Throwing a stick for a pet dog is dangerous
The classic game of ‘fetch’ has for centuries been the bonding exercise most beloved of dogs and their owners the world over. However, according to one of Britain’s leading vets, dog owners should think twice before using a stick as it could seriously damage their pets’ health.
Christmas pet survival guide
As the saying goes, a dog (or any animal) is not just for Christmas. Pets are family, and if Christmas is a time for celebrating togetherness, then our animals must be included. Seasonal indulgence in food, drink and the giving of dubious presents usually extends to the nation’s pets. Dogs may be bought ill-fitting winter coats or flashing reindeer horns and cats hightech virtual mice or exotic treats. But be prepared for disappointment. Bear in mind, it is usually the wrappings that are appreciated by cats more than the contents.
Pets to be given same costly lifesaving procedures as health service
One of the country’s leading veterinary surgeons has revealed plans for a pet hospital that will offer treatments as sophisticated as anything available to humans on the NHS.
Pets to be given same costly lifesaving procedures as health service
Read more Pet news at UK Pet Insurance Review
Keep Your Pet Safe At Christmas
Most pet owners like to indulge their four-legged friends over the festive period - but it’s worth remembering the party season can mean extra hazards.
To honour the ghosts of Christmas emergencies from the past, I have put together a list of holiday pitfalls which every pet owner should be aware of.
Read more Pet news at UK Pet Insurance Review
Arthritis cases in pets on the rise in winter
Does your pet look a bit stiff while walking and having trouble getting up from a lying position these days?
If yes, then its time to consult a vet as these are symptoms of arthritis which gets aggravated among the canines in winter.
Arthritis cases in pets on the rise in winter
Read more Pet news at UK Pet Insurance Review
Rebellion over Government’s rules on pets
The recommendations – including “cat-proofing” windows and balconies to prevent falls, having at least one litter tray per cat, and guaranteeing that dogs wear collars and identity tags in public places – were announced in November.
Now, angry animal experts and pet owners believe that the rules risk criminalising responsible animal lovers.
Dog owners fear that they could be prosecuted for leaving their animals alone in a car for even just a few moments, or for not grooming their pets often enough.
Cat owners have expressed concern that they could face action for having only one litter tray when they own two cats.
Rebellion over Government’s rules on pets
Pet Insurance News
Help Your Pets Live a Healthier Life: Aching Joints Supplement
Guest article by: Steve A Johnson
Are you concerned about the quality of life of your pet? Would you like to allow your beloved pet to live a longer and healthier life? Chances are, if you are reading this the answer to these questions is yes!
There are specially formulated products that support your pet’s inflammation and joint needs. What your pet needs is an anti-oxidant rich, organic electrolyte formula that contains minerals to enrich the life of your pet. These type of products can effectively relieve your pet’s joint and muscle pain, and allow your pet to regain their mobility. It can also help boost your pet’s energy level in just a few days! Most important you need something that will support your pet’s natural flexibility and work safely to help your pet’s body begin the process of healing.
Pet products are here to help prolong and enrich the life of your pet, and keep them by your side longer! If you’re concerned about the long term effects associated with conventional products, or if you are unsatisfied with the results you need an all natural solution to your problem. All natural products are safer and better for your pet. It is important to choose a product for your animal that will start working to help your pet restore his natural balance and longevity. The importantce of all-natural products is outstanding and they guarantee no side effects for your pet. A liquid form is ideal so that you can administer it easily and safely easily to your furry friend. All you have to do is add it to your pet’s water, food, or you can just place it in his mouth. No longer any need for horse pills or inconvenient powders!
The National Center for Health Statistics found that over 74% of Americans are choosing to attain improved health through natural solutions. If you are one of these many people, and want to provide the most fulfilling lifestyle for your pet, look no further, you have chosen right to want something all natural for your best friend! All natural products aren’t just for dogs and cats, they can be used for any domesticated animals, such as small pets like gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, rats, mice and even exotic pets like sugar gliders! You can even use all natural products on birds of all kinds, such as parakeets, parrots, cockatiels, finches, and canaries and also on reptiles too, like iguanas, geckos and snakes! Larger domestic animals such as goats, pigs, horses and llamas can also benefit.
You love you pet! You would do anything to help improve their aching joints…. Imagine being able to see your pet playing outside again or going for a long walk, or even running around at the dog park. Now imagine how you would feel if you didn’t have to worry about your pet’s painful joint conditions. This can be a reality and you wouldn’t have to even worry about all the negative side effects of contemporary products. What you need is something that will help reduce your pet’s daily pain, discomfort, fatigue, or any other arthritic symptom, caused by aching joints. One example of an all natural alternative is Arthro-Ionx, an all natural alternative to help reduce your pet’s arthritic problems. All natural products are the best way to help your pet and also the key to help your pet live happier, healthier and longer life!
Steven Johnson is interested in maintaining a vital, active, and healthy lifestyle. For more information on pet health products, as well as other life-enhancing nutrients please visit his website http://www.alternative-health-supplements.com/arthro-ionx.htm
Animal Friends Insurance: Pet Owners Cut out Luxuries to Meet Pet Healthcare Needs
Despite recession, a specialist pet insurer, Animal Friends Insurance, is reporting a 40 percent increase in pet owners purchasing insurance policies to care for the health and wellbeing of their pets.
A startling fact found in research done by Sainsbury’s Finance in September, shows that 1.6 million pet owners have had to put down at least one pet dog or cat in the last five years because of not being able to cover a vet bill. To avoid this unnecessary heartache many are looking into getting lifetime policies for their pets.
As budgets tighten in the recession, families are cutting back on meals out, luxury food items and next year’s holiday. However, it seems that these same families are making a big effort to purchase pet insurance as a precaution.
Elaine Fairfax, Founder and MD of Animal Friends, commented: “More claims are made for pet related illness rather than accidents. Similarly, insurers are reporting that they find claim ratios are 1 in 4 and often as high as 1 in 3 for pets requiring veterinary treatment each year. Another important fact is that veterinary fees are rising faster than inflation and pet insurance claims are made more frequently than other household or car insurance claims.”
“With Christmas just around the corner there will be many new pet owners and it is even more important at a time like this that the annual message gets across: there is a cost to caring for pets.” added Elaine.
Animal Friends are unique in the pet insurance sector as they are a not-for-profit company. All their net profits made from the sale of pet insurance policies go directly to charities which help animals in need. The charities that they provide aid to are worldwide and include Animal Asia, The Born Free Foundation, donkey and horse sanctuaries in Israel and the Gambia along with many others including smaller charities such as Somerset and Dorset Rescue and Woodlands Animal Sanctuary.
The company offers several levels of cover ranging from just a few pounds per month to comprehensive full lifetime policies to help protect pet owners against unforeseen medical expenses for ongoing conditions such as arthritis and to give them peace of mind.
In a recession charitable donations are hit hard too. In response to this, Animal Friends has teamed up with The Mayhew Animal Home, one of the busiest animal sanctuaries in London, rescuing thousands of animals from cruelty and neglect each year. To help the Mayhew’s important work, Animal Friends Insurance will be donating 5 for every policy sold when a pet insurance purchase is made right until the end of December 08, a buyer just has to give the promotional code MAY1 at the time of purchase to trigger the donation. So whether you phone Animal Friends Insurance to buy a policy - or buy online - mention the promotional code MAY1 and Animal Friends will earmark 5 towards this worthy cause on your behalf. The web site can be found at http://www.animalfriends.org.uk.
In a report in the Dereham Times of Norfolk, David Green, spokesman for the RSPCA said, “The vast majority of responsible pet owners do get insurance. But people often do not appreciate the cost of vet treatment. People are out of touch with what it can cost. Insurance is a relatively small outlay in comparison.”
Web: http://www.animalfriends.org.uk/
High res image can be downloaded from: http://www.clickintopr.com/editors/articleDetail.asp?pjID=555
Animal Friends Insurance is a non-profit making insurance business, which donates 100% of its net profits to animal welfare charities worldwide. The company was founded in 1998 and offers competitively priced dog and cat insurance products. In 2005 Animal Friends Insurance’s managing director, Elaine Fairfax, won the NatWest everywoman Award for achieving the most outstanding success in business. Animal Friends currently insures around 30,000 pets at a 5 million gross written premium.
Read more Pet news at UK Pet Insurance Review
Drizzle the Obama’s “First Dog” in Diamonds
Guest Article from Gothic Dog
According to President-Elect Barack Obama’s news conference, a majority of hits on the Barack Obama web page concern interest in the pending First Pet. Given the intersection of Pet News and Mr. Obama’s impending Presidency, Gothic Dog thought it a perfect time to get their official SpokesDog’s, Gracie, take on the new President, the First Pet, and Mr. Obama’s forthcoming Cabinet selections.
Gracie, self-described as an indulged, and possibly spoiled, chihuahua, insists that she has four paws on the ground in matters relating to the benefit of our country. She first noted her availability for White House duty, if a gorgeous Chihuahua is what the Obama girls are looking for. While Malia Obama is allergic to dogs, Gracie points out her low shedding nature and promises to keep her dander to a minimum.
More importantly, however, Gracie insists that she is a policy hound, so to speak, and would make a much more attractive, and knowledgeable, lapdog to the President than Senator Biden. With Mr. Obama elected and soon to take residence in the White House, the questioning turned to his potential Cabinet selections. Gracie insisted that the best way to evaluate a potential Cabinet member was to, quite simply, assess their “pet issues,” as she put it.
Ms. Gracie rattled off several names which, she maintains, have the “inside track” for Mr. Obama’s Cabinet: Hilary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Tom Daschle, Chuck Hagel, Richard Lugar and, perhaps shockingly, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani.
In explaining her evaluation technique, Gracie said: “Hilary Clinton, or some other dreadfully serious person will ask us to believe that this new pet du jour is their most beloved old friend, and trusted confidant. That’s where my recent brainstorming comes in: I decided to do a little digging; to see which of these pretenders to the cabinet positions put their money where their canine mouths are. Are you with me? In other words, let’s find out who really has a companion worthy of the front page, and which of these windbags just trotted over to ‘Rent-a-Pet’ as they set out to campaign for a position as Secretary of the Really Important.”
Gracie continued, urging readers to refrain from trying to read into her comments her political leanings, as she insisted that political leanings “are so bourgeois,” although she did frown upon current First Dog, President Bush’s Barney, biting a Reuters reporter. Gracie added that “one must stay abreast of these things, if for no other reason than to add the occasional bon mot at the martini bowl.”
Gracie first assessed Senator Clinton’s prospects for a Cabinet position. “This one really puts the Tabasco in my kibble, if you catch my meaning. Hilary Clinton. If it wasn’t bad enough that she let her Labrador, Buddy, get run over by a car when she moved to New York, she dumped, and I do mean d-u-m-p-e-d, as in a home-wrecking-Hollywood-actress-broke-up-my-marriage dumped, her cat Socks on Presidential secretary Betty Currie when the Clintons left the White House. As you all know, this Chihuahua is no friend of the cat, but even I have to draw the line when such mercenary use is made of a feline. It’s said that Socks was purchased when the Clintons’ U-Haul arrived in D.C. to soften the former First Lady’s image, and Hilary rid herself of the cat when her image no longer needed such softening or, more likely, she realized that a simple-minded furball spitter wasn’t going to accomplish the impossible. Obviously, she’s out. No self-respecting sensational canine could condone such behavior toward loyal pet constituency. And a word to the chocolate lab named Seamus currently living with the Clintons: don’t cross any streets, and insist on Secret Service protection at all times.”
Gracie then analyzed Bill Richardson. “He has two cats, both tabbys, named Jackie and Squeaky. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the man who has his finger on ‘the button’ and is responsible for protecting our considerable real estate holdings, but perhaps satisfactory for a mere cabinet position. I suppose I could have made a concession if they were named Tank and Anti-Terrorism . . . but Jackie and Squeaky? Good Lord.”
As to Tom Daschle, Gracie insisted that his documented deep love of cats did not bode well for a productive Cabinet performance. On the other hand, Chuck Hagel’s well known love of his Portuguese Water Dog impressed Gracie as a compelling indication of the highest qualification for President-Elect Obama’s Cabinet: dog-lover.
Crossing the aisle, Gracie lauded Richard Lugar’s consistent support of the Animal Welfare Act and the Pet Safety and Protection Act, noting that the support makes him “a safe choice for us dogs.”
Gracie expressed a soft spot for former Presidential-hopeful, Mike Huckabee: “Be still my tiny racing heart. I must just heart a Huckabee. Darlings, this Mike Huckabee has a hunting dog, a Lab, named Jet and a shih tzu named Sonic. This man obviously has a thing for dogs. Any man with a love for dogs can’t be all bad, even if he does appear to be a far-right, fundamentalist-leaning, Christian conservative, who might force me to pray when I go to post-graduate doggie school, and carry a gun, wait, I already carry a gun — a absurdly cute platinum derringer, and waive many of my civil rights.”
As to Mitt Romney, while his staff is quoted as stating that “his wife owns horses,” Gracie informed us that “any man that doesn’t step up and proudly proclaim his half of the responsibility for pampering our enormous four-legged equine friends is certainly not Cabinet material.”
Finally, Gracie insisted that “while a man can lead a city out of danger and into a new era, apparently that just drains too much energy to curl up on the sofa with a faithful friend. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has no pets. None. Au revoir, mon ami. No doggie . . . no votie.”
Returning to the topic of the soon-to-be First Pet, Gracie told us that she earns her keep as a doggie model for Gothic Dog and Pupscale Couture, she would proudly donate one of Gothic Dog’s luxury chenille and sequined “VOTE” sweaters to the incoming pup. Gracie concluded her remarks by promising that: “If Mr. Obama would like to indulge his family’s new four legged addition, I’ll donate a customized version of our best-selling Bensley’s Skull and Crossbones charm with rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. Even dogs need to don red, white and blue.”
For more information, call Gothic Dog at 1-310-866-3920 (USA) or visit Gothic Dog’s website at www.gothicdog.com
Contact: Alison Longyear
Phone: 1-310-866-3920 (USA)
Email: press@gothicdog.com
Economy Creating Huge Demand for Pet Care Services
A combination of multiple economic, workforce and demographic trends are contributing to an exploding demand for pet care services, particularly at-home pet sitting and dog walking.
“It’s clear that in this current economic downturn, Americans are working harder and are spending significantly more time at the office than anticipated,” said Paul Mann, CEO of FETCH! Pet Care, part of the $43 billion pet industry. “With the downsizing of companies all across the country, employees are clocking more overtime than ever, and we are the ones caring for their pets as a result.”
FETCH! Pet Care, USA’s largest and most professional at-home pet sitting and dog-walking franchise, which services more than 1,800 communities across 35 states, provides professionally trained pet sitters for owners of any kind of pet, from dogs and cats, to birds, fish, iguanas and more. Caregivers can be hired for ongoing daily services, overnight care, as well as weekends, during the busy holiday season, or on a moment’s notice.
Mann, who founded FETCH! Pet Care in 2002 in the midst of a similar economic recession, knows firsthand how the pet business grows when the economy is down. He points to the following factors contributing to the most recent boom in pet care, which will be a significant contributor to the growth of Fetch! Pet Care as the pet industry expands to $52 billion by 2010:
• Baby boomers, whose children are leaving home, and young professionals, who are prioritizing their careers over raising children, have voids to fill. Because they’re looking to pets to fill a human-type void, they are humanizing their pets and spending lavishly as a result.
• Pet owners make up two-thirds of all households, with the average home having nearly two pets each. There is a lack of professionally trained providers to keep up with growing market demand.
• As companies continue to downsize their employee base, those that remain employed must work harder and those in sales have larger territories to cover and have increased travel demands, thus increasing the amount of time they must be away from their pets.
• More than 5 percent of Americans, or 7.7 million people, are now working more than one job, giving them less time to spend at home with their pets.
Historically, the pet care industry has been dominated by independent pet sitters. Although loving and caring, many of these individuals have run the business as a hobby or don’t possess the systems, processes or procedures to ensure consistent customer satisfaction, which has affected the reputation of the pet care industry. Fetch! Pet Care is unique in that all of its sitters are professionally trained, criminal history background checked, bonded and insured and must follow detailed policies and procedures in order to ensure pets and their owners receive consistently high quality service.
To further differentiate their business and drive more business to their franchisees, Fetch! Pet Care has created partnerships with a series of major corporations and associations, such as AAA and Blue Cross/Blue Shield, who are promoting FETCH! Pet Care’s services to more than 75 million of their employees, customers and members. By adding FETCH! Pet Care services these companies are enjoying “pet-friendly” status in the marketplace and their employees, customers and members are benefiting from special discounts and peace of mind.