Bits for Pets Blog

A cat escaped unharmed after climbing under the bonnet of a van and travelling 15 miles (24km) while trapped in its engine.

The cat, named Pierrepoint, crept into the engine of the van and was left stuck inside when the van drove off.

The van travelled from Porchester to Southampton before the cat was discovered.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said cats occasionally become trapped inside engines but few survive.

Jim Green, of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, had to remove plastic guarding from underneath the van to make the rescue on 2 April.

He said: “In the end I had to reach up into the engine bay and encourage the cat through a small opening.

“I have known feral farm cats to climb into engine compartments to keep warm and the farmer to drive off unknowingly.

“These occasions don’t often end happily.”

The cat was taken to the RSPCA’s Stubbington Ark until its owners were traced two days later.

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Up to 150 terrapin turtles which have been terrorising wildlife in Hampstead Heath are to be rounded up.

The non-native creatures feed on worms, fish and even ducklings, said rangers in the north London park.

The Heath authorities were planning to airlift them to Italy, but now a private collector from Norfolk has offered to take them.

The invasion of terrapins in the UK has been linked to the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles craze of the early 1990s.

Heavy fine

Originally from America, terrapins are bought as pets and later released into the wild as they can grow up to a foot long.

“They live off the native wildlife, eating worms, fish and some ducklings,” said Rob Renwick, of the City of London Corporation which owns Hampstead Heath.

“It is estimated that there are up to 150 of these non-native species living in the ponds.”

He said there was a £5,000 fine for anyone caught releasing terrapins into the water.

Experts said UK waters were too cold for the terrapins to reproduce but climate change could change that.

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This year National Pet Week has got bigger and better! From 7 April - 7 May, you are invited to be a part of National Pet Month, supported by Iams. For the charity’s 18th birthday, thousands of people up and down the UK will be celebrating life with their pets, spreading the word on responsible pet ownership or raising money for their favourite charity in fun-filled events. Why not be a part of this?

National Pet Month’s aims are to:

* promote responsible pet ownership
* make people aware of the benefits of pets for people and people for pets
* increase public awareness of services available from professionals who work with animals
* raise awareness of the role, value and contribution to society of working companion animals

2007 theme - Love is …

Each year the responsible pet ownership is conveyed by running the events under a central theme. In 2007 it is ‘Love Is …..’ where we will be looking at how pets are a part of family life, the love they bring to all family members, and how we can repay that love.

If you want to learn more about National Pet Month or get involved, check our the National Pet Month website.

Click Here! To visit the official Pet Month website

It’s not such a dog’s life for pets in Norwich after a graduate set up a business specialising in holiday homes for dogs.

Paul Reeve, 24, runs Norfolk Home Boarding for Dogs, and makes sure when the rest of the family jets off to sunnier climes, their canine companion can enjoy the homely atmosphere of another dog-lover’s house.

The company has just catered for its 100th dog - a golden retriever called Sophie - while her owners were abroad.

It works by arranging for dogs to stay with a specially selected carer, someone with experience of looking after their own dog, in a relaxing homely atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of kennels.

Paul said: “Each carer must fulfil our criteria. They must have experience looking after dogs, be at home all of the time, have no other pets and no young children.

“We have a whole host of people keen to do it, from people who work part time or from home, to people who want a pet but work abroad for half the year and can only have one at certain times.

“We interview all of them personally and look around their homes to make sure we match them up with the right dog.”

When a dog owner enquires about the service Paul is quick to assess what sort of carer a dog will need.

He said: “We wouldn’t send a labrador puppy to a frail, elderly, lady.

“We would send bigger dogs to people with bigger gardens and perhaps more opportunities for walks nearby, we always have the dog’s interests at heart.”

Penny Clay, 59, who lives near Catfield, has been a carer since May 2006. She gets paid £8 a day, or £12.50 if she is looking after two dogs together.

She said: “Paul insists you meet the dog and its owners before it comes to you and the owner provides all the food and things, and a few toys and comfort things to make the dog feel at home. It is so much better than a kennel.”

Norfolk Home Boarding for Dogs operates from Mr Reeve’s house in Hellesdon where he lives with his parents Sally and Malcolm.

After suffering an accident while at university, Mr Reeve started working from home and came up with the idea when he returned to Norwich in 2004.

The company charges £14 a day for a single dog and £21 a day for two dogs together.

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It is the invention which could virtually consign the poop scoop to the dustbin of history.

A firm in Holland claim to have invented a dog food which dramatically reduces the number of times the animals have to defecate.

Energique dog food, it is claimed, is almost entirely absorbed into the pets’ body, with the remainder coming out in the form of a small, dry, easily disposable pellet.

Jos van der Linden, and his partner Nanette Waldorp invented the revolutionary food and claim it reduces the amount of times a dog needs to defecate from up to three times a day to just once a week.

But yesterday, dog experts expressed their concerns about the food, which they said could prove extremely harmful to the animals’ digestive system.

Mr van der Linden said he and Ms Waldorp first came up with the idea when the Irish wolf hounds they kept became ill.

A dog breeder suggested they put the pets on a meat-only diet and soon afterwards, there was a noticeable improvement in the dogs’ condition.

The couple then set about producing Energique, which is totally meat-based.

They say the protein, vitamins and minerals the food contains is more like the diet that dogs have in the wild.

Regular dog food, by comparison, consists of about 15 per cent meat, chicken leftovers, cereal crops and water.

“The problem is that a dog’s bowel is not made for cereal crops,” said Mr van der Linden.

“The whole secret behind the success of Energique is the simple approach that dogs, were they not pets, would only eat meat.”

The firm claims that only 10 per cent of what the dogs on the Energique diet eat is later excreted, meaning up to 50 million kilograms fewer dog droppings per year in Holland alone.

But Chris Lawrence, veterinary director of the Dogs Trust, yesterday disputed the claim that the Energique ingredients were similar to what the animals would eat in the wild.

He said: “An all-meat diet is very unnatural for a dog because they are omnivores and are built to eat all sorts of food.

“In the wild they will eat berries and all sorts of things, as well as meat.

“Dogs also have to go to the toilet regularly to keep their digestive system working properly, so something that prevents that has the potential to cause some dogs a lot of difficulty.”

Mr Lawrence added: “Responsible dog owners don’t have a problem with taking a plastic bag with them to pick up the poop when they take their pets for a walk, but the whole idea of this food is taking things in the opposite direction by saying they don’t need to bother. That is definitely not the message that we want to send out.”

A spokesman for the Kennel Club also expressed his concerns. He said: “While it may be convenient for the owner that the dog only has to go to the toilet once a week, we are slightly concerned because dogs normally have to go at least once a day to ensure they have healthy organs, such as the stomach, intestine and bowel.”

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Further proof that Britain is a nation of animal lovers has been provided by new research showing more than £520 million was spent on buying pets in the last year.

New cats and dogs have cost UK residents £2.6 billion since 2002, Halifax pet insurance says.

But despite dog fanatics spending £282 per pooch and cat lovers shelling out £92 on every kitty, the insurance provider warns that pet owners are underestimating vet bills by 103 per cent.

“The research reinforces the perception of Britain as a nation of pet lovers who are happy to spend large amounts of money to purchase their perfect pet,” said Halifax’s Vicky Watson.

“However, it is worrying that so few pet owners are researching the upkeep costs for their chosen pet before selecting an animal.”

And showing that man’s best friend is indeed his dog, the survey shows that male Britons spent an average of £335 on canines in 2006, £106 more than women.

The majority of dogs homed in the last five years came directly from breeders, with just 23 per cent coming from animal rescue centres, Halifax claims.

But the most popular way of getting a cat was from a friend of an owner (31 per cent), with a quarter coming from rescue centres.

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Ill dogs are being saved by the country’s first animal blood bank.

Pet Blood Bank UK collects, stores and supplies the red stuff for vets across Britain, and has already saved the lives of 12 animals.

Each donation – usually a pint – takes five minutes and dog donors are given a bandana and an edible treat as a gift.

Among the first to donate their blood were rescued greyhounds Lance, Seamus and Stanley, owned by Dianne Hubber, 40, from Durham.

‘Before the national blood bank was set up, they would have to have another dog that cross-matches with it,’ said Mrs Hubber, a voluntary worker with Sunderland- based Greyhound Rescue North East.

‘This is a life-saving initiative and it’s just like human donations – dogs give blood on a regular basis.

‘We are not using or abusing them. I like to think rescue dogs are helping other dogs.’

Blood transfusions are often vital in surgery or when the dog patient suffers trauma or has a disease.

Wendy Barnett, executive director of the blood bank, based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, said one donation could help four dogs.

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www.petbloodbank.org