Caring for Pets in Cold Weather

With snow on the way, some tips for looking after our fur babies this winter

Dogs cold weather advice

  • Put a dog coat or jumper on them when you go out for a walk, especially if you have a fine coated dog, such as a Greyhound or a Staffie
  • Check their paws and defrost snow – and dry them thoroughly after they’ve been outside as long haired dogs are prone to snow compacting between their toes
  • Clean their paws at the end of your walk as salt and grit from roads and pavements can get between your dog’s paws
  • Dry off wet and muddy dogs after walks
  • Provide them with lots of toys for them to play with indoors and do not force your dog out in the cold weather
  • Make sure your dog has good recall if you’re letting them off the lead when out dog walking so they do not get lost when visibility is reduced in foggy or snowy weather conditions
  • Attach a small light to your dog’s collar so other pedestrians can see them when out on walks in weather which reduces visibility
  • Keep contact details on your pet’s collar and microchip up to date in case they should stray.

Cats cold weather advice

  • Avoid using antifreeze and products containing products. Cats are attracted to the taste of the chemical which is severely dangerous causing many cats to die every year. If this does occur, seek veterinary advice immediately
  • Provide a litter tray for your cat so they do not have to go outside if they choose not to
  • Provide lots of interesting toys for your cat to play with if they are spending more time indoors
  • Dry off your cat if they get wet outside
  • Check their paws and dry them thoroughly after they’ve been outside as long haired cats are prone to snow compacting between their toes
  • Leave somewhere warm and snuggly for them to curl up in if your cat is home alone during the day, especially for older cats
  • Keep your cat indoors in the colder evenings so they are safe from the traffic in conditions with reduced visibility
  • Keep contact details on your cat’s collar and microchip up to date in case they should stray
  • Tap the hood of your car before starting the engine to disturb any sleeping stowaways – cats have a habit of crawling under car bonnets to soak up the warmth from the engine

         Outdoor pets cold weather advice

  • Check your pets water in cold weather the water can freeze leaving your pet with no water to drink
  • Top up bedding extra bedding will help keep your outdoor pet warm
  • Popping a cover over the front of cages through the night, will help to keep some heat in the cage as the temperature drops.
  • Outdoors pets may need more calories in the cold weather to generate energy and keep warm.
  • Consider moving inside in extremely cold weather you may want to move your pets indoors. Perhaps in shed or garage. Or for field kept pets like horses or donkeys, providing a shelter or stable.

Post Christmas Weight Gain – For Pets Too

Gaining a few extra pounds at Christmas is almost a compulsory part of the festivities for us humans, but how many of us include our pets into this tradition…perhaps without even realizing it.

An extra slice of Christmas turkey for me and a slice for Scamp too…

A couple of extra pigs in blankets for me and one for Champ too….

Sound familiar?!

As we love our pets so much its only natural that we want to include them in the Christmas festivities, but how much notice do we pay to the extra pounds they might be gaining?

Overweight pets is a growing concern in the UK, with 1 in 4 dogs and 1 in 3 cats now being overweight.

Like us humans, pets become overweight when they consume more calories than their body can use and sadly the food and treats we provide often exceed the amount of calories they can burn off through activity, causing them to gain weight.

Even pets that get lots of exercise can soon become overweight if they are getting too many calories.

Our domestic pets cannot regulate their food intake and exercise like wild animals because they have to rely on us as their owners to provide food and exercise for them.

Unfortunately because we see so many overweight pets out and about or on social media, it is normalising obesity and owners are getting the wrong impression of what a healthy dog, cat or rabbit of the ideal bodyweight, should look like.

How do the below animals look to you? Overweight or normal?

All of the above images are of animals that have some weight to lose. Does that surprise you?

Click the links to check out Royal Canin weight chart for cats, dogs and rabbits. How is your pets weight post xmas?

Being overweight can also make it more likely that your pet could suffer from serious health problems and conditions such as:

  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Breathing difficulties
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Arthritis, Joint Problems and Injuries
  • Skin Problems
  • Anal Gland Problems
  • Cystitis
  • Incontinence (mainly seen in bitches)
  • Ulcers / pressure sores
  • Fly Strike (Maggot infestation) – This occurs when animals cannot reach their bottoms and clean themselves
  • Irritability
  • Matted Fur
  • Overweight and obese pets usually have shorter lives than fitter pets.
  • Overweight pets also tend to interact less with their families and are less energetic and playful

So if your pet has been part of the festivities, now is a good time to start working off the extra pounds and keep them fit and healthy for longer.

If your pet has some pounds to lose and you would like some help uping the exercise regime, Scamps and Champs can help. Whether its an extra dog walk during the day or spending time with your cat and rabbit using enrichment games and exercise tactics to get them moving a bit more through the day. Get in touch with your local branch HERE and we will be happy to get your pets fit this year.

Scamps and Champs Tameside Rated in Top 3 for 4th Year Running

Kayleigh and her team have been rated top 3 dog walker providers in the Tameside area for the 4th year running.

Following a 50 point inspection, which looks all parts of the business from, customer satisfaction, ratings, reviews, pricing, trading standards and many more, Scamps and Champs Tameside were hand-picked by Three Best Rated  as the “bees knees” for dog walkers and rated them as one of the TOP 3 in the area.

Three Best Rated are an independent company that carries out their own research and inspection of local businesses.

Kayleigh says “I am really pleased with getting this rating again. My team are great and I am really proud of them.

Kayleigh has been a part of Scamps and Champs since 2009 and has consistently provided a reliable and professional service to pet owners around Tameside. The branch has grown considerably and now has plans to extend into Glossop in 2019.

With the growing demand for pet care, Kayleigh is currently recruiting for more team members. If you would like to know more about the opportunities with Kayleigh, you can email her at tameside@scampsandchamps.co.uk

Scamps and Champs Tameside offer pet care to all shapes and sizes and tailor make their services to suit the requirements of you and your pet, from one off pet visits to daily dog walks. Kayleigh and her team will do their upmost to make your pet feel part of the family.

No-Deal Brexit Could Affect Pet Travel

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has advised that should the UK leave the EU next year without a deal, there would be important implications for pet owners wishing to travel overseas with their animals from 30 March 2019.

Pet Owner Overview

Pet owners will still be able to travel to Europe with their pet after the UK leaves the EU, whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. However, in the event of no deal, they may need to take some additional steps to be able to travel with their pet to the EU.

If pet owners are planning to travel after 29 March 2019 the Government will recommend they contact their vet at least four months in advance to check what they need to do.

Those wishing to travel to the EU on 30 March 2019, for example, should discuss requirements with their vet as soon as possible and by 28 November 2018 at the latest.

The requirements for travel would include making sure that pets are effectively vaccinated against rabies before they travel. This involves having an up-to-date rabies vaccination and a blood test to demonstrate sufficient levels of rabies antibody.

The blood test would need to be carried out a minimum of 30 days after any initial rabies vaccination and a minimum of three months before their travel date. This means that pet owners will need to talk to their vet about health requirements in good time to make sure they are able to travel with their pet.

Watch a video for more details:

Should Children Be Given Training To Avoid Dog Bites?

Over 7,000 children under the age of 18 were hospitalised last year for dog bites, according to the NHS. Now a parliamentary committee has recommended new training to keep families safe around pets.

The Commons Environment Committee found that children under 9 were more likely to be hurt than any other age group, sometimes with life-changing injuries. They also suggest that training should be part of the national curriculum to stop the increase in admissions. 4,110 children were hospitalised in 2005, an 80% increase over the last 12 years.

Other recommendations included awareness courses for owners, similar to speeding remedial courses. They also want an independent review into dog attacks for a new piece of legislation to replace the 1991 Dangerous Dog Act.

Chair of the committee, Neil Parish MP, said the current legislation was a “death sentence” for many family pets and good-natured dogs who are put down purely because of their breed. He also said that “evidence from across the world shows that the government should focus instead on encouraging responsible ownership, improving education and ensuring offenders face robust penalties.”

The Dog Trust has already given advice on how parents should teach their children about dog safety:

  • Don’t go near a dog you don’t know
  • Only pat or play with a dog if they have asked the owner
  • Never leave young children unsupervised with any dog
  • Don’t let them tease their dog or play too roughly with it
  • Don’t go near or disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, ill or injured

But the government says there are no plans to make dog safety part of the national curriculum. The committee also found that schools were unprepared to teach this topic, resulting in patchy results across the UK. Charities say teaching material is readily available, but aren’t being taught consistently.

Some members of the committee argued that responsibility should lie on owners, not children. Tackling reckless and dangerous owners should be the focus point of education rather than in schools. Charities and even police forces should take on owners whose dogs are deemed high risk or who have been involved in previous attacks.

So what do you think? Should children be given training across the board to combat any risk? Or do you think children are ok as is?

Animal Welfare Act 2018 – What Will The Effects Be?

The new Animal Welfare Act 2018 has come into effect as of 1st October 2018, and it will have an impact on the way dogs are bred and sold in the UK. There have been many advances in the understanding of dog welfare since previous acts, the most recent of which came into force 19 years ago. The new legislation has been welcomed by animal welfare organisations, but what will it mean for you?

The key reforms

There is now a single licence for the selling, breeding and boarding of dogs, including for home boarders and daycare companies. The practice legislation for these activities has been updated with the help of animal welfare charities, implementing key requirements from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Model Licence Conditions as law.

Licences will now be issued as fixed-term, starting from any point during the year to prevent a build-up of inspections coming at a single time of year. And local authorities will utilise a risk-based approach to issuing licences, facilitating lower risk and higher performing operators being permitted to hold a licence for longer, and with fewer inspections. This will be an incentive for higher standards and reduce the burden on local authorities.

There will be no puppies sold before they reach 8 weeks of age under any circumstances. Anyone who breeds 3+ litters will need a licence (down from 5+), and anyone making money from breeding and selling will need to be licensed, regardless of how many litters they produce.

The advertising of pet sales online will be more closely monitored to ensure it is legal and ethical. This will include licensed sellers being made to disclose their licence numbers.

Will the new regulations make a difference?

It is important these new regulations are conveyed to the public to ensure they have the maximum positive impact. Businesses and local authorities also need to be fully briefed to enable them to remain fully compliant at all times.

Moving forward, there are calls for the government to build on the good work of the new Animal Welfare Act 2018. Animal welfare groups would like to see similar regulations introduced for rehoming organisations, dog walkers, dog groomers and hydrotherapy institutions. You can see the full Animal Welfare Act 2018 here.