Pet Care Advice
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Puppy Care
Hare are our 10 ‘top tips’ to help your puppy’s first steps…..
1. Vaccination (from 7 weeks of age)
Nowadays we vaccinate against the most deadly diseases, such as Parvovirus, Distemper ('Hard Pad') and Leptospirosis (Weil’s Disease). But there are still lots of dogs who are not protected, because they were not vaccinated as a puppy or have not kept up their annual boosters, so it is important to keep your pet confined to your own house and garden for at least one week after their second vaccination. We can finish vaccination courses as early as 10 weeks of age, enabling you and your pet to explore the great outdoors much sooner.
2. Nutrition
Home made diets and human foods lead to growth deformities and other forms of malnutrition. Commercially-prepared diets like Hill’s Science Plan contain exactly the right level of nutrients needed for each 'life stage' your pet goes through. Puppy-hood requires a very specific diet and you must feed puppy food for the first 6-9 months.
3. Worm Control
Puppies need worming every 2-4 weeks until they are 6 months old and then every 3 months. Worms can be dangerous to pets and they are a great risk to humans where some may even cause blindness. That’s why you should always ‘scoop the poop’ when your pet is in public areas. You don’t have to see adult worms for your pet to be infected; most animals only shed eggs. Your vet will recommend Milbemax® – a tiny tablet kills all the main types of worms including tapeworms and roundworms.
4. Flea Prevention
All pets have fleas if they are not treated regularly and central heating creates an ideal home for fleas year-round. We recommend Stronghold® because it is the safest and most effective flea-killer available. Applied monthly it also prevents ear mites and roundworms. Treat your house annually with Acclaim® and remember that dogs will often carry cat fleas, so don’t forget to treat feline friends too.
5. Dental Care
Tooth & gum disease is common in pets and it is easily preventable with daily brushing using a special 'enzymatic' toothpaste for animals. Start brushing from an early age – puppies think its fun and many learn to carry their toothbrush into the bathroom in anticipation!
6. Socialisation
The first 12 weeks is a crucial development stage and puppies need to become familiar with other dogs, people, different sounds & sights. Its all about learning how to be a grown up. Our new early-start vaccination programme means puppies are protected sooner, so they can safely interact with other dogs during this important development period.
7. Microchipping - FREE with all our starter vaccine courses!
Every day dogs get lost or stolen and many never see their owners again. A microchip contains a unique number held on a National database which all vets & rescue centres can access. Chips are about the size of a rice-grain, they are injected just like a vaccine & easily detected by vets and wardens. They are permanent and cannot be lost or removed like collars and tags.
8. Insurance
Veterinary medicine is becoming more and more advanced. If your pet has a major accident or long-term illness, insurance provides peace of mind. A range of policies are available. As a rule, the more expensive ones insure throughout life with a higher limit of cover. Shop around and always read the small print.
9. Kennel Cough
If your pet needs to go into boarding kennels, they may insist upon a kennel cough vaccination. This disease can just as easily be picked up from the show ring, training classes or just out on the street, so we recommend it is given as the ‘third vaccination’ from 12 to 14 weeks of age.
10. Neutering
Unless you wish to breed from your dog, you should have your pet neutered. There are serious health benefits associated with neutering, including substantially reducing the risks of cancer. Castration of males reduces wandering, aggression and mounting. Spaying of females prevents seasons. Bitches should always be spayed before their first season, at 5-6 months of age.
Kitten Care
Here are our 10 'top tips' to help your kitten’s first steps…..
1. Vaccination (from 9 weeks of age)
Your kitten should be vaccinated against several deadly diseases, such as Panleucopenia (Enteritis), Cat Flu and Feline Leukaemia, with a course of 2 injections given three weeks apart. Lots of cats outside are not protected, because they were not vaccinated as a kitten or have not kept up their annual boosters, so it is important to keep your kitten confined indoors for at least one week after their second vaccination.
2. Nutrition
As with puppies, home made diets and human foods lead to malnutrition in kittens. Commercially-prepared diets like Hill’s Science Plan contain exactly the right level of nutrients needed for each 'life stage' your pet goes through. Kitten-hood requires a very specific diet and you must feed kitten food for the first 6-9 months. We recommend dry diets because they are cost-effective, remain fresh for longer and have the great benefit of helping to look after your cat’s teeth.
3. Worm Control
Kittens need worming every 2-4 weeks until they are 6 months old and then every 3 months. Those cats who hunt a lot will carry a larger worm burden and these parasites can be dangerous to pets. You are unlikely to see adult worms in your pet’s faeces as most animals will only shed eggs. Your vet will recommend Milbemax® – a tiny tablet kills all the main types of worms including tapeworms and roundworms. If you find it difficult to give your cat a tablet, your vet can administer an effective injection.
4. Flea Prevention
All pets have fleas if they are not treated regularly and central heating creates an ideal home for fleas year-round. We recommend Stronghold® because it is the safest and most effective flea-killer available. Applied monthly it also prevents ear mites and roundworms. Never use treatments designed for dogs as some will kill a cat. Treat your house annually with Acclaim®.
5. Dental Care
Tooth & gum disease is common in pets and it is easily preventable with daily brushing using a special 'enzymatic' toothpaste for animals. Start brushing from an early age. Feeding a dry diet substantially helps to preserve teeth too.
6. Socialisation
The first 12 weeks is a crucial development stage and kittens need to become familiar with being handled, other animals, people, different sounds & sights. Make sure you train them to use a litter tray, just in case you need to collect a urine sample for your vet. And get them used to going inside and ‘playing’ around their travelling basket; it will make your life so much easier when you need to make a trip to the vets or cattery.
7. Microchipping - FREE with all our starter vaccine courses!
Every day cats get lost or stolen and many never see their owners again. A microchip contains a unique number held on a National database which all vets & rescue centres can access. Chips are about the size of a rice-grain, they are injected just like a vaccine & easily detected by vets and wardens. They are permanent and cannot be lost or removed like tags and they are much safer than collars which can easily become caught when climbing.
8. Insurance
Your kitten may live another 20 years or more and you should budget for unforeseen costs like a major accident or long-term illness. Pet insurance makes this easier, so in the event of disaster, you don’t need to worry about treatment costs. Lots of different policies are now available. As a rule, the more expensive ones insure throughout life with a higher limit of cover. Shop around and always read the small print.
9. Grooming
Long-haired cats must be groomed regularly, so get your kitten used to it from an early age. Cats do not like combs and our experience has shown that the easiest tool is a Zoom-Groom® made of rubber fingers. Dead hair will otherwise be swallowed and this leads to internal 'hairballs' and matted fur. If your cat tries to cough-up hairballs, this can be aided by a tasty lubricant called Lax-A-Paste®.
10. Neutering (at 5-6 months of age)
Unless you wish to breed from your cat, you should have your pet neutered. There are serious health benefits associated with neutering; castration of males reduces fighting and the spread of diseases like Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. It also prevents urine spraying indoors. Spaying of females prevents them from come into season and unwanted attention from tom cats. And with both sexes, neutering is a responsible solution to prevent unwanted kittens and the large number of homeless strays.
Kennel Advice
Planning a holiday? Here’s our guide to keeping your pets happy and healthy at the kennels or cattery.
1. ‘Kennel Cough’ Vaccinations
Good dog boarding kennels will insist that their guests are given a vaccination against Kennel Cough before they will accept them. This is because the disease is more likely to spread quickly throughout kennels where lots of dogs are more closely confined. We recommend that your pet is given the vaccine at least 2 weeks before boarding. Remember to ensure that your dog is up to date with all their other vaccinations too. Cats do not need any extra vaccinations for catteries but they too should be up to date with their annual booster.
2. Home Comforts
Simple things like a favourite toy or blanket can be positively rewarding for an animal away from home. Ask the kennels or cattery if you can leave such items; remember a happy pet is one that’s easier to look after, so most will gladly accommodate such requests.
3. Your Pet’s Contacts
Don’t forget, if you want your pet to be treated by his or her own vet, you need to inform the kennels or cattery. Make sure both they – and your vet – have a way of contacting you in case they need to ask your permission for treatment, or give a relative your permission to consent on your behalf.
4. Relax
Enjoy your holiday. You might think your pet will fret without you but our experience shows this is rarely the case. Most animals settle in well and some even come to enjoy their own breaks. If you are worried about your pet because he or she tends to get stressed easily, ask your vet for a DAP collar (dogs) or Feliway Travel Spray (cats), both of which contain relaxing pheromones to help them settle down easily.
Vaccination Advice
Can’t remember when your pet was vaccinated? Unsure whether it’s really necessary? Here’s our guide to vaccinations.
Vaccination – Who Needs It?
'Is your pet vaccinated?' is one of the big questions vets ask when examining a sick animal. But surprisingly, after many years of routinely vaccinating the Nation’s pets, vets are still often met with the response 'I don’t know'.
The main killer-diseases are still out there. Indeed, its quite common to see epidemics or booms in the presence of diseases like Canine Parvovirus, whilst some of the feline killers like Leukaemia Virus are always present in a proportion of the local population (your cat’s social network, if you like).
But what are the chances of your pet contracting one of these diseases? Well, there are certain groups of animals who are very high risk and others who are lower risk.
With cats, a male who has not been castrated falls into a high-risk category, as do all other cats living in areas where there is a high population density; with increasing numbers of cats, there is more fighting and therefore more disease spread. But that’s not say a house-cat is completely safe; those animals not allowed outside may be protected from cat-to-cat disease transfers, but there are other viruses that are spread by man-made things like our own footwear. An animal would need to effectively be in Quarantine to be absolutely safe and a home environment does come close to meeting this standard.
Dogs face a similar problem with humans spreading their diseases but they are also more likely to sniff them out themselves whilst walking their patch. In towns where lots of dogs walk, urinate & defaecate along our streets, the risk of disease spread is high. Dogs kept on a farm, with no access to the outside world, are a much safer group than their urban friends but remember that foxes are dogs too and they carry the same diseases.
The safe approach is to vaccinate every pet. That way, they are protected against killer diseases regardless of their risk category.
A Jab For Life?
So, how does a vaccine safeguard an animal? Vaccinations work on the principle of 'faking' an encounter with a disease. Your vet injects something that looks like the real thing into your pet and tricks their immune system into attacking it. The body identifies those of its white blood cells (its soldiers for this battle) that have the special ability to kill the disease. First time round there won’t be very many of them and in the battle of Disease versus The Immune System, its usually the disease that wins. But for the survivor (and remember, with a vaccine its all fake), the next time the body sees the disease its better prepared and is able to make more of the special white blood cell ‘soldiers’ to fight more quickly. In that battle, the odds are stacked in the favour of The Immune System. These preliminary battles are the events of the Primary Vaccination Course. After that, if the body comes across the real thing, its superbly prepare to fight off the disease.
White blood cells only live so long and these special soldiers need to keep encountering the disease to encourage them to multiply and keep their numbers strong. The frequency with which they need these 'reminder' encounters with the disease (given as a Booster Vaccination) varies not only from disease to disease, but species to species. Some of the dog diseases, for example, only need a boost every 2 years, but there some – notably Leptospirosis – that must be given every 12 months like clockwork.
That’s how a patient’s immunity runs-out and why a puppy or kitten given a vaccination as a baby is not safe for life. If you have an older pet, and you are unsure of their vaccination history, the only safe way is to give them the Primary Vaccination Course that is standard for puppies and kittens. Its never too late to start vaccinating.
