Pleasing 4 Pets

Like their human owners many pets are at risk from health issues arising from obesity. It is estimated that at least 50% of pets in the UK are overweight; this has an effect on their quality of life and can often cause problems like arthritis, and internal illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes and even reduced life expectancy.

There are a number of measures that can be taken to prevent your animal companion from becoming a flabby cat or a pooch with a paunch. You should make sure that your pet follows an appropriate diet, which means the right food in the right proportions, and unfortunately avoiding the many scraps and snacks that pets seem to love.

Much of the time owners are not aware that their animal is obese until they have cause to visit their vet. Most surgeries will record the weight of your pet when they go for their vaccinations.

If your pet is determined as being overweight, and assuming that there isn’t an underlying cause for this, your vet should offer you advice regarding what you should be feeding them, as well as in what quantities and how frequently. You may even be advised of an ideal weight for your pet and many veterinary surgeries these days operate regular animal obesity clinics, offering weight checks and exercise and diet advice to concerned owners.

All animals should be encouraged to exercise regularly. In addition to helping prevent weight problems, exercise will keep your pet fit and will naturally increase their enjoyment of life, as a healthy pet is a happy pet.

The weekend of 12th -13th July 2008 will see the occurrence of the disabled global equestrian event at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire - The 7th World Riding for the Disabled Association’s (RDA) National Multidisciplinary Championships.

The contest is the biggest event of its nature across the globe with over 400 disabled riders taking part annually. For those wishing to participate but not able to travel, the competition also encompasses Musical Ride and Musical Drive Video and DVD competitions in addition to an arts and crafts contest.

The Riding for the Disabled Association is a charitable trust committed to developing and enhancing the lives of those with disabilities by granting them the opportunity to experience horse riding. With an existing a association of in excess of 500 nationwide RDA Groups, the association provides support to an estimated 25,000 riders with the assistance of approximately 18,000 volunteer workers. Involvement with horses is thought to provide substantial physical and emotional rehabilitation opportunities amongst disabled communities.

The event started around19 years ago as a dressage gala but began to progress as a multidisciplinary event in 2002. Around 300 UK based riders are expected to enter the competition, having succeeded in the18 RDA preliminary regional competitions. The 10 categories range from Best turned out horse and rider, to dressage and vaulting divisions, with spectators afforded free entry.

As a rule, rabbits are exceptionally hygienic. In their natural habitat most will only go to the toilet in certain spots and will very rarely foul the inside of their warrens. Domesticated rabbits are pretty much the same, preferring to relieve themselves in a very small number of places and are a result are fairly easy to house break, with most bunnies requiring only a small amount of encouragement from their owners to urinate in their litter tray from just a few weeks old.

Rabbits aged more than one year are remarkably easy to house train, particularly if they have been spayed. Neutering is essential if your rabbit is to live in your house, without it female rabbits are prone to restlessness during the springtime and may mark their territory by urinating away from the litter tray.

Position your bunnies’ litter tray inside the pen or near her bed and arrange another tray in a quiet corner of the room if possible. Plant a small number of pellets in each tray with a piece of tissue steeped in your rabbit’s urine. This will helping her to understand what they litter tray is for.

Whenever she hops into the tray furnish her with praise. If she appears cautious, direct her soothingly to the tray or consider luring her into it with a treat

You should experiment with several varieties of litter to discover which one your rabbit prefers. The best styles are the absorbent non toxic or organic forms as most rabbits will attempt to chew up their litter at some point or will swallow small amounts in the course of grooming.

The majority of rabbits also take pleasure in burrowing in their litter trays and some have been known to fall asleep in them! Try not to discourage this behaviour since if your you bunny is happy being in the tray she will also want to mark it with her urine and droppings, which in turn will promote litter training.

Goldfish are the most popular coldwater fish to be kept as pets in the UK and are very sociable and responsive, and where possible should be accommodated with other goldfish. The common Goldfish is toughest and most resilient of coldwater fish which obviously encourage their popularity as easy to care for pets. If your goldfish has a companion, a decent sized fishbowl or aquarium with properly filtered water, and a few underwater plants or pebbles, he will be contented and much likelier to survive for longer.

In an ideal world you should feed your fish each morning and each evening whenever possible, with special flaked fish food, or with water-fleas or bloodworms for a treat. Each goldfish requires only a few flakes sprinkled on top of the water. If your goldfish discontinue feeding after about 10 minutes, take out any uneaten food flakes very carefully with a small net. This will help to keep the tank clean and will discourage the goldfish from over-feeding.

You should also keep your tank out of direct sunlight and avoid environments with extreme temperatures. You should also clean your goldfish tank on a regular basis, ensuring that 20 to 30% of the water is replaced each time using plain tap water mixed with a little warm water to bring it up to room temperature.

A recent report published by a leading international ferry company confirmed that an increasing number of UK residents are allowing their pets to accompany them on holiday, with current figures revealing that holiday bookings including family pets have risen 21% so far this year. With kennel fees and the likes rising rapidly this figure looks set to increase steadily for the remainder of 2008.

Previously going on holiday and taking an animal companion with you has proved problematic and difficult to coordinate, but the growth in pet friendly lodgings, increasing choices in travel alternatives and modification in the regulations for visiting foreign countries with animals all point to the fact that holidaying with a pet is actually more realistic and feasible an option than it has ever been before. The let-up in the UK’s stringent quarantine regulations, and in particular the launch of the ‘Pet Travel Scheme’ which was introduced in 2000, will no doubt encourage this rise.

European Ferry and car travel is particularly well suited to pets and offers them a less traumatic and distressing journey than if they were travelling by plane. For a small charge many ferries will provide special pet facilities including kennels.

Going on pet-friendly holidays is a great idea. It’s a good way of making yourself do something different, try going camping for example. You can still go abroad as it is easy to go camping in France or Spain using ferry or car travel.

Booking private accommodation also offers the perfect remedy for taking a break with your pets. In addition to cutting kennel costs, many owners find having a beloved pet accompany them on a trip very rewarding.