Monthly Archives: March 2015

Dogs

Harvey’s Law

Dogs 25 - Harvey's Law

On November 23rd, 2013, Jude Devine was visiting friends in Liverpool when Harvey, her poodle, went missing. Jude was absolutely distraught and she did everything she could think of to find Harvey. She spent more than £8,000 in leaflets, banners, adverts and she even lived in a caravan to be close and search the area.

Her search came to an end when in February 2014. Jude received a Facebook message from a ‘highway patrol officer’. Harvey had been found dead on the M62, less than a mile from where Judy had been staying and just 20 minutes after he had gone missing. Harvey was microchipped and had a collar tag. However, no efforts were made to try and locate its owner.

Months of search and heartache could have been avoided entirely if it weren’t for the inadequate and unenforced procedures of the Highways Agency. Jude only found out what had happened to Harvey because by chance, the events of November 23rd were communicated, as there were no written records with the Highways Agency.

Jude and her friend Nina Blackburn decided to launch a petition demanding it to be compulsory to attempt to identify the dog and inform the owner if pets are killed and found on highways, to file a log report and circulate it to the police and dog warden.

The petition received more than 122,000 signatures and all these voices were heard. It has been announced that pets that are killed in road traffic accidents will have to be identified, collected and their owners informed by the Highways Agency.

The transport minister John Hayes has said that he wants to ensure that this policy is also extended to cats found on the roads.

The recent announcement regarding what has become known as Harvey’s Law is a huge victory for all pet owners that have gone through something similar and for all animal lovers that have been involved in this campaign.

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Horses

Understanding a horse’s nature is the first step to improve its physical and psychological health

Horse 23 - Understanding a horses nature is the first step to improve its physic

The best way to improve your horse’s quality of life and general health is to understand its nature and, weather a horse is stabled, living outside or in a combination of both, to provide a suitable environment that will fulfil their needs and promote natural behaviour.

Horses are social animals that enjoy more than anything the freedom to graze, to interact with each other and to be able to quickly escape if they don’t feel safe. In the wild, horses frequently interact with other horses and live in herds, spending most of their time (14-16 hours) wandering over wide areas foraging for food.

Their main concern is to be able to escape any possible predators so they are almost always active and alert. They enjoy wide open spaces because it allows them to clearly see what is going on around them and because it gives them the room they need to quickly run away if they feel threatened, scared of just uncomfortable. This is not only important to escape predators but it is also important for their social interactions, as they can decide to be around their equine companions or to just have a few moments alone.

It is essential for the health of a horse’s digestive system to have a high fibre content diet (such as grass and hay) provided in regular, small amounts. Food intake should be regulated to maintain a horse’s ideal weight, but any selected diet plan must keep this in mind.

Most horses, ponies and donkeys are extremely sociable and it is highly recommended for them to have companions to interact with. Other key elements include appropriate shelter, fresh water, mineral licks, extra feed if necessary and regular health care, which includes vaccinations, a worming plan and regular foot trimming and dental checks.

The size of a stable is also very important for a horse and as a general rule, the bigger the better. It should allow for the horse to turn around, to lie down and even to roll if they want to. Good ventilation is essential to prevent breathing problems. Large stables will not only provide better air circulation but will also reduce stress levels and allow you to accommodate more than one horse, pony or donkey if necessary.

A stable with good visibility, good air flow and natural light can also help reduce stress. Horses will feel more relaxed if they are able to watch, listen and smell things around them and on the outside, as this gives them something to do instead of feeling isolated and bored.

They will also benefit to be placed near their best friend, especially if they can easily see and touch each other, avoiding stress related with separation anxiety.

Stress, anxiety and depression in horses can affect performance, lead to weight loss and contribute to other serious diseases such as colic and laminitis. It can also interfere with the recovery process of an injury or disease.

A horse’s environment is key for its mental well-being and physical health.

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Cats, Dogs

How much do you know about fleas? Protect your pet and your home!

Dogs 27 - How much do you know about fleas

Fleas are extremely common parasites that feed off the blood of mammals, which includes pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits and they will also bite humans. Most pet owners have seen them at some point, since these tiny brown insects are very common and can be a problem all year round.

Although fleas are usually not a life threatening problem except in very young or very sick animals, they cause a lot of problems for pets and owners alike. Flea bites cause discomfort, itchiness and some pets can be allergic to their saliva. Affected pets often over-groom and scratch themselves a lot more than usual, leading to hair loss, red patches and even skin damage. If left unchecked these small scabs can become an open door for secondary infection.

Fleas are responsible for transmitting tapeworm to cats and dogs. This happens if a dog or a cat swallows a flea infected with tapeworm eggs, while grooming. These parasites will also transmit myxomatosis among rabbits (wild and domestic), which is a devastating and often fatal disease.

Fleas can be hard to get rid of mainly due to their life cycle. Only adult fleas will bite your pet and they can start laying eggs within 24 hours of their first meal.

These eggs will fall off your pet into the ground, where they hatch and develop into adult fleas. This means that they will develop in your pet’s surrounding environment (bedding, floors, carpets, couches, etc.). Not only this means that most of the problem is not on your pet, it is in its environment, but it also means that fleas can easily thrive during the colder months, since they can be safely hiding or developing in our warm, comfortable homes.

For all these reasons it is very important to keep your pet’s flea treatment up to date, even during the winter months.

If you do have a flea problem it is very important to treat your home, particularly your pet’s environment since that is where eggs and larvae will be. It is also key that all pets at home are treated, since fleas can easily jump from one pet to another. Your vet can recommend the best solution for your pet, since there is a wide variety of treatments and products available (spot on solutions, collars, tablets, sprays, etc.). Please make sure you follow your vet’s instructions and that you treat your pet with the appropriate products. Many dog flea treatments contains permethrin, an insecticide that is highly toxic for cats!

How to check my pet for fleas?

Search your pet’s fur looking closely at the skin surface for small black grains of sand. They are more commonly seen on their backs near the base of the tail. Those black grains of sand are faeces left behind by the fleas after feeding. You might also be able to see the fleas themselves walking around.

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Horses

Sweet itch

Horses 22 - Sweet itch

Equine sweet itch is a seasonal skin disease of horses and ponies caused by an allergic reaction to Culicoides midge bites. Affected horses feel extremely itchy, restless and uncomfortable, intensely rubbing and chewing the areas where they were bitten. Over time this can lead to hair loss, crusting, scaling, skin thickening and damage to the skin, which then becomes an open door for secondary infections.

All breeds can be affected and there is evidence that susceptibility to the disease is inherited. The saliva of the midge causes an “over the top”type I hypersensitivity reaction in which sensitised mast cells release histamine, resulting in swelling and intense itching. The more often a horse is bitten by midges, the worse the reaction becomes. The most commonly affected areas are usually the tail head, under the mane and underneath the horses’ abdomen.

The midges are active from March to October but their numbers peak from May to September.

A few changes in your horse’s daily management routine can be very helpful to deal with this problem, as well as using sweet itch rugs in combination with insect repellents, insecticides, oils and greases.

Sweet itch rugs cover more of the horse’s body and it’s important to keep in mind that the mesh size needs to be extremely small because midges are tiny. The best way to protect your horse’s face is to use a horse mask. Midges will often congregate on the moist areas around the horse’s eyes and forehead, and a fine mesh face and ear cover, attached by velcro under the chin is very effective in keeping them away.

Due to their small size it is very hard for midges to bite through layers of oil which means that oils such as citronella oil, garlic oil and tea tree oils can be helpful to provide some protection. There are many types of products that combine repellents, insecticides and oils available. Find one that suits you and your horse best.

If possible increase airflow by using a fan in the stable and use a very fine fly screen over the stable door.

Since midges are most active at dawn and dusk, stable the horse from 4 pm until 8 am in the summer months. Consider moving your horse away from wooded and wet areas to avoid as many moist midge breeding grounds as possible.

If you notice your horse is itching more than usual consult your veterinary surgeon as it will be needed to rule out other possible causes of itching. Your vet can also prescribe medications that can help ease your horse’s symptoms and provide some relief to suffering horses, while additional precautions are taken. Ask your vet for advice.

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