Pets Magazine December - January 2019

COMPETITION:

December/January 2019, FREE

WIN A 3D SCULPTURE OF YOUR PET!

Eight pages of Top Pet

Help Your Dog Fight

Product

the Battle of

Reviews

the Bulge!

PLUS MUCH MORE INSIDE!

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Pets Magazine Pictured is Pets Mag’s Rufus Cavalier

Does Your Pet Have The XMAS Factor?

We're searching for the most festive of pets for our #PetXmasFactor competition. You can win a 3D sculpture of YOUR pet (literally, any pet, from cat to iguana!) designed by 3D printing specialists Arty Lobster.

Arty Lobster’s highly skilled artists create the 3D pet sculptures, which are 3D printed in-house before being delivered to the customer.

The company offers three options, including sandstone, bronze and custom options and sculptures range in size from 14 cm (5.5 inches) tall when sitting (or long when standing) to 20 cm (8 inches) tall for the large sculpture.

The prize is for a 14cm sandstone sculpture featuring a brass nameplate.

TO ENTER, and for full details & terms & conditions, please visit the following website: Pet XMAS Factor Competition.

The deadline for entries is midnight on Monday 17th December 2018. One lucky winner will be announced during the first week of January 2019.

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Pets Magazine

Cavaliers’ Choices...

Premium pet products, destinations & activities for you & your pet chosen by Sophie Nell and Rufus, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, assisted by Marie.

Vacuum Away!

We love the new Gtech Pro K9, the first cordless, bagged vacuum for pets.

Engineered specifically for pet owners, it comes with 16 different cleaning modes meaning it can move powerfully from carpets to hard floors, to attacking even the most stubborn pet hair and dirt on upholstery, or your pet’s favourite snooze areas.

The lightweight Pro K9 combines the convenience of cordless, with the hygienic dust disposal of a bag. If you’ve got a particularly pongy pooch, the carbon-enriched filter bags help to neutralise smells from the dirt and pet hairs collected. They’re also lightly lavender-scented which give rooms a fresh fragrance every time you clean.

Initially sceptical about a bagged vacuum cleaner, we found this machine to be a revelation. It’s versatile and the bags are designed conveniently so you can abandon the usual slog of hand-cleaning the device of dog hair! Overall, it’s much cleaner and more efficient. The bags aren’t expensive either at 10 for £12.99.

The Gtech Pro K9 (RRP £299.99).

Yum Yum! We love the latest additions to Natures Menu, the leading maker of raw and natural nutrition, Country Hunter Raw Superfood Nuggets range – Grass Fed Beef, and Turkey & Goose.The Turkey & Goose is made from 80% turkey and goose meat with a delicious blend of swede, carrots, peas and taste tingling redcurrant – an ideal festive meal for a furry friend so that they can dine in style on the big day too!

Country Hunter Superfood Nuggets are made with quality human grade ingredients and are complete and nutritionally balanced to ensure dogs get their daily nutritional requirements. Grain and gluten free and naturally gentle on digestion, the Country Hunter range is ideal for dogs with sensitive tummies and allergies.

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Pets Magazine

Cavaliers’ Choices...

3 Little Pigs From a selection of gifts for guinea pigs at www.haypigs.com

Feline Fine And for our feline friends, we love this excellent selection of gifts from Cats Protection.

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Pets Magazine

Cavaliers’ Choices...

Gifts for a Great Cause!

Now you can spoil your pet and feel a bit of virtue by shopping for these fab and stylish bowls from the Alzheimers Society.

Ducking Out! We love these tasty and seasonal duck biscuits from Tails.com. The latest offering comes in indulgent cranberry and beetroot, which is healthy and very tasty!

The arrival of Duck Biscuits also coincides with the launch of new packaging within the tails.com treats range, which is 100% recyclable.

Duck biscuits can be bought as part of a tails.com tailored dog-food programme, they cannot be purchased separately.

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Pets Magazine

Cavaliers’ Choices...

Indulgent Dog Treats We love the new range of tasty pheasant jerky, pheasant bites and pheasant chew sticks from Venidog.com.

Made from human grade pheasant fillets only, with no offal or other body parts and no additives, having a unique rich flavour, the treats are an excellent source of natural vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins B6 and B12, iron, phosphorous, selenium and niacin. They are high in protein but extremely low in fat and calories. They are also gluten free, hypo-allergenic and suitable for dogs with food intolerances.

Be a ‘Different dog’!

Different Dog are on a mission to ensure that our four-legged friends are fed as well as the rest of the family with their hand-made 'Festive Feast'. The nutritionally balanced, seasonal recipe features Christmas dinner favourites - Turkey, Cranberry, Red Cabbage, Parsnips, and Sage.

After working in the pet industry, co-founder Charlie became concerned about the nutritional value of standard dog food. Dog health in the UK is particularly poor, with almost half of dogs seen by vets being overweight or obese. Charlie and his wife Alex set up Different Dog to make pet food that matched the values applied to the meals fed to other members of the family.

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Pets Magazine

Cavaliers’ Choices...

The Perfect Running Partner!

If you’re looking for a new running partner, look no further than your dog. Running with your dog is reported to offer multiple benefits for both of you including increased motivation, better physical and mental health and a stronger bond. Plus, thanks to Mountain Paws' advanced Shock Absorber Lead, taking your daily dog walks up a gear is easier than ever.

Our Editor runs twice a week with Rufus, who’s a 19-month old Cavalier. The belt attaches well around the runner’s middle and the lead is almost the correct length for a smaller dog. It would work best for a medium to large sized dog as your running partner though. The Shock Absorber Lead features a premium webbing construction with a strong, elasticated section that reduces the impact of tugging or jolting to ensure maximum comfort for both pet and owner.

The Shock Absorber Lead has a rugged construction and features a robust, high-strength Karabiner attachment that can be quickly and easily secured to your dog’s collar. Made from robust nylon webbing that will stand up to the wear and tear of your daily outings, the Shock Absorber Lead also features a padded, neoprene handle that is more comfortable to hold and minimises the risk of rubbing or discomfort.

To ensure your pet is safe while running in urban areas or on the road, the feature-packed lead also includes a grab loop near the dog’s collar, ensuring you can keep them close to you while navigating busy roads or crowded areas.

Priced at £21.99 from Mountain Paws.

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Pets Magazine

Cavaliers’ Choices...

Super-Stylish Dog Walking Bags We love this range of stylish but oh so practical dog walking bags from Travel Wags.

Made from premium fabrics, the Dog Walker bag comes complete with pop-up bowl, slim-line water bottle, nifty poop bag dispenser and pockets for other essentials such as dog treats and your mobile phone, while the Weekend Tote has enough room for a longer trip or taking your dog to the office – essentially a ‘nappy bag’ for dogs. In addition, it also comes with a chiller for either dried or fresh food, a second bowl, emergency lead and has room for all your dog's toys.

So, join the likes of Graham Norton, Christine Bleakley and Frank Lampard and invest in one of these premium dog walking bags!

Dog Walker set (pictured below)– £64.00 Weekend Tote set – £114.00 Available online here: https://travelwags.com

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Cavaliers’ Choices...

Instruction Books for Dogs & Cats!

Dog advice: Slippers are meant to be chewed. Don’t feel bad about it – it seems to really excite the humans.

Cat advice: Golden rule to remember when looking for some alone Ame: If your whiskers touch the sides, it's a good place to hide.

Here are two books in a series of ‘little instruction books...’: ‘The Little Instruction Book for Dogs’ and ‘The Little Instruction Book for Cats’ are a pets’ ultimate companion. They also help us humans understand how our pets’ minds work in a very humourous style.

Filled with hilarious illustrations providing sage advice and pearls of doggy wisdom, ‘The Little Instruction Book for Dogs’ is the guide to becoming a better dog – not a good dog, or a less bad dog – but better; a dog that deserves its own place at (the head of) the family dinner table, not underneath it.

‘The Little Instruction Books’ for Cat meanwhile is guaranteed to teach a cat all they need to know, this illustrated paw-book will be their guide to becoming a better cat: a cat that not only gets the cream but the entire pavlova.

Both are available from Amazon and other good book stores.

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Cavaliers’ Choices...

SOOTHING SOLUTIONS Pet Remedy’s (www.petremedy.co.uk)Party Season Survival Kit comprises the Pet Remedy plug diffuser, calming spray and calming wipe sachets is useful for pet owners over the festive season.

Pet Remedy products combine Valerian absolute oil and essential oils including Vetiver, Sweet Basil and Clary Sage which, when used together, trick nerve cells into thinking they are getting a calming message from the brain. Priced at £25.00.

The Invention of the Dog The Invention of the Modern Dog Breed & Blood in Victorian Britain’

By Michael Worboys, Julie-Marie Strange & Neil Pemberton Johns Hopkins University Press European Publication 14th Dec, HB, £29.50

Labradoodles, Cockerpoos and Puggles – the emergence of “designer dogs” seems like a relatively recent trend but in fact the notion of thinking about dogs principally in terms of ‘breed’ started in the midVictorian period. In ‘The Invention of the Modern Dog’, the authors show how our modern attitudes to breeds have been shaped by Victorian cultural ideals. The book makes for a fascinating read for anyone interested in the origins of today’s dog breeds.

PS/ We’re always looking for premium products & services to review for both pets and people! Please get in touch with the boss at editor@petsmag.co.uk.

Love,

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Sophie, Nell & Rufus

xxx

Dog Dodges Death After Downing ‘Lethal’ Pie

Magdalene Lawson rushed little McNab to PDSA’s Shamrock Street Pet Hospital in Glasgow

A Jack Russell-cross from Clydebank has narrowly avoided a Christmas “I felt sick with worry – I knew just how catastrophe after wolfing down a poisonous a mince pie could be for him.” seasonal snack.

Magdalene immediately rang PDSA, who advised her to bring McNab straight in. He was The ingredients of traditional mince pies are given treatment to make him vomit the mince potentially lethal to dogs, so when three-yearpie to help prevent absorption of the old pooch McNab devoured one, his owner was potentially-deadly toxins, and monitored understandably desperate to get help. closely.

Magdalene Lawson, 70, rushed little McNab to PDSA’s Shamrock Street Pet Hospital in Glasgow, where vets provided emergency treatment. Thankfully, he made a full recovery and the charity is now warning dog owners to keep pets well away from toxic treats this Christmas.

PDSA vet Jennifer Penman from Glasgow Shamrock Street’s PDSA Pet Hospital, said: “Thankfully, Magdalene was aware of the danger and was quick to react when she realised what McNab had eaten.

“Things could have been much worse as the toxins from raisins, sultanas and currants can Magdalene said: “I’d left my mince pie on the cause kidney failure or even death in dogs if side to answer the door. Out of the corner of left untreated.” my eye I saw McNab sneaking out of the room, along with my mince pie!

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Jennifer added: “With the festive grapes, some nuts, sage-and-

Magdalene said she wants to

season here, many of us will have onion stuffing and Christmas

share McNab’s story to raise

lots of treats, sweets and

cake can all be harmful and

awareness, so others don’t

chocolates in the house. But

should be kept safely out of paws’ have to go through the panic

while Christmas can be a time

reach.

and worry she experienced.

She said: “I’m too frightened to have mince pies or fruit cake in the house now – they aren’t worth the worry!

“I want to warn others to be really careful this Christmas, and keep any food that could be poisonous to pets well out of reach.”

Owners should speak to their vet for advice as soon as possible if they think their pet has eaten something they shouldn’t have.

To help pet owners keep their pets safe over the festive period, PDSA has put together a Christmas survival guide, free to download here: www.pdsa.org.uk/xmassurvival-guide.

for indulgence, it’s important to

“Instead of giving pets extra

remember that some foods are

food, treat them by taking your

very harmful to our pets.

dog for more walks or giving your cat extra playtime.”

“Foods including mince pies, chocolate, onions, raisins,

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Top Dog Expert: Help Your Pudgy Pooch!

Tony Knight, an internationally-acclaimed Dog Listener and trainer, on  how to help the portly dog in your life ďŹ ght the battle of the bulge this New Year...

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Pets Magazine

Tony Knight, an

seen as a sign of wealth. Now it is commonplace in many societies and the new fight is the battle of the bulge.

internationallyacclaimed Dog Listener and trainer, on how to

Needless to say, this phenomenon is also responsible for the evergrowing of dogs with evergrowing waistlines. Canine obesity is much more common than we think and even with the best intentions, our dogs can succumb to it.

help the portly dog in your life fight the battle of the bulge this New Year...

Happy New Year! I hope that the festive season has been kind to you and yours. I know from long experience that I will not be the only one using the idea of new resolutions to once more take control of my diet.

The problem with all that food is that it is soooooooo good! I am always impressed with my body’s ability to gorge food as if it is going out of style – a trait that we all retain (along with the stored calories) as part of our instinctive makeup to survive.

of humans on the planet. The body is designed to fast and feast, and the temptation to take in as much as is physically possible is at its strongest when surrounded by food during the festive period.

My dog Pru once stayed with friends while I was out of the country working. They made the error of not shutting the door to the pantry properly when they went out for a short while. Pru succeeded in opening the door and finding the big bag of dog food therein. My friends returned to find her in a food coma, stomach like a balloon, lying right by the now half-empty bag of food.

Fortunately, she was OK but not keen to move for several hours…

Extra weight on joints

can be a serious issue for certain breeds of dog...

Give me an empty plate and a buffet and the instincts to balance as much food as possible on it is still very strong. It takes willpower to not come away with a mini Mount Everest of Gluttony…This natural instinct comes from a time when we didn’t know the next time we were going to eat – something which is still a stark reality for a fair amount

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The reason that obesity is a growing problem (no pun intended) in more affluent countries is down to this nature in conjunction with the ability to eat at will. Food quality is also an issue as the body needs more time to digest less natural foodstuffs (and not having the time to do so). In the not-toodistant past, corpulence was Pets Magazine

For dogs and humans, being overweight has a detrimental effect on health. In addition to the obvious problems, extra weight on joints can be a serious issue for certain breeds of dog that have inbred conditions such as hip dysplasia or early arthritis.

Battle of the Bulge...

Our Golden Retriever Kobe is just such a case. At 14 years, age is also a factor. It also means that simply giving him more exercise will make things worse, not better. We don’t expect pensioners to keep healthy by making them run marathons! Adding pressure to already weakened joints is a recipe for disaster.

you’d be right (and there is nothing wrong with that).

Dogs are also – with some exceptions – quite robust when it comes to what they can eat.

Let’s be honest; dogs can eat disgusting stuff sometimes! A healthy mix of kibble, meat and vegetables is fine in a smaller meal. It is easy to take your eye We know that our bodies find it off the ball, though. Once, when easier to process natural I suddenly noticed that my The easiest solution to avoiding foodstuffs and it is a good idea dogs were a little wider in the a chubby Chihuahua or a to keep that in mind when waist department over a period blobby Bloodhound is to feed feeding our dogs. However, of time, I reduced the amount them less. There are even the best quality food can of food. “formulated foods” out there make a dog fat if they are given that claim to be good for too much of it. Therefore, The problem was resolved in a dieting, when in fact a quantity is also as important as couple of weeks. Of course, they remarkable percentage of them quality. If you’re thinking that would always seem to be simply add fillers to make it this is too simple a solution, hungry (for which the Guilt

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look like a dog is getting enough food, while actually they are only getting a relatively small amount of nutrition. If you feel that you need a degree in chemistry to understand the list of ingredients on a bag of dog food, it’s probably best to steer clear of it.

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Fairy blamed me), but then again they did that even when they were getting more than enough. Maybe you have thought that when your dog acts like they haven’t eaten for days the moment you make yourself some toast 5 minutes later…

Some begging is not so subtle…

I always like to keep things simple, so as well as knowing the general weight range for your dog’s breed (N.B. this cannot realistically apply to multi-pedigree dogs who have parents of surprisingly different sizes) my basic rule for knowing if your dog’s weight is correct is to feel their ribs. If you can feel them but can’t necessarily see them, they are probably fine. If there is a fair layer of blubber around them, give them less. The exercise

element to better health should not be done to their detriment, especially if they are prone to injuries as a result of their breed or age.

permanent change with a healthy balance of ingredients (in an equally healthy quantity) is the key to weight loss. The same goes for our dogs.

Gentle exercise for a short time Remember that their instincts is good, even when they are in will tell them to eat whenever good health. There’s no need to possible (those individuals who seem to be fussy with their food are doing it for a completely different reason – that subject is for another time) so it is up to us to make sure that they aren’t stick them on a treadmill and eating themselves into health run them into the ground. problems. Taking responsibility for their eating habits makes the difference between a healthy hound and a paunchy pooch…

Remember -their

instincts will tell them to eat whenever possible...

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You don’t really need to weigh these two to find out who needs to drop a collar size…

In short, good nutritionists will advise that there is no such thing as a successful fad diet. A Pets Magazine

To find out more, visit: www.tonyknightdoglistene r.com

Sounds of Santa!

Retired vet and author of ‘Pets Aplenty’ MALCOLM D. WELSHMAN on how there was no let up at his busy

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Pets Magazine vet practice at Christmas...

By MALCOLM D. WELSHMAN The plastic Father Christmas

registered her arrival, scooped the dog up, muttering reassurances to him as she quickly disappeared into the waiting room.

that I carried into reception was attired as one would expect. Red tunic trimmed in white, red hat with bell, brown sack on his back. He was of medium height, sporting long flowing white locks and beard. His smile looked fixed as did the glazed look in his eyes...

My receptionist, Jean, perched uncomfortably on her stool the other side of the reception desk, fiddled nervously with her pearls.

Told or tolled? I wondered.

Ho … Ho … Ho … went Santa down the corridor.

‘Just hold his head while I have a look down his ear canal,’ I instructed. With the cone of my auriscope gently eased down the poodle’s ear, I could see the cause. A pine needle. I inserted the tip of some crocodile forceps through the cone and was able to grasp the needle and pull it out.

Malcolm and Dora

‘Good boy, Tinkerbell,’ said Mrs Paget with a sigh of relief. The When I eventually got to see poodle, true to his name gave a Mrs Paget, I was confronted final ring of his head. with her toy poodle shaking his Ho … Ho … Ho … head. His topknot was tied up There were more appointments to come. Many more.

Oh … Oh … Oh A first vaccination.

The puppy cowered on the table and piddled. ‘There, that wasn’t so bad was it?’ I finished injecting him in the with a red ribbon and some tiny scruff and rewarded him with a Christmas bells so that he was doggie choc drop. He gave me ringing all the way through to an enormous slobbery lick, the consulting room. wagged his tail, hunched his back and jettisoned a solid Ding a ling. Ding a ling. sausage of faeces over the edge of the table. Thanks, matie.

‘He’s been doing it for a couple of days now,’ she said. ‘I’ve Terry the Airedale plodded in tried to stop him and told him for his monthly check-up. I was off several times.’ wondering if the change in

The poodle’s topknot was tied up with a red ribbon

‘A car-boot find of mine last Sunday,’ I explained as I wired the Santa to the front door. ‘Thought it would give the hospital a bit of extra cheer.’

and some tiny Christmas

The Santa suddenly erupted into a spasm of jerks and Ho …

Ho … Ho … s as Mrs Paget, a client of mine, entered with a toy poodle. The little dog took one look at the rocking Santa, raised his hackles and with a high-pitched growl, shot under a chair. Mrs Paget, having

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bells...

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digoxin dosage for his heart was suiting him.

‘And he did pass something this ‘You worn out as well?’ I said to morning.’

Jean, as she switched off the computer, ready to go home.

‘He chased a cat down the He rummaged in a carrier bag ‘I coped. But can’t say the same garden,’ his owner proudly and pulled out a rectangular for him.’ informed me. white tab. ‘I have cleaned it up,’ he added as he passed it to me. She nodded at the Father Dexter, a young black Labrador ‘Rather appropriate for the Christmas. There were yellow was next. He’s presented a time of year, don’t you think?’ stains up his trousers where I couple of days back. Dejected.

I found myself looking at a was told several dogs had Off his food – usually had the plastic cake decoration. The red cocked their legs. The long typical eagerness for food lettering on this one spelt out scratches down his tunic were exhibited by due to a cat that had most Labradors clawed him. And the i.e. an absolute green droppings that piglet. No hung from his hair and normal bowel beard were from an actions. I was escaped budgie. worried I was seeing a foreign Jean and I looked at each body case. other and grinned.

Symptoms were similar. I And our chorus of ‘Hee … gave Dexter a Hee … Hee …s’ rang out shot of as we slammed the antibiotic and reception door shut. antiinflammatory – ‘Merry Christmas.’ ***************************** more as a precautionary Malcolm’s latest book, ‘An measure; and I did warn that ‘Ho … Ho … Ho … went my Armful of Animals’ is we might have to have him in Santa down the corridor. available from Amazon as for an X-ray if there was no By the time I’d finished a paperback £7.99 or improvement. afternoon surgery, I was feeling ebook £2.99 quite frazzled. The wretched Ho www.malcolmwelshman.c ‘Meanwhile, keep a watch-out Ho ing constantly echoing up o.uk in case he passes something,’ I from reception, contrary to ***************************** instructed. filling me with Christmas spirit, had had the opposite effect. I There was clearly a muchnow felt quite hostile to the improved dog when Dexter Santa. bounded in full of tail-wag.

‘I kept a careful eye on him as you instructed,’ said his owner.

My receptionist nodded at the Father Christmas.

There were yellow stains up his trousers where I was told several dogs had cocked their legs...

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