Bits for Pets Blog

British pet lovers could be set for a summer of scratching after sharing their homes with up to 2 million fleas, a veterinary charity has warned.

The PDSA - People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals - said that every pet-owning household in the country could have around 20,000 flea eggs at any one time.

The organisation’s experts said the flea population can increase up to one hundred times within the space of six months as they reproduce.
Pests

And PDSA’s vets reckon at the height of the summer onslaught, Britain’s canine population can lose as much as 17,600 pints - or 2,200 gallons - of blood every day to the bloodthirsty mites.

The figures underline the need for pet owners to take comprehensive steps to rid homes - and pets - of the pests, said the charity.
Flea eggs

PDSA senior veterinary surgeon, Elaine Pendlebury, said: ‘Flea eggs fall off your pet wherever it goes, in particular where they sleep.

‘So if your pet snoozes with you at night, your bed could literally be infested with hundreds of fleas and eggs - not a comforting thought when you’re trying to get to sleep at night.

‘It is vitally important to use the correct flea treatments and dosage for pets.’
Treatments

She added: ‘Using a dog flea treatment on a cat can result in fatal poisoning, as can exceeding the recommended dosage, so always consult your vet for advice on the best flea treatment to use.

‘Remember too that treating your pet is only part of the procedure as you will have to treat your home and all of the pets within your household too.

‘Everything the dog or cat comes into contact with should be treated with a product recommended by your vet or it is inevitable that the fleas will come back.’
Health problems

Fleas can cause very serious health problems. They are one of the most common causes of skin disease in dogs and in severe cases, smaller animals, particularly kittens, can die from anaemia, due to blood loss from the feeding fleas.

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ANYONE who has bought a puppy in the last three years is being invited to take part in a national online survey organised by the RSPCA.

Questions include where the puppy came from, how it was advertised, how much it cost and if you’d buy another puppy from the same place. Results will enable the charity to identify if buying a puppy is generally a positive or negative experience.

Justine Pannett of the RSPCA said: “You can pick up a puppy from a newspaper advert, a neighbour, pet shop, farm or breeder, so we’re trying to get a grip on how successful people’s experiences actually are.

“It’s obvious to say, but a puppy is a living creature and this survey will help us determine whether or not these dogs are suffering throughout the experience, or if in general they are treated well.”

Anyone who has bought a puppy in the last three years is encouraged to take part in the survey, which runs until Monday, May 12. It can be found at www.rspca.org.uk/puppysurvey

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A COYLTON cat could be officially classed as loveable and entertaining if she wins a national competition.

Proud owner Gayle Glendinning is beaming that Mylo has been nominated into the national Felix Factor competition - and she could see herself bagging a holiday and camcorder if he’s chosen.

While Mylo would be given the prestigious title of the UK’s Most Loveably Mischievous Cat and a years supply of cat food.

The winning cat in the competition has to have certain qualities - a feline as loveable and entertaining as the TV favourite black and white cat, Felix.

Gayle only entered Mylo because of her endless mischievous antics including jumping on to Gayle’s bed from the top of the bedroom door.

She said: “Mylo loves to have everyone’s attention all the time and is always climbing through our neighbours’ open windows to say hello. I hope that the judges will think that Mylo has the Felix Factor too and I have my fingers crossed that we will win.”

Felix Factor is part of National Mischief Month following recent research that a little bit of harmless mischief is good for us – giving the brain a buzz and increasing feelings of wellbeing.

If you think your cat has the Felix Factor visit www.catslikefelix.co.uk or post your entry to Felix Factor, Clarion Communications, The Griffin Building, 83 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5AR.

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Beechwood Veterinary Hospital is not only helping save the lives of sick pets, it could help save their owners too. The surgery is the first and only place in the country where dogs and people can give blood.

The Doncaster vets has teamed up with the National Blood Service (NBS) and Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk) to offer the community the chance to help with these worthy causes.

Mark Straw, veterinary surgeon and associate director said: “I’m a regular blood donor and know how important it is to give. I thought it would be a great if I could do it at work, luckily enough so did the other staff and the owners of our patients. I am proud that Beechwood is now a people and pets lifesaver.”

Mark added: “Once we were on the way to arranging our first NBS visit one of the dogs we were treating needed a transfusion so we made some calls and our first canine session takes place in May.

The NBS sessions take place on the organisation’s bloodmobile which has three beds, health screening booth and the all important tea and biscuit area. The bloodmobile travels to various companies and organisations around South Yorkshire.

Craig Taylor, spokesperson for the NBS, said: “We would thank to thank everyone who gave and remind anyone interested that if you give you will be helping ill patients. Our thanks also go out to everyone at hospital for making us so welcome.”

“This is a real first for the country and it is happening here in Doncaster. It just goes to show how generous all it’s residents are, I’m sure they will have as much support from their doggy donors as well.”

The first visit saw 28 people attending and 22 rolled up their sleeves and gave a pint, including 13 brand new donors. The next for people takes place on Tuesday, 8 April. Four legged donors get their chance on Sunday 18th May.

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CAT-lovers from across Worcestershire are being called on to enter this year’s version of the Oscars for rescue cats.

Now in its fourth year, the Cats Protection Rescue Cat Awards 2008 are designed to celebrate the real-life stories of survival, bravery and heroism in the cat world.

The Worcester and district branch of Cats Protection, which covers Worcester, Malvern, Droitwich and Tenbury, is on the prowl for county nominations for the awards.

Lynn Glaze, Worcester and district branch co-ordinator, said: “There is something very special about each and every rescue cat, and that is something we want to celebrate.

“The last event was very well-supported and we had someone from Droitwich who reached the finals.”

This year’s ceremony on Friday, August 1, will be attended by celebrity supporters at a glamorous awards evening at the Pharaohs Palace Hospitality Suite in London’s O2 Arena.

Owners have until Tuesday, May 27, to enter one of the four categories: Hero cat - cats that save the day; Ultimate Survivor - tales of feline survival after those nine lives have been spent; Best Friends - where a best feline friend has radically improved the quality of human life and Most Incredible Story - belief-defying, true stories.

The awards are open to any living cat rescued as a stray by its current owner or adopted from an animal welfare organisation.

For more information and an entry form, call 01905 820348 or visit www.cats.org.uk The forms will also be available from vets, pet shops and catteries across Worcestershire and Wychavon.

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A colossal shire horse in Australia has been proclaimed the biggest horse in the world by its owner, beating the current Guinness World Record by several inches.

The giant five-year-old, from Pakenham, S.E Australia, measures a staggering 20.1 hands, or 2.057m tall. He weighs over 1.3 tonnes (1300kg) - about the same as a small car - and is still growing.

His owner, horse trainer Jane Greenman, 47, says the only time the lumbering beast runs is when there is food on offer.

“It sounds like a mountain moving when he gallops across the paddock to come and get his breakfast,” she says. “He eats an incredible amount. I would hate to run a team of eight horses his size - it would send you broke.”

Mounting the horse is no easy task, either. “We have to use a ladder to get on top of him, or swing off a tree,” says Jane.

The massive horse, whose full name is Luscombe Nordram, was born in Australia to a mare and sire imported from England. Noddy’s grandfather, Ladbrooke Edward (UK) was the world’s tallest horse during the 1980’s.

But Jane had no idea that the foal she hand-reared from the age of six months would grow this big. Noddy immediately began to rocket and soon overtook both his parents in size.

“Every year I measure him on his birthday and we discovered that he was getting really huge.”

Although she says that she is not interested in the Guiness Book of Records, nevertheless Jane has carried out her own research and is sure that Noddy comes top.

“The nearest is a horse in Texas, at 20 hands,” says Jane.

“Noddy is already an inch taller than that. The scary thing is he still hasn’t finished - shire horses aren’t fully grown until they’re about six or seven”.

Jane has hinted that Noddy could be sold overseas, possibly even fetching a record price to match his height.

She is reluctant to sell, but to fund the immense cost of keeping him she needs to put him to work. Despite Noddy being trained to harness heavy loads, this is not easy for a horse his size.

“He needs a job. It’s very hard to find jobs for such a big horse in Australia. I wish he could stay here but I’ve tried everywhere,” she says regretfully.

“I just want people to enjoy this beautiful animal as much as I do.”

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A pet boa constrictor has gone missing from a family home in Newcastle.

The 5ft (1.52m) snake, a Colombian rainbow species, escaped from the property in St Anthony’s House, Byker, on Wednesday.

Police said the reptile, called Shakira, is not believed to be dangerous but its owner is concerned it may intimidate residents in the area.

Anyone who finds the family pet is advised to call Northumbria Police or RSPCA officers.

Sgt Paul Roberts-Bee said: “While the snake is a pet and has been brought up around children the owner is concerned it might intimidate anyone who comes across it.

“The reptile is not venomous and not thought to be a risk to the public.”

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Rusty, the obese chocolate Labrador, who hit the headlines a year ago when his owners were found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering, has reached his target weight.

Rusty weighed 74.2kgs, more than twice his ideal weight, when he was removed from his owners in March 2006.

Between March 2006 and January 2007, Rusty lost 24.6kgs in RSPCA care. He was returned to his owners in January 2007 on condition that he did not put the weight back on and remained under the treatment of his veterinary surgeon, Alex Wylie of Eastgate Veterinary Group in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

In December 2007, Rusty finally reached his target weight of 40kgs after receiving a special Royal Canin diet.

Rusty had also been suffering from untreated arthritic conditions, which have eased since his weight loss, and he is receiving arthritis medication donated by Meriel Animal Health Limited.

Rusty’s vet, Alex Wylie, said, “Rusty has made huge progress. We can now feel his ribs and he has a waistline at last. He is a much happier and healthier dog now, his pain is well-controlled and he walks much better than he could before. He can stand for long periods of time and doesn’t tire as easily.

“Prior to his treatment and weight loss Rusty was the most disabled dog I have ever seen in practice. However, he now has a proper life again.

“I honestly think that without the help of the RSPCA, Meriel’s donation and Royal Canin, Rusty would have been put to sleep by now.”

Give your pet a new lease of life and visit: www.petsgetslim.co.uk

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Six abandoned kittens have found an unexpected new mother figure - a pet rabbit.

Veterinary nurse Melanie Humble took the three-week-old kittens to her Aberdeen home.

The kittens seemed to think Summer the rabbit was their mother and began to climb all over her and try to feed from her.

Efforts will be made to find the four males and two females permanent homes in the coming weeks.

Melanie, 29, told the BBC Scotland news website: “The abandoned kittens were handed in when they were about three weeks old and I took them home.

“Summer the rabbit was taken inside on Bonfire Night because of the fireworks and the kittens seemed to really like her and thought she was their mother.”

‘She’s gigantic’

She added: “They were trying to get milk from her and climbing over her. And Summer was not bothered by them at all.

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We have now introduced the Zoomed range of Terrariums. Zoomed have brought out a range of glass terrariums for reptile and amphibian owners. The terrariums have a full front glass opening door, with secure snap closure. A zoomed Repti Lock can be added for extra security. Th special screen top keeps feeder insects in while allowing greater UVA and UVB penetration throughout the terrarium. These smart looking terrariums are available in 4 different sizes, and are in stock now!

Click Here! To view our Zoomed Terrariums