OCTOBER 2020, FREE
WE MEET: Hollywood Actress VICTORIA SUMMER and her Gorgeous Bentley
PLUS: The miracle pup; how to keep your pet’s tummy healthy; the tragedy of the Vet lockdown pups, and more inside
MY PET: ACTRESS VICTORIA SUMMER & BENTLEY
British Hollywood actress VICTORIA SUMMER, star of ‘Saving Mr Banks’, ‘Transformers' and ‘Game of Aces', has announced her engagement to Michelin star chef Fabrizio Vaccaro. We caught up with the English beauty to discuss the other love in her life, her extremely cute rescue Pomeranian pup Bentley.
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Berkshire-born Victoria Summer is in a
Pictures' Transformers: Age of Extinction (Mark
whirl of excitement after announcing her
Wahlberg/Stanley Tucci/Kelsey Grammer) and
engagement to her Italian born fiancé Fabrizio Vaccaro. She met the Michelin
as the lead role of British nurse Eleanor in Game of Aces (Chris Klein/Werner Daehn).
star chef by chance, in a British coffee
Over the past two months Victoria has created a
shop, when he was on the way back from a
successful new website & TV show, which she is
holiday in Florida after his flight was
really excited about. The show shines the
cancelled. He had been on the way to Italy
spotlight on up-and-coming young talent and is called ‘Next Generation Role Model’ and
to visit his sick 94-year-old grandmother
interviews visionaries and
when he made the unscheduled UK
influencers www.nextgenrolemodel.com. A few
stopover – a trip that changed both their
years ago, she was also asked to be an
lives forever. This led to a magical and unexpected turn, and after a few dates,
ambassador for Teen Cancer America by Roger Daltrey which she continues to strongly support and raise money for. She also created a special
decided to lockdown together in the
afternoon tea event for them called ‘Tea With
English countryside…
Victoria Summer’ that kicked off in Los Angeles at the British Consulate.
Victoria has appeared opposite Tom Hanks as the iconic 'Julie Andrews' in Walt Disney's
Victoria is planning to stay in Europe for the
Saving Mr Banks, in Paramount
time being as she is due to fly to Spain next
month to film a supporting role in period drama Bentley is a pure bred Pomeranian. I chose him ‘Glow & Darkness’, alongside two Bond girls
because I wanted a rescue and I saw his puppy
Denise Richards and Jane Seymour. Outside of
picture on a rescue website and fell in love with
work her passions are hiking and yoga, she
him immediately! He was on ‘hold’ and I sent
enjoys a plant-based diet, and has a huge
several emails before I was able to eventually
passion for rescuing animals. She is also a fan of visit him and I drove an hour outside LA to meet fast cars and enjoys racing as a hobby. Her
him. My persistence paid off! He’s the best dog
favourite sport is basketball; you can often catch ever. her at the Clippers games.
How long have you had Bentley?
We caught up with Victoria to talk about her
I have had Bentley since he was four months
adorable rescue Pomeranian pup Bentley!
and he is seven years old now. He’s a family member and our love and connection continues
So, Victoria, what made you adopt Bentley? He’s very cute!
to strengthen over the years.
Does Bentley come to work with you?
in California, has his very own European Pet
Absolutely! He’s attended many auditions in Los
Passport.
Angeles and London and he loves people and
Do you take Bentley with you to restaurants and
enjoys interacting.
pubs?
Yes. Bentley is very well behaved and I’m glad I
What difference does Bentley make to your life? got him excellent training when is was 6 months Through Bentley I’ve learnt to communicate and old at a place called Zoom Room in Los Angeles. He’s very smart, a understand all animals so much better. To
Bentley does the moonwalk!
have a deeply connected relationship
I kid you not.
with a dog, as a
great listener, incredibly calm and a joy to take anywhere. We especially love to visit
companion and best friend has brought me so much joy. I’m always so excited to see him. He
English pubs and he particularly loves to say
means the world to me.
hello to other dogs.
Do you take take doggie-friendly holidays with
What are Bentley’s favourite things in the world?
your pup?
Bentley loves cuddles and a good scratch under
Yes! Bentley has been all over California where he was born; Las Vegas, Florida, New York, London and Italy so far... he loves experiencing the smells of new countries and enjoys warm climates.
his front right leg. Generally he loves people and he enjoys bringing happiness to anyone he meets.
Does Bentley have any tricks or special character traits?
What are the best holidays you’ve taken with
Bentley does the moonwalk. I kid you not... he
him?
plops himself down, splays he legs and pushes
New York with Bentley was really special. We stayed in a super sweet boutique hotel in Midtown Manhatten and I remember walking in
himself backwards.
How is pet welfare important to you?
Central Park with him and taking pictures
Adopt don’t shop! There are so many amazing
thinking it was a dream come true. He’s the
animals that need rescuing and providing a
perfect dog to travel with and despite being born loving home to a pet in need is very rewarding indeed.
Cancerstricken Honey’s Remarkable Recovery
Brave Cavachon Honey was given just 18 months to live after being diagnosed with a brain tumour but more than two years later she is now living a life of sun, sea and sand on the idyllic holiday island of Bermuda thanks to innovative cancer treatment by leading Surrey vets. Honey, a 10-year old Cavalier King first shrinking dramatically before
She was referred to the renowned
Charles Spaniel Poodle Cross has
disappearing completely.
Linnaeus animal hospital North
astonished her owner and
It’s an amazing story of survival
Downs Specialist Referrals
specialist vets with a dramatic and which began in May 2018, when
(NDSR), near Bletchingley, in
remarkable recovery from cancer,
Honey first displayed worrying
Surrey, after her condition
with the life-threatening tumour
signs something serious could be
worsened, including suffering a
wrong.
spate of epileptic seizures in quick
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succession. NDSR’s neurology specialist Francesca de Strobel, who led the initial investigations, explained: “Honey’s owners were extremely worried
Grave situation: Honey’s large
due to the
tumour was clearly
sudden
visible on her first
and
MRI scan
alarming
development of these epileptic
“We were told the tumour could
Honey was immediately
seizures.
only be treated as palliative and
transferred to the specialist
that Honey’s life expectancy would oncology service at NDSR, which “I was immediately concerned
not be any more than a year to 18
is part of UK-wide
about the possible
Linnaeus, where she
presence of a brain
began oral
lesion, so we performed an MRI scan and took some cells from the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord for further
We were told Honey’s life expectancy would not be any more than a year to 18 months…
analysis.
treatment, which she received once a month to begin with. NDSR clinical director and oncology specialist
months. We were not expecting that news. After all, she was only
chemotherapy
Gerry Polton said: “Honey
“The tests revealed Honey actually seven-and-a-half. had a tumour and the cells from
tolerated the medicine very well.
the fluid indicated it was a cancer
“Honey is the first dog I have ever
we couldn’t be certain whether
called lymphoma.”
had and she is such a kind and
this was due to the chemotherapy
gentle little thing, we wanted to
working or due to the anti-seizure
The news was a huge blow to
give her the best opportunity to
medication she had also started.
Honey’s owner Julie Tomkins,
survive - and thank goodness we
who admitted: “To say we were
did!”
“The only way we could tell the
devastated is an understatement.
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She didn’t have any more fits but
treatment was working was to repeat the MRI scan. This was
“None of us could believe the news that the tumour had gone…”
done in December 2018 and,
somewhat speechless when we last he should be proud to be
incredibly, the tumour had shrunk had her scanned.
associated with, just as we are.”
by around 80 per cent.
“None of us could believe the news
“Honey continued her treatment
that the tumour had gone. Honey
with a gradually increasing
is now 10 years old and loving her
interval between doses and was
new life
scanned again in December 2019.
here in Bermuda,
“Again, the results were
walking on
remarkable. The tumour had
the pink
resolved – all that remained was a
beaches and
thin crescent of scar tissue.
sometimes dipping her
“Honey will finally finish receiving paws in the chemotherapy at the end of this
warm sea.
year and it is amazing to see her looking so well more than two
“We are so
years after her initial
grateful to
presentation.”
Gerry for his expertise
Delighted owner Julie Tomkins,
and
originally from Surrey but who has kindness now emigrated, along with Honey, and believe to Bermuda, added: “We all think
Honey is a
Honey’s response has been
true success
incredible and even Gerry was
story which
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Remember the Rescues Lockdown Sees Surge in Unwanted Pets…
The RSPCA is urging anyone
650% and imports of dogs
in January 2020*. The figure
thinking of taking on a dog to doubled.
was also five times higher than
‘Adopt Don’t Shop’ this
During lockdown, Google
the same month last year (July
Adoptober as new figures
searches for ‘Puppies near me’
2019). And Government
reveal the number of people
increased more than six times
figures** show the numbers of
looking for puppies online
(650%) with 15,000 searches in licences issued for the
during lockdown soared by
July 2020 compared to 2,000
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commercial import of dogs
more than doubled from 5,964
responded to 94,277 incidents
“We know that there are not
(June - August 2019) to 12,733
across England and Wales -
enough puppies bred in the UK
for the same three-month
almost half of all incidents
to meet the demands of those
period this year. The figures
reported related to dogs,
who want to buy them and,
suggest that this rise in demand 45,181.
worryingly, there appears to be
is fuelling a worrying trend in
a surge in puppies coming in
breeding and importing of
RSPCA chief executive Chris
puppies, which, if not bought
Sherwood said: “We have seen
from a responsible breeder, is a a rise in people searching for
from outside the UK. “The problem with this is that,
potentially exploitative and
dogs to adopt during lockdown, although breeders from
damaging trade which can
which is fantastic, but at the
countries like Romania are
cause life-long suffering to
same time, there appears to be
licensed, we have no way of
dogs.
a rise in people looking to buy
checking the conditions those
puppies.
animals are being kept in and
During 2020 (up to 29
we fear that sales like these
September), the RSPCA
could be fuelling cruel puppy
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farms as well as exposing puppies to long and
“If families would still prefer to buy a dog, we’re
stressful journeys..
encouraging them to use The Puppy Contract. This is a free online tool that will help find
“We are all used to being able to buy whatever
responsible breeders and a happy, healthy dog.”
we want when we want it but we’re urging people to thoroughly do their research before
The RSPCA’s online Find A Pet saw a surge in
committing to getting any dog and to make sure
visits during lockdown, increasing 129% to more
they don’t get caught out by people acting
than 3,700,000 searches compared to
illegally or irresponsibly.
1,600,000 last year. Despite having to pause rehoming for at least a month during lockdown
“We have lots of dogs waiting for their forever
and major changes to rehoming protocols in
homes so please do consider getting a rescue
light of the pandemic, the charity has also been
dog. Although it is really tempting to buy a
rehoming dogs quicker than ever before. In
puppy, those from abroad may have been bred
2019, the RSPCA rehomed a total of 7,480 dogs
in poor conditions, leaving them with
across England and Wales - one every 90
potentially serious medical and behavioural
minutes.
problems whereas adopting from somewhere like the RSPCA where staff have really got to
But there are many more dogs still waiting to
know the dog, means you get the advice and
find their perfect homes. Dogs like Bandit
support you need.
(pictured next page), who has been patiently waiting for 18 months for his new family…
Youngster Bandit is a two-year- dogs last year; that’s 623 a
more dogs coming into our care
old lurcher (pictured) with bags month, 144 a week, 20 every
or being abandoned. The
day or one
message here is simple: do lots
every hour
of research to help find the
and a half!
right pet for your family and don’t impulse buy.
RSPCA dog welfare
“We’re also worried that more
expert Dr
families will hand their dogs
Samantha
into rescue due to behaviour
Gaines said:
problems that have emerged
“It’s
due to changes in routines and
wonderful to
set-ups caused by lockdown.
see that so many people
“During the past few months
want to
we’ve seen more visits to our
welcome
website from people seeking
dogs into
advice on their dog’s behaviour
their families with a 105% increase in visits to and we’ve
our ‘Understanding dogs’
loved waving behaviour’ pages, compared to so many of
last year, and a 27% increase in
of energy who came into the
our own dogs off into their
visits to our ‘Find a
care of RSPCA York Animal
forever homes. However, we
behaviourist’ pages.
Home when his previous
are concerned that some
owners realised they couldn’t
families may not be considering “Dogs can be sensitive to
keep up with him. He’s looking
the long-term commitment of
changes to their routine and
for an active home with owners
taking on a dog and how they’ll
we’d urge anyone who is
who are experienced caring for
care for their new pet post-
concerned about their pets’
big, boisterous and strong dogs. lockdown.
behaviour to speak to their vet
Could you offer him a fun-
or to a clinical animal
loving home this Adoptober?
“We’re worried that as people return to their normal lives
The RSPCA’s national centres
post-lockdown and people are
and branches rehomed 7,480
hit by recession we could see
behaviourist for help.”
Gut Reaction: How we can make our pets’ healthier & happier We meet Dr Rosemary Waring, an expert with Tharos, a science-led health company focused on animal digestive health, malfermentation, and the gut microbiome. Dr Waring discusses how we can improve our pets’ gut health, leading to better general health.
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Like us, our pets are what they eat
enzymes and bacteria which are great at breaking down It might come as a surprise, but proteins, but struggle to break dogs and cats share remarkably down things like carbohydrates. similar gut microbiomes to Many mammals, such as cats, humans. and dogs, lack large quantities of amylase, an enzyme that This sounds a bit technical so let me explain. A microbiome is breaks down carbohydrates into energy. It’s not something a multitude of bacteria and fungal microorganisms that live they’ve developed in a particular environment, in evolutionarily. As a result, if this case, your pet’s gut. Crucial they eat too much carbohydrate, the carbohydrate to animal health, the microbiome assists with energy load may begin to ferment in generation and battling disease. the intestine, causing diarrhoea and other health issues. Domestic cats and dogs have This is a particular problem for evolved from their wild big dogs which are genetically ancestors, which were carnivorous. As such, their gut closer to their wild ancestors wolves. They are much more microbiome is populated with BY DR ROSEMARY WARING
likely to suffer from conditions like IBS, which can be painful and upsetting for the animal. Vets are now citing high carb diets as one of the biggest causes of IBS in dogs - a problem, they say, is getting much more widespread. Smaller dogs have been selectively bred as companion animals; their smaller size meaning they have relatively more amylase and suffer less from problems with carbs. Even if your pet is able to break down the carbs, however, the extra sugar this produces can contribute to obesity, which sadly can lead to a shorter life expectancy. So, if you want
expectancy. So, if you want your furry friends around as long as possible, it’s a good idea to pay attention to how much carbohydrate they are eating and keep it to a minimum. In nature, cats get about 98% of their energy from proteins and only about 1-2% from carbohydrate sources. Dogs are much better at breaking down carbohydrates, but still get the majority of their energy from protein sources in the wild.
like IBS, diabetes, and diarrhoea. Fortunately, there is a lot of research currently being conducted into the field of gut microbiomes in mammals. One such study, carried out by Tharos, found that an energyrich malt extract containing amylase helped horses digest carbohydrates better, leading to
“The amount of carbs
we’re feeding our pets
Yet, modern commercial pet food often contains much higher amounts of carbohydrates than our pets are used to - as much as 70% of commercial dog food is made up of carbohydrates.
is much higher than in
The reason is simple: carbohydrate is much cheaper to produce than protein. Properly processed, these carbs shouldn’t do too much damage to dogs, but will cause problems for cats. And in both cases, the amount of carbs we’re feeding our pets is much higher than in the wild.
developed for cats and dogs to increase the levels of amylase and help them better digest carbohydrates. This should result in less malfermentation in the gut, leading to fewer cases of IBS and diarrhea, and to happier, healthier pets. The fact that cats have been licking spoons clean in early tests shows that animals love the taste of the malty flavour. It may also turn out that the malt extract can be used to encourage pets to ingest medications such as worming tablets as well, something which will delight cat owners when it arrives!
the wild...” more energy and fewer gastrointestinal issues. It’s actually very unusual to find measurable evidence of a product positively altering the gut microbiome. Often socalled probiotics make little measurable difference to the enzyme makeup of the gut microbiome. So, to find a measurable change is incredibly significant and shows that the extract is reaching the intestine without being denatured by stomach acid along the way.
Owners also often don’t realise the amount of carbohydrate their pets are getting; those bits of toast and pizza crust can end Given these incredibly positive up causing digestive problems results, we expect that a version of the malt extract could be
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr Rosemary Waring is an expert with Tharos, a scienceled health company focused on animal digestive health, malfermentation, and the gut microbiome. Dr Waring qualified in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge and completed a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham. Web: http://tharos.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ TharosEquine LinkedIn: https:// www.linkedin.com/company/ 17945663/
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