Pets Magazine April 2021

April 2021, FREE

The new Pet Obesity Epidemic

Top dog trainer

What’s toxic to

Tony Knight

your pets in the garden

& much more inside…

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Indulgent ‘locked down’ owners causing Pet Obesity epidemic…

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The latest lockdown has played havoc with the routines of dogs and their owners – with both parties eating more and moving less – as new research from charity Guide Dogs has found the average dog has put on 3.3 kgs in the past year.

dogs’ ‘lockdown lard’ is due to them dipping into the treat tin more often whilst home working, whilst a quarter say that they take their dog on fewer walks, due to longer working hours and struggling with a lack of routine at home.

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Almost one in ten admit that they used to rely on a professional dog walker to get With an estimated 10.1 million the mileage in when they were pet dog owners in the UK, this working from the of ce; whilst adds up to a whopping 33.33 dog theft is a clear concern for million kilograms of extra many, with a quarter citing it as weight, equivalent to 100 jumbo a reason for taking their dog jets in weight, across the out less during Covid nation. Of those surveyed, a third believe their

Many people and pets have piled on the pounds during lockdown

Interestingly, male owners have seen bigger weight gains in their pets than female dog owners, with the average dog dad saying their pet has put on 4.1kg across the year, compared to 2.8kg in dogs owned by women. And perhaps due to having less access to countryside and green spaces, dogs living in London saw the largest average weight gain at 5kgs – or half a stone – whereas dogs living in Yorkshire or East Anglia saw the lowest average weight increase at 2.4kg.

With almost half of home

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The research, commissioned

by Guide Dogs ahead of its annual ‘Walk Your Socks Off’ fundraising challenge, shows when it comes to doggy exercise, a quarter of

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workers saying their own snacking has increased, it’s clear this has also extended to their dogs - reasons for giving extra treats include trying to keep pets quiet during important conferencing calls and barking incessantly when home deliveries arrive. Nearly a quarter put extra snacking down the fact they are spending more time with their dogs, whereas one in ve just can’t resist their puppy eyes

respondents say they aren’t totally sure how much exercise their dog needs each day.

Nearly one in ve (18%) admit that they didn’t know a lack of exercise can cause behavioural problems, such as overgrooming (licking too much) or chewing things

But encouragingly, 44% are looking to up the ante and get outdoors more once spring has sprung and lockdown has eased

Dr Helen Whiteside, Head of Research at Guide Dogs, comments: “Our research has shown that lockdown has had a There are also concerns that signi cant impact on many dogs have had less socialising dogs’ health and wellbeing. And during lockdown, with one in while a little weight gain is not ve owners admitting they don’t the end of the world, it is let their pet play with others on important that owners address walks due to social distancing it as soon as possible, to measures, and nearly one in prevent medical issues like six worrying that this had led to heart disease, diabetes and their dog feeling lonely and joint problems later down the isolated line. A healthier dog is a happier dog, so owners should

In response, Guide Dogs are urging the nation to sign up to their May challenge and set their own step target – with or without a pet pooch in tow - to raise at least £50 to help fund the charity’s efforts to aid children and adults in the UK living with sight loss. In return for their efforts, Guide Dogs will send each successful fundraiser a pair of exclusive socks designed by fashion legend Julian McDonald Whether you need your dog to shed some weight, or just want to know more about the subject, Guide Dogs' Head of Research Dr Helen Whiteside shares her top tips on preventing – and banishing the dreaded lockdown lard

Get a vet check to get an accurate weight and ask for a body condition score.

We use a 9-point body condition score at Guide Dogs, with a dog ideally sitting in the middle at a ‘4’ or ‘5’. If your dog is out of shape, ask your vet’s advice before stepping up their exercise

Weigh your dog’s food allowance on digital scales,

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following the guidelines from

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prioritise daily walks, consider healthy treat swaps and check their weight on a regular basis.

the food’s manufacturer. It’s very easy to overor underfeed using a cup measure or going by eye

Exercise! Make sure your dog gets active. Did you know adult dogs need at least an hour a day? This means running around or walking at a fast pace, but be sure to avoid going out in hot weather and be mindful of their tness level – if they are out of shape, gradually build them up to longer walks. The Walk Your Socks Off challenge is a great way to start a daily routine and fundraise for Guide Dogs

pets, but some moderation and clever choices can make a big difference. Try carrots instead of dental chews for instance, as these are often surprisingly high in calories. Make sure to adjust your dog’s daily food allowance to allow for these treats.

Use interactive feeders over The Walk Your Socks Off just a bowl. Stuffable toys and challenge takes place puzzle feeders are a great way to make your dog’s meal last longer and can help them avoid gulping food, which can cause stomach problems. They are also mentally stimulating and a great workout for your dog’s brain

Make healthy swaps for treats. We love to spoil our

throughout May. To register, visit: https:// www.guidedogs.org.uk/walkyour-socks-off/.

Protecting your pets in the garden

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Here’s my top tips for keeping your pets safe in the garden:

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With spring brings the promise of warmer and longer days, and pet owners across the UK are looking forward to making the most of the season by relaxing in the garden with their four-legged friends.But while we may love spending time outdoors with our pets, many of us fail to consider the threats that are

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By MATT JORDAN at The Greenhouse Peopl

that a shocking 52% of dogs are stolen from gardens, making it the most likely place a pet will be stolen from

Ensure your garden is as secure as possible by checking Gated of A sturdy fence is no longer just all garden gates are locked and to prevent your furry friend from defensive shrubbery is getting out but is now essential tactically planted around your fence line to prevent intruders for keeping unwanted guests from climbing over from coming in It’s estimated that there has been a 250 percent increase in dognapping since the pandemic in ated puppy prices, while The Kennel Club reports

Tech-savvy pet owners may also want to consider investing in extra deterrents such as motion sensor security lights, CCTV and alarm systems

spring but avoid keeping them in reach of pets as these plants are toxic to both dogs and cats. On rare occasions, tulip poisoning has also been known to cause heart failure in dogs

which is highly contagious and often fatal in dogs who are unvaccinated. Cat stool also poses a very serious threat to both humans and other cats alike and should never be left to fester in the garden

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the parasite Azaleas – A part of the Toxoplasma gondii which rhododendron family, infected cats can pass on to Azaleas are considered humans through their faeces highly toxic and could Although in most people it will cause death in cats and only cause u-like symptoms, it dogs. A vet should be can have more severe effects called immediately if on those with weakened these are believed to immune systems, such as have been ingested children or pregnant women With all these measures in place, it is still recommended that you adhere to the RSPCA’s advice that you never leave your dog unsupervised while in the garden or at least keep them in view

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In the kno You may not know what toxins are in your gardening products, particularly if it is not labelled as unsuitable for pet owners Fertilisers, lawn feed and weed killers can all be hazardous to pets, so be careful when using Protective plantin these products. Many Now spring has arrived, we’re gardeners love to use cocoa sure to see plants blossoming Dirty habit mulch for its natural weed in our gardens. Though Much to the dismay of their prevention – not to mention its pleasing to the eye, the fresh chocolatey aroma. However, colours and smells can be very owners, many dogs will eat their own poo and other animal pets can be poisoned by all attractive to pets. Eating them faeces. However, this is a very products made from cocoa may be dangerous, or even dangerous habit for your dog. It beans. This could even be fatal fatal, should that plant be should be quickly discouraged if large quantities are ingested poisonous and prevented by regularly Pet-loving gardeners should be cautious to avoid products that A few plants you may not know removing animal droppings could be harmful and should are poisonous to your pets are from you garden. Animal poo can host a variety of diseases always strive to use pet-friendly alternatives.

Tulips – The colourful bloom of and parasites. One of the tulips are the perfect accent for deadliest for dogs is parvovirus

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Daffodils – Nothing says spring quite like the sunnyfaced Daffodil. However, these friendly owers are actually poisonous, with the majority of their toxicity stored in their bulb.

While low in toxicity, they can still cause upset stomachs and vomiting in cats and dogs

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Is Nicotine Poisoning Your Dog?

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s a smoker, you may be cancer, among numerous other health complications – and trying your best to could die younger as a result. keep your home free of

smoke smells. But smoke leaves behind much more than just a smell. According to

One in five pets belonging to smokers have even eaten a cigarette in the last year.

Millions of us share our homes with a four-legged companion, and the average dog-owning smoker exposes their canine friend to 3,285 cigarettes every year of their life.

Even moving into the home of a former smoker can have serious consequences when a dog starts breathing in the smoke particles that linger.

Dogs have a far stronger sense research carried out in 2018, of smell than us, with over 300 million receptors in their noses third-hand smoke (the compared to six million in carcinogenic toxins deposited humans. This not only means by cigarette smoke) not only that we can sometimes be lingers on carpets, walls and oblivious to third-hand smoke, furniture but can be but means that breathing in recirculated around a building There are plenty of proactive second-hand smoke is many over and over again. steps you can take to reduce the times more unpleasant for a dangers to your dog posed by dog. Most dogs spend the vast This not only causes ongoing both third-hand and secondmajority of their days in your damage to your health, but puts hand smoke. home – around 23 hours on your pet at risk too. Dogs living average when you subtract with smokers are 60% more 80% of cigarette smoke is walks. likely to develop cancers, invisible, so there are many including lung cancer and nasal ways it can harm your dog.

Ensure that you only smoke outside. This will reduce the danger indoors, but the smoke particles will still settle on the fibres of your clothes.

Dust all surfaces regularly, as the presence of dust can help to trap third-hand smoke and increase the dangers it poses.

Get your carpets professionally cleaned. This will not remove all the dangerous particles from your floors but it will do significantly more than a regular vacuum cleaner can.

Properly ventilate the inside of your home. Make sure that windows are opened Spending hours in the wide (not just when you’re immediate vicinity of your body smoking), and during the means they’re breathing in the colder months use an effective smoke particles on your clothes extractor fan system. Devices What are the signs of at close range. These aren’t the like air purifiers and air nicotine poisoning in dogs? only reasons that second and third-hand Nicotine poisoning smoke particles settle on their becomes a very serious smoke have serious health implications for risk when dogs are fur; they come into constant your dog. Because over-exposed to smoke direct contact with them by smoke particles settle particles at home. The on their fur, they come amount of nicotine grooming into constant direct which could be contact with them by considered overgrooming themselves. exposure depends upon fresheners will do nothing but Inhaling smoke also the size of your dog – but no mask the smell. exacerbates existing conditions amount of exposure is without in dogs, such as bronchitis and danger.

Vacuum your home asthma. regularly. Getting into every How can I protect my dog from Here are the signs of nicotine nook and cranny of your second-hand smoke at home? poisoning to look out for in fittings and furnishings with a The only way to ensure your dog. powerful vacuum cleaner will complete protection from reduce the impact of secondsmoke for your dog is to stop Suddenly becoming hand smoke, but again, it far smoking. There are just too hyperactive. If your dog from solves the problem. many ways that smoke can behaves in an over-excited linger and cling to the insides of manner without something Make sure ashtrays are your home, only to be breathed prompting it, this is a sign that emptied and not left in by your dog. something isn’t quite right. uncovered, in order to prevent your dog from eating However, there are ways that their contents. you can significantly lessen the impact of your smoke.

Unless you take them to work with you every day, then they’re spending far more time in your home environment than you are, exposing them to the dangers of third-hand smoke.

On top of this, dogs love to be as close to their owners as possible.

Excessive drooling. In most dog breeds this is not normal, and while there can be many reasons for it, it should be treated as a red flag.

Abnormal breathing patterns. Some dog breeds have more trouble breathing than others, but any change to normal patterns should be closely monitored.

without taking part in any exercise? This could be a response to a serious internal problem.

If your dog displays one or Vomiting or diarrhoea. more of these symptoms, you These indicate that your dog Constricted pupils. If your should get them to a vet for has ingested something they dog’s pupils have become emergency treatment as quickly shouldn’t, and could suggest smaller without the presence of as possible. nicotine consumption if other bright light, then keep a close symptoms are present. eye out for other symptoms.

Making a smoking household safe for a dog is not as simple Incoordination and Twitches, tremors or as an overnight spring clean. It weakness. Is your dog seizures. These will be visibly will take long-term changes, as stumbling? If they are suddenly obvious and should all be well as increased awareness of unable to stay upright or avoid treated as symptoms of an the dangers of second and bumping into furniture, immediate and serious health third-hand smoke, to really examine them for other problem. make a difference. symptoms.

Elevated heart rate. Has your dog’s pulse become faster

Rescue rabbits help beat carer’s anxiety

A woman who adopted a rescue rabbit says her bunny companion has helped ease her anxiety and gain con dence.

Pets can have a positive impact Nancy everywhere she goes like some emotional support on our wellbeing from animals, it encouraged her to providing vital companionship think about the positive impact as well as helping us feel more pets can have. optimistic and lowering blood

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me and that’s how I found Nancy. Her profile description said she’d been with the RSPCA for six months already. Her partner bunny had been very poorly so they were waiting to pressure.

She travelled from on the see if he would pull through so Wirral to meet Nancy at the they could be rehomed together Siân Burns, 29, from on the RSPCA Manchester and Salford - but sadly he didn’t make it.

Wirral, found this when she branch in June 2019 and it was was going through a tough time immediately love at first sight. Prior to coming into RSPCA in her life and suffering from care, she’d been living in a tiny anxiety. She’d read about Siân said: “I was looking on the enclosure with other rabbits emotional support animals and RSPCA website for pets near and had been used for although she doesn’t take

care, Benjamin had been picked on by his brother as they were both two unneutered males living in a small hutch so he had injuries all over him from fights. Despite this, he has such a laid back personality and he and Nancy bonded really quickly.”

Siân has since reached out to the Wirral branch of the charity Mind where she began volunteering as an Admin Assistant. She is passionate about supporting the mental health charity and volunteering was an opportunity to put her Siân said: “I knew when I previous work skills into adopted her that I hoped she practice. She has now started would help make me feel better a new job in HR at the but I had no idea just how charity, all thanks to a little much she would change things! lop bunny who hopped into I’d been through a negative her life one summer. time, I was no longer working

and suffering with anxiety and “I would recommend rabbits my counselling was coming to for anyone looking for a pet.

an end.

They are very relaxing and it’s Siân travels from her home on

therapeutic sitting and the Wirral to the Salford “After I adopted Nancy, I saw watching them hop around. branch every week to volunteer that they were advertising for Nancy has helped me so much volunteers. If I hadn’t adopted for the RSPCA and she now has being my un-official therapyNancy, I wouldn’t have known two rabbits from the branch bunny. Without Nancy I after rehoming Benjamin in about that. She’s given me the wouldn’t have achieved as September 2019. confidence to do more. The much as I have over the last few

welfare knowledge I had from months,” Siân said.

Siân continued: “Now that I having my own rabbit has was going out more, I didn’t helped me with my volunteer To help the RSPCA, please want Nancy to be lonely so I work at the branch, and now I visit website or call spoke to the branch manager help care for rabbits, guinea donation line on 0300 123 about getting another rabbit. pigs and other small animals.

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Before he came into RSPCA

breeding. She’d had a really tough start in life, so I wanted to give her a good home. I felt that she needed me as much as I needed her. She’s so friendly even though she’s been through so much. The support from the RSPCA team helped make the process as stress-free as possible.”

Nancy hopped onto Siân’s lap for a stroke as soon as they met, and she settled into her new home with Siân very well. She has since been joined by another bunny companion from the RSPCA branch.

“When I first started volunteering, I thought if I get nervous around people I can just go and sit with the rabbits, but I’ve gained a lot of confidence since being here. I show people round, talk to inspectors, and chat to people looking to adopt. I have also helped to train new members of the team.”

Tony Knight, an internationally-acclaimed Dog Listener and trainer,

Veton why some forms of obedience training are a waste of time...

Tony Knight, an internationallyacclaimed Dog Listener and trainer, on why teaching your dog to sit is a waste of time.

Imagine that you are in town just after a rainstorm. Each time you have to cross the road, you are told to sit down before you can cross. The ground is still wet, and if you refuse your backside is forced down onto the cold, wet surface. Nice I have heard so many dog trainers use the “sit” command as their “cure-all” for problem dog behaviour. It’s almost as if they regard it as a magic spell that instantly calms a dog. I have said many times over the years that training a dog to sit is ne and dandy, but it is not nearly as important as many people believe it to be

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I remember well a dog owner who had some issues with their dogs so, like an awful lot of people who don’t know where else to turn, she enrolled in dog obedience classes. Of course, a big part of the lessons was teaching the dog to sit. The instructor told everyone to ask their dog to sit. If a dog did not do so, they were to push their dog’s bottom down to the oor.

This lady’s dog resisted her attempts to be pushed down, prompting the trainer to come over, tell the lady that she was “far too soft”, and forcibly shove the dog’s backside down. This caused the dog to yelp – not great This treatment carried on for a few weeks; each time the trainer forced the dog’s bottom

down, causing a yelp. It was only when the owner noticed that her dog had trouble walking for a day or two after the classes that alarm bells started ringing.

A quick trip to the vets led to an X-ray that found chronic hip dysplasia. We advised her to stop going to the classes

Greyhounds nd it dif cult to sit like other dogs; the way they have been genetically engineered makes it uncomfortable for many.

Personally, I had two request for my dogs; to come to me when I asked and to stay where they were if necessary. Sitting, standing or lying down was their choice but I put no pressure on them as frankly it is not important

while Number Three trumpeted.

The fourth one gave us a kiss (actually it sucked at our faces with its trunk). I have subsequently seen where they stick their trunks – I would never have one do that to my face again Anyway, when I asked the staff how they taught the elephants

with your dog as it performs incredible feats, or your 4legged friend only knows to come when you call them, make sure you both enjoy the experience.

Remember that teaching a dog to sit is OK, but it is not what makes for a well-behaved and calm canine. Knowing how to convince your dog in their language that they can trust you with the big decisions – that’s the real deal

“Teaching a dog to sit is OK,

but it is not what makes for a

If you enjoy teaching your dog tricks then that is great. Expecting a dog to understand what you mean right away is not realistic.

well-behaved and calm canine.”

You can see how I use patience and repetition with a puppy here to quickly make progress https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-DHKgXX0nNs

to do that, I was relieved to hear that they noticed the animals doing them anyway – they simply introduced a treat To nd out more, visit: Using force to make them when they did it to create an www.tonyknightdoglistener.com perform risks creates a association (a lot like clicker negative experience or even physical pain (as in the case of training which was originally our poor dog with the bad hips). developed for dolphins) Nowadays, we are turned off by Human babies learn through the idea of seeing trained animals in a circus as we know patience and repetition too; can you imagine what would that there is often a de nite element of force and coercion. happen to parents if they Good trainers use no force but smacked their baby around the head for not getting the idea of do practice plenty of patience saying “Thank you” on the rst Several years ago, I went to an attempt?

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elephant sanctuary in South Africa. We were introduced to four elephants that performed “tricks” for us – one stamped its foot, the second shook its ears,

Time and patience are both crucial when learning any skill, no matter how basic. Whether you end up on a TV talent show