iron, iodine, selenium and zinc. These are necessary for healthy blood, skeleton, skin and teeth. These are usually in adequate supply within pet food. Dogs are able to obtain all their dietary needs from a vegetarian diet whereas cats can only obtain taurine and arachadonic acid from animal sources so it is not possible to have a healthy vegetarian diet for a cat.
Requirements for different nutrients vary throughout the lifetime. Pregnant animals require more energy, protein and minerals to enable healthy development of the puppies or kittens and to enable reserves to be built up so the mother is able to lactate and produce enough milk for her young. Young animals also require lots of energy, protein and minerals to enable optimum growth but once mature the protein, energy and mineral levels can be reduced to ensure excesses are not offered. Excess phosphorus (found in high levels in protein) is not healthy for renal function and too much of an energy supply can lead to increased weight gain. Older animals require a product that can help maintain their organ function, aid their joint mobility and their skin and coat.
It is important to feed a product that is providing the nutrients required by your pet taking into account his age and lifestyle. Generally you get what you pay for. A higher priced food will generally have higher quality ingredients. However, it is important to note that it is cheaper to feed a super premium dry food that a cheap canned food if you work out the cost per meal and not the cost of the product. A larger bag usually works out even better value. The only extra nutrient in the canned food is more water. A dry product is usually 10 – 15% water whereas a canned product is usually 70 -80%. Also in these days of environmental awareness, dry food requires less packaging, less transport costs and there is less waste as it does not ‘go off’.
Both cats and dogs enjoy dry food and it does assist with dental health. There are even some dry foods with specific ingredients to assist with teeth cleaning! A side effect of feeding a dry food is that your pet will drink more water and it is important that fresh drinking water is always available. This is especially important in cats as if a cat does not drink enough, it can increase the risk of cystitis. The super premium dry cat foods are designed to minimise this risk. Although some people say it is necessary to feed a raw homemade diet, it is very hard to ensure this is balanced. In the wild, a dog or cat will eat the entire body of its prey, including the bowel with the vegetable matter in it providing fibre, vitamins and minerals. Thus, providing the correct mix of meat and cereals without supplements is very difficult. An all meat diet is deficient in calcium and vitamins and too high in protein.
All in all, unless you have lots of time and energy, feeding a good quality complete dry food that is designed for your pet’s life stage is the healthiest option.
Written by Andrea, Practice Manager of Harvest Vets Maidenbower
Crawley 01293 884422
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A mix of a Pug and a Beagle. Puggles will be a little smaller than Beagles. They have droopy ears and a curled tail. Most common colours are tan with ...
Staffy x rotties are sturdy dogs, usually the color of a Rottie. Staffy x Rotties can be stubborn or dominant so you will have to be firm with your...
Rottie Shepherd mixes usually have more the coloring of a Rottie. Rottie Shepherds can be dominant and they need lots of thing to do to keep them fro...
A German Shepherd and a Dobermann mix. These dogs are loyal and will stand by your side no matter what. And a very cute puppy! If socialised proper...
A cross between a Shih Tzu and a Bichon Frise. Zuchons are small, soft and fluffy. Their coat is of medium length and curly, or at least wavy. The colors...
GetSetPet, Horse Shoe, Balcombe Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 3NL
