1^st April to 1^st May is #NationalPetMonth.

It celebrates pet ownership and raises awareness of responsible pet ownership.

It also encourages everyone to raise funds for those animal charities working so hard to help pets – and they’ve really, really need our help at the moment.  Many charities are just absolutely inundated with pets, many of whom were got during lockdown with little thought into training and the time and care pets need. 

Pets have many benefits.   So National Pet Month wants to hear about fundraisers and events supporting the UK’s many pet welfare organisations and charities. 

These fundraisers and events can be individual efforts or larger events, and they can be virtual or in person.

Animal welfare charities, professional bodies, pet businesses, schools, youth groups, pet lovers and pet owners can all get involved and celebrate our wonderful pets, and they can also raise awareness using the resources National Pet Month has on its website!

Find out all about it from National Pet Month

 National Pet Month on Facebook

and on Twitter 

#NPM24

And if you're a dog lover, you could take a look at God made a Dog - a video on You Tube which personally I found very moving!

February is Pet Dental Health Month and a chance for you to review your pet’s dental health.  As you’ll know from when you have toothache (ouch!), a painful mouth and teeth can mean a reduced appetite and feeling a bit rotten.  It can also lead to some more serious health conditions.

Fortunately, there’s lots of advice online for pet owners on the subject of pet dental health.

The PDSA has a video on You Tube on how to check your cat’s teeth (!)  They have an 8 point plan, to help you work out the state of your beloved cat’s mouth.  Actually, it doesn’t look intrusive and it does look doable, even if you don’t manage to get all the steps achieved at once.  Often it’s a matter of getting your pet used to you checking their mouths, bit by bit.  The PDSA recommend you check your cat’s teeth every month.  (They’ve also got a video on how to get your cat in a carrier.)

They’ve also got a plan for checking your dog’s teeth – as they say, it’s better to spot problems sooner rather than later.  And they’ve got a plan for bunnies, as well!

There are lots of helpful videos that the PDSA have put together for pet owners which tackle problems pet owners may meet – including how to give your cat/dog a tablet – and these are on their You Tube channel.  It’s worth getting to know the videos they’ve got, because you never know when you might need them, and also when you’re looking through them, you’ll probably see something which you can learn something from.  Get your pet used to being handled, and life may be easier at the vet's.  

Some pets will need far more time than others, so don't forget to go slow, and to  reward them to make the experience a pleasurable one - a bit like dentists giving children something  when they are good to make the visit a more positive one.

I’m off to find out how the PDSA suggest you put your cat in a carrier – out of sight and sound of our moggie, of course!

 Head off to visit their PDSA You Tube  channel here.   And visit their Pet Health Hub here on their website – there’s lots of information there.

There are a number of products on the market, too - and being it Pet Dental Month, there are some great offers charging around.

Save 15% on Orafresh™ Dental Care Range
with Viovet until 23:59 on 27th February 2024
Applicable for the entire range. Offer can be changed or withdrawn at any time. 

Save 10% on Lily’s Kitchen Woofbrush Natural Dental Chews for Dogs
with Viovet until 23:59 on 27th February 2024.
Applicable for Large, Medium and Small Dog variations. Packs of 7 chews only.
Offer can be changed or withdrawn at any time.

Save 28% on Dentalife Daily Oral Care Cat Treats
with Viovet until 23:59 on 27th February 2024.
Chicken 140g bags only.
Offer can be changed or withdrawn at any time

Brrrr!  Now it’s getting very much colder, we need to look out for our furry friends and other animals!

Viovet have put a blog together full of advice on how to care for your pets, dogs particularly, and the blog cover things like skin, the loss of body heat, snow in your dog’s fur, arthritis and osteoarthritis in dogs, snow and ice dangers, salt and chemicals.  There are lots of tips on how to keep your dog warm and dry and visible to keep them safe, too.

When we go outside, it can be quite a shock to the system.  Viovet points out that our fingers, ears, noses and toes can suffer the worst of the cold.  Our pets need extra care too.

Take a look at the blog here – Viovet has lots of great special offers, too for dogs, cats, horses, small pets, and you.

The RSPCA also has seasonal advice for pets, livestock and wildlife - click here to find out more! 

Online pet retailer Viovet  have lots of offers for dogs, cats, horses and small pets.   They've got prescription and non-prescription medications, food, toys and equipment and they have many leading market brands,and their own-branded products and supplements. We've used Viovet, and found them to be great!  

Viovet have dog toys, bowls, dishes, feeders, placemats, dog bdding, dog treats and dental.

 
The Felix Goody Bag Treats Original Mix is on offer 
until 31.12.23

Small pets are catered for too!  Chinchillas, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils and ferrets... there's food, bedding, catch and hutch cleaners, grooming and toys. 

Lily's Kitchen Festive Christmas Turkey Jerky for Dogs
is also on offer until 31 Dec 2023.

And if you've got a horse or pony, take a look at the range for both horses and riders.  

Viovet also have prescription medicine and it can be so much cheaper to get this online rather than directly from your vet.  

Head off to Viovet here to find out more.

Will you sign the Big Shark Pledge with the Shark Trust?

The Shark Trust say that many of our best known sharks make their home on the high seas, beyond any national borders. 

But these sharks and rays are threatened by an enormous international fleet of fishing vessels.  

Back in early 2021, research was published which confirmed that over 75% of oceanic sharks and rays are at risk of extinction because of the impact of overfishing. 

So will you add your voice to the Big Shark Pledge and put pressure on governments and fisheries Will you help make the changes that these sharks need humans to make to keep them safe?

The Shark Trust says that this will be a long term, international effort which will demand collaboration.   It will be important to put science at the heart of shark conservation and fisheries management. 

The Shark Trust asks us all to sign their pledge now and agree to (and I quote):

S – Stand up for shark conservation

H – Have faith that change will happen

A – Act when called upon

R – React to and share our campaign

K – Know that I’m making a difference

Together we can call for stronger conservation and fisheries management.

 #BigSharkPledge

Please sign the Big Shark Pledge here.

There’s great mews from The Times for cat owners and lovers!

On Monday 3^rd July 2023, reporter Kieran Gair (thank you, Kieran!) reported that the first feline blood bank in the UK to provide treatment for cats with medical conditions is to be set up by Banco de Sangue Animal.

They are a Portuguese group, and they already have animal blood banks in Portugal, Spain and Belgium. 

Like us, cats must be transfused with a matching type of blood, but they just have two blood types, namely A and B. 

Cats are prone to blood born disease, and there’s been a problem for cats because there hasn’t been appropriate blood available. 

If you think your cat would be a suitable donor, you can register him or her on the Pet Blood Bank UK’s website.

Pets need blood donors too!
Visit the Pet Blood Bank UK here.

If you think your cat could be a blood donor, he or she needs to be a large, healthy cat who likes being handled and who likes spending time with people.  And he or she should be between 1 and 10 years old, and weight no more than 9 pounds.  They also must be up to date with vaccinations and treatments. 

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to do a cat blood donation – on average – but the whole process takes 4 hours, since the vet needs to make sure the cat is properly hydrated before they head home.

The Times say that the Royal Veterinary College stores feline blood but only for the animals treated at or referred to it, since it is a transfusion service as opposed to be a blood bank.

Visit the Pet Blood Bank UK here.  

PS Their own recent news is that they are working with Blood Bikes 4 Pets – this is a new, soon to be charity, and it’s working to create the UK’s first professional motorbike blood delivery service for pets!    They service will operate with volunteer riders who can safely take blood products across the country on specialist bikes.  A big thank you to Honda who are helping.  Visit Blood Bikes 4 Pets here – you can donate the cost of fuel to help!  We wish them God speed and all the best 

PPS The Pet Food Blood Bank UK  also need blood from dogs….. fetch more information here.  

And they are supporting the alpaca community by offering a collection kit and blood processing service for alpaca vets.  Find out more

April is #NationalPetMonth.

It celebrates and raises awareness of responsible pet ownership, running educational campaigns and resources.  And it celebrates pet ownership, sharing the many benefits of our wonderful pets across Britain.

There are many events and fundraisers which take place during National Pet Month to help the incredible welfare organisations and charities working hard to help pets everywhere.  There are all sorts of events taking place, so keep an eye out in your area for happenings!

There are live broadcasts through social media plus campaign blogs and there’ll be lots of advice on everything from good pet nutrition, the importance of regular health checks, vaccinations, cleaning up after pets, dental health, prevention of disease, puppy training, kitten training, creating a dog friendly office, how to watch for changes in our pet’s behaviour and what to do about it – how to be a sustainable pet owner and the pluses of taking on an older rescue animal.   So there’s lots of learn and get involved with!

National Pet Month brings animal welfare charities, professional bodies, pet businesses, schools, youth groups, vets and pet lovers all together.  It’s co-ordinated by NOAH (the National Office of Animal Health) and UK Pet Food.

You’ll also probably find lots of pet-related businesses running discounts and offers for National Pet Month – or a part of it!  Viovet is one of these, with up to 20% off many products for dogs and cats.

So here are the National Pet Month social channels

Twitter

Facebook

Cat lovers should pounce here to “joinscratchingpost” whilst dog lovers should dig to “joinparkbench” both on Facebook.

Get involved in National Pet Month #NPM23:

• #PetPawsitivity – send a 30 minute video or picture of you and your pet, explaining what you love about being a pet owner
• Set up a mini fundraiser online for a UK pet charity and rescue
• Get everyone involved in the month – why not get the kids to create and share pet pictures and stories?
  
  

You could also share the Top Ten Tips for Responsible Pet Ownership

 Visit the National Pet Month website here.

Include the hashtags #NationalPetmonth or #NM23 in your posts and don’t forget to tag NPM and any other charities you mention at the same time!

Visit National Pet Month for more information

Prevention is better than cure, so they say, and those lovely people at online pet store Viovet have come up with 4 simple steps to a healthy lifestyle for your pets.  Actually, reading them, they could equally apply to people as well.

There are lots of ways you can help your beloved pets keep well and fit – feeding them the right food, for a start e.g. if you want to give your dog a chocolate treat, make sure the chocolate is made for dogs and not chocolate that you and I would eat.  Chocolate for humans can be lethal for dogs, and pet food makers have come up with chocolate treats for dogs. 

Find out more about Viovet's  healthy lifestyle in 4 easy steps

Viovet’s four steps to a healthy lifestyle are as follows – you can get more information from their website, as they cover questions such as how much exercise does your dog need, what sort of diet is best, there’s information on raw feeding,

Get active

Regular walkies for you and your woof will help you both with your weight, getting out and about, and mental health as you meet fellow dog walkers and of course everyone wants to say hallo when you’ve got a pooch on the end of a lead.   Please respect the countryside and keep dogs on leads if around livestock and wildlife, however well behaved your dog is.  It’s also very helpful to continue your dog’s training when you’re out and about – we used to train ours in the middle of fields, in the woods – we were both exhausted when we got home!

Diet

As I type this, I’m tucking into my morning coffee and a gorgeous shortbread biscuit (shall I have another one? My jeans are suggesting it wouldn’t be a good idea… Everything in moderation…)

Please make sure your pets, livestock and wildlife have plenty of fresh water available to them – this means cleaning out water bowls and baths regularly.  Vet advice is always helpful, but Viovet have plenty of pointers on their blog about decoding your dog’s diet, choosing the right commercial diet and looking at raw feeding.

Tackling anxiety and stress

Some pets get more anxious than others, and lockdown hasn’t helped if your dog is staying at home and you are now back at the office.  Viovet has some tips on how to help with separation anxiety such as leaving the radio on. Start going out without them for short periods of time so that they get used to it. 

Get regular check-ups

At the moment with so many of us finding things really tight financially, vet visits may be the last thing you want to do, but please keep up to date with vaccinations and checks – a problem spotted and dealt with earlier can be far less costly to deal with than leaving it in the hope it will go away.  Grooming your pet regularly will help you get used to feeling for anything unusual that crops up e.g. any lumps and bumps that are new and will need you to keep an eye on them. 

The Pet Food Manufacturers Association have a way you can check if pets are overweight – keeping their weight at the right amount will help keep your pet healthy.

Viovet have lots of ways they can help you, and there’s plenty of advice on all sorts of pet related health issues.  Don’t forget the PDSA and Blue Cross have help for people who meet their criteria for free or subsidised vet care.

The Canal and River Trust look after our canals and rivers (with lots of help from volunteers, in case you’re looking for something to do in your spare time, which makes a difference).

And they have launched a #PlasticsChallenge.

They say if everyone took their litter home with them and picked up even just ONE piece of plastic every time they visited, our canals and rivers could be free of litter within one year!

The Trust does an amazing job looking after the canals and rivers – but nonetheless, these beautiful places are in danger from mindless pollution!

Water birds make nests from pieces of plastics.   Aquatic invertebrates ingest plastic – and that means that small fish ingest them too, as they are higher up the food chain.

So everyone needs to get involved and pick up litter.  Every year, about 14 million pieces of plastic end up in our canals and rivers.  We need to reduce the plastics in these places.

The Canal and River Trust has advice on doing this safely and makes it very clear that you should NOT go into the water to collect plastic out.

Don’t let litter mean it’s over for wildlife.  Please pick up litter or share the information about the campaign!   

Please pledge your support for this #PlasticChallenge.

Wow, if you're looking for a gift or a card for an animal lover, why don't you take a look at Cardology?  

This is the Dressage Pop Up Card

They produce 3D pop up cards, which are hand made, and quite amazing! 

There's a Cat Tree Pop Up Card
The cards are kind of half gift, half card!

Got a friend who loves llamas?

And they've got a great selection of animal cards, including cards for horse lovers, dog lovers, cats, farm animals, bears, labradors, owls, and even a dinosaur! 

You could support Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
with the purchase of a Battersea card

There's also a Highland cow!

Visit Cardology here to see all their cards!