Pleasing 4 Pets

January is traditionally a time when a lot of us feel down in the dumps or are inflicted with the post Christmas blues and the days are short and grey and the nights are long and cold.

But at this time of the year, it isn’t just us that are suffering; apparently our pets feel the effects as much as we do.

Key animal charity the PSDA is advising pet owners that the meagre summer of last summer combined with this winters appalling weather, below average temperatures and prolonged dark nights has resulted in an increase in the numbers of domestics pets enduring the misery of SAD’s - Seasonal Affective Disorder.

A survey carried out recently confirmed that the owners of one in three dogs notice a considerable downturn in the moods of their much loved four legged friends, revealing that they appear dejected and less lively than they would ordinarily be.

Leading vets at the PDSA believe that it is possible for domestic pets to display symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, including fatigue, a decline in levels of activity and a shift in the number of hours slept each day.

The survey also showed that more than 50% of dog owners believed that their pets slept more often and for longer periods of time during the winter months, were less active and appeared to lose interest in walks.

And it would seem that the weather doesn’t just affect dogs, with a third of cat owners confirming that their feline appeared subdued and much les playful in wintertime.

One veterinary surgeon from the PDSA, Elaine Pendlebury said recently:-

“The cause of SAD in people is thought to be linked to the levels of melatonin in the body.

More melatonin is produced when it is dark, which is why it is also called ‘the hormone of darkness’. When this hormone is released into the bloodstream it is thought to make us drowsy and a little down in the dumps.

If this applies to pets too, the recent poor summers, together with the current dark nights, could certainly have an impact on their mood. So, owners need to kick-start their pet’s winter health routine with regular exercise and a well-balanced diet.”

Of course, the change in our pets’ mood may be simply due to the cold weather and fewer opportunities to stretch their legs outside, but diet and exercise can play a big part in perking up your pet. Even if you can’t go out, there are various indoor games that you can play together.”

Animal rights supporters have revealed their concern that a dog stealing ring is in operation in the London area.

The concern comes after two miniature pinschers, regarded as ‘designer’ dogs were stolen shortly after Christmas from their owner’s home in Woodford green, London whilst owner Danielle Ott was out.

.The thieves broke into Danielle’s home and ignored her flatscreen TV, laptop and numerous Christmas gifts but stole her beloved pets Enzo and Minx who are worth around £650 each.

Poor EnZo was discovered four days after he was snatched in Essex, ten miles from his home. His body was covered in scratches and he had been burnt with a cigarette.

Distraught Danielle aged 23, believes that he was abandoned by the cruel thieves after they realised that he had been neutered and therefore worthless when it came to breeding

She said:-

“We’re worried sick that Minx was stolen to order for breeding or to be sold on.

We’ve put up around 1,000 posters across Essex and called every vet’s surgery in the country to see if she has been handed in.”

Animal Charity Dogs Lost has released data confirming that thefts of this kind are rising dramatically in the London area, with the majority of stolen dogs sold in backs street public houses for around £30 to £50.

Jane Hayes, the founder of Dog Lost verified the charity was receiving information on cases like Danielle’s at least twice per week.

She revealed:-

“Burglaries like this are on the increase. Most thefts are opportunist but there are quite a few gangs operating, who often attack owners at knifepoint in a park.

The most popular type to steal are Staffordshire bull terriers because they are seen as a status symbol and can be sold no-questions-asked in the pub.”

A caring dog owner has handed back her much loved pet of four years after it was discovered that was originally stolen.

Dog lover Isabella McGraw purchased pet Gango, a rare breed of Norwegian Buhund worth around £2,000 from local kennels in 2004. But unbeknown to her, former Crufts champion Gango had been stolen from the garden of his original owner, Jessie Ramshall only days before.

The truth was unearthed by chance outside a Cash and Carry in Nottinghamshire when Isabella found Jessie looking into her car where Gango was, and crying.

She said: -

”

There were lots of people around making a fuss and the lady was hysterical saying it’s her dog. She got documents out of her car and pedigree certificates that she had on her, and then she produced a photograph which had the distinctive marking on his ear.

I could see straight away it was her dog. I was very upset and distressed but I handed him over.”

Isabella and Jessie travelled to Jessie’s home in Sherwood where Gango happily jumped out of the car and ran straight inside his former home.

Isabella explained:-

“While I had him all he did was lie on the front garden and the vet has since said he was probably pining for his owner. I used to have to literally drag him in the house. All he wanted to do was lie in the garden.

When we went in her house she said to me, ‘I bet he goes in the lounge and goes straight over to that corner’, and he did.

I had to give him back. It had also really got to me when she said her husband had recently died and he’d said to her, ‘when I’m in heaven I’ll pray that the dog is returned to you’.”

A shelter which homes abandoned cats has been flooded with new additions as the declining economic climate in the UK drives pet owners to discard their pets.

The Cats Protection unit in the village of Nuthall in Nottinghamshire has the facility to shelter 30 cats but currently has 44 in house with a waiting list of at least 200 more.

The Deputy Manager at the unit, Debbie Heathcote commented:-

“There has been an increase in the number of people needing us – the phone calls have gone up dramatically.

We are starting to hear more that people cannot afford them.

This year will probably see more cats coming in.

This means the numbers on the waiting list will go up.

The quicker we can home the cats, the quicker we can get them off the waiting list.”

Over the course of 2008 the centre was home to around 84 stray cats, 33 abandoned moggies and 173 other cats whose owners decided that they were no longer able to keep them, mostly because they couldn’t afford to look after them.

The Cats Protection unit at Nutall covers the entire Nottingham area in addition to Long Eaton. Its doors are open from the hours of 11.00am until 3.00pm daily, including weekends.

For further information on Cats Protection in the Nottingham area call 01159
386 557.

If your cat is otherwise fit and healthy, she probably won’t require a higher level of care than usual when she is carrying kittens. A pregnant cat will happily engage in conventional activities and will remain reasonably self sufficient throughout the course of her pregnancy.

Feline pregnancies typically last between 60 and 70 days, and an average litter of kitten’s totals around 4. During the earliest weeks of the pregnancy it is unlikely that she will show any symptoms.

The first signs of pregnancy are usually noticeable after around 4 weeks, and early indicators are swollen nipples that are pinker that they would ordinarily be and increased appetite followed obviously by weight gain.

As soon as you suspect that your cat is expecting it would be wise to take to her your local veterinary clinic for a check up.

Your vet will advise you on dietary requirements during pregnancy, as the expectant Mother - or Queen will require a higher intake of both calories and protein from her second month of pregnancy, both of which are found in abundance in good quality kitten foods.

Your vet may advise you to add kitten food to your cat’s diet during the pregnancy, continuing until after her litter have been weaned.

Throughout the last two weeks of her pregnancy your cat may appear to lose her appetite, but it may be that she requires to eat more frequently in smaller quantities due to the decreased space in her abdominal area.

That said, if a pregnant cat refuses food or water for more than a couple of days, consult a veterinary surgeon for advice.

UK Veterinary Charity, The Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals more commonly known as the PDSA, has released a list of the top ten most bizarre items removed by their registered veterinary surgeons from the stomachs of poorly pets.

Items on the list included a kitchen knife and a rubber duck.

One senior veterinary surgeon for the trust, Sean Wensley commented:-

“There is a medical term for pets eating strange objects - pica.

Dogs, especially puppies and younger dogs use their mouth to investigate objects as well as to eat. Sometimes a dog will swallow an object by mistake, even though it had only meant to investigate it.

PDSA is urging pet owners to do a ‘pet safety audit’ of their homes to identify and remove any dangers.

Owners should give their pets the chance to investigate new objects by providing them with plenty of pet-safe toys to play with.”

The complete list was published as follows:-:

1. Ten-inch tent peg
2. Christmas decoration (star shaped)
3. Kitchen knife
4. Alphabet fridge magnets
5. Man’s wig
6. Ann Summers underwear
7. Bell
8. Fishing hook
9. Socks
10. Rubber duck

Pet owners who would like further information regarding pet safety in the home can visit www.pdsa.org.uk/petcareleaflets for a free copy of the PDSA Pet Safety Indoors leaflet.

One of the UK’s most reputed veterinary surgeons has cautioned that the nation’s beloved pooches can experience almost as many injuries as a result of chasing sticks as they can on the nations roads.

The Professor of Small Animal Surgery at the Royal Veterinary College, Dan Brockman has recorded high numbers of severe infections and injuries in canines which were mostly the result of them suffering from puncture wounds after running after sharp or jagged sticks.

The professor has since launched a campaign to advise dog owners that in order to safeguard their pet pooches from such injuries they should throw rubber toys or appropriate sized balls rather than sticks.

His research has revealed dogs that have been paralysed after sticks had stabbed them in the throat and damaged their spinal cords, as well as dogs suffering from severe internal injuries after sticks had become wedged and stuck between the animal’s front legs and chest as they attempted to catch the moving stock.

But perhaps the most shocking were a number of dogs who encountered a slow and painful death as the result of infection from the minute remains of stick debris left in a cut or abrasion.

Professor Brockman also reminds dog owners of the need to ensure that dog toys including balls are appropriate to the size of their dog.

He said:-

“You must make sure the size of ball is right for the dog. I have had to operate on dogs that have swallowed tennis balls too.”

In a bid to safeguard its countries domestic pets from neglect and ill-treatment, the Japanese authorities are considering imposing a ‘Pet Tax’ on its rapidly expanding pet industry.

At a time when the Japanese Government seems unable to improve its nation’s declining birth rate, the pet industry is growing at an astonishing rate.

The numbers of pet dogs kept in Japan has risen to around 13million over the past ten years - far surpassing the numbers of children aged 12 and under.

It is hoped that imposing a tax on the price of purchasing a domestic pet will allow the authorities to enhance the safety of it nation’s animals and reduce the numbers of abandoned or neglected pets.

Unfortunately the increase in the numbers of domestic pets has coincided with dramatic increases in the numbers of ill-treated and abandoned animals. In 2008 more than 374,000 discarded animals were taken of the streets by local authorities, and a massive 90% on them were put to sleep.

Cash raised by the Pet Tax will be utilised to support pet ID schemes across Japan, as well as helping to fund the growing numbers of animal shelters.

It has been reported that the infamous Battersea Cats and Dogs home has reached its full capacity for the very first time in its history.

Another animal charity the Dogs Trust has confirmed that it also is running at full capacity.

During 2008 so far, Battersea has taken in 6,430 stray dogs, a massive increase from 5,335 throughout the whole of 2007.

Not only are record number of animals being abandoned, charities are finding it progressively more difficult to find them new homes as even animal lovers are forced to tighten their belts in view of the current economic climate.

It is feared that the increasing numbers of abandoned animals finding their way to charitable organisations will reach record proportions in 2009.

An estimated 131,400 are given as gifts at Christmastime each year, and worried animal charities believe that huge numbers could be abandoned when the festive season is over.

The Chief Executive of Battersea Cats and Dogs home commented:-

“While we think part of the rise in numbers of strays is because people can’t afford to keep their dogs any more so are dumping them on the streets, we’re also worried that people losing their dogs don’t know where to turn to try and find them.”

Leading a dog’s life could be much more complicated than anyone had previously imagined.

Research carried out recently by top scientists has revealed that canines often feel the negative emotions usually more associated with their human owners, such as envy, jealousy and pride.

Dogs loathe to witness their owners bestowing affection on others, particularly other dogs and appear to experience complex emotions when a newcomer such as a new partner enters the home environments, when they may suffer the fear of displacement.

One leading animal psychologist from the University of Portsmouth, Dr Paul Morris explained:-

“We are learning that dogs, horses, and perhaps many other species are far more emotionally complex than we ever realised.

They can suffer simple forms of many emotions we once thought only primates could experience.

Dogs show a strong aversion to inequity.”

Until very recently animals psychologists assumed that the majority of domestic pets didn’t appear to have the all important “sense of self” associated with the experience of secondary emotions like guilt, embarrassment, jealousy or empathy.

This latest canine study is one of many which are being undertaken by animal psychologists, other species under the microscope include cats, horses, cows and sheep.