How many times have you heard someone say – ‘if only he could talk…’ But your dog can talk and understand most of what we say too. Having ongoing conversations with your dog is an essential part of solving behavioural issues and helping him to be a happy pet. Most of how the dog communicates with us is by body […]
It seems obvious to us that despite the glossy advertisements and all the hype, a lot of the dog food on offer today is of poor nutritional value and in some cases may contribute to the chronic conditions that so many pets seem to suffer from. We see more skin diseases, epilepsy, diabetes, hyperactivity, tumours and […]
Itch, scratch, itch – first you notice a small bare patch on your dog’s coat, then it gets bigger, The stray shown in the picture was covered in sores. The more your dog scratches, the worse it gets. What’s going on? If your dog has a painful area of inflammation, he isn’t likely to leave it […]
Are you sure this is from Waitrose? Some cats are so fussy about what they eat it’s a constant challenge to find something they like. Our feline friends are normally hungry creatures and demand food at regular intervals throughout the day. Feeding cats is an artificial routine – in their natural life they are well […]
Please feed me! That’s what the hungry strays say to us most of the time. In a natural life a dog would go for long periods without food and then gorge himself when he caught something. It’s been proven recently that domesticated dogs evolve quite rapidly, over a period of tens of years instead of hundreds. […]
This elderly cat came in to us recently wearing a collar that was much too tight. Her neck was bare where the collar had been fastened round her neck. It must have been very uncomfortable for her and it wasn’t surprising that her appetite was poor. Why do people put collars on cats? It’s certainly […]
Top Cats – it’s official – they have overtaken dogs as the U.K.s most popular pet…. The numbers of cats kept as pets is a whopping – 8.6 million Dogs have slipped to second place with – 8.3 million Small animals kept as pets total – 2.7 million Cage birds total – 2.2 million And there […]
It’s not just Shepherd dogs who have a keen sense of what’s right and wrong. Recent research has shown that almost all dogs have a keen sense of fair play. If dogs see that they are being treated unfairly they are quick to react and show their disapproval. A team at the University of Vienna recently tested […]
No, it’s not a myth – cats really are more curious about life than other animals. With so many cats around, our feline research programme has no shortage of information. One of our particular interests is why some cats are laid back couch potatoes and others are ‘curiosity cats’ who are only satisfied by by exploring and […]
This newcomer is still a bit unsure. She’s hiding behind a plant and her face is saying – ‘back off and leave me alone please’. Cats are brilliant communicators but unless you understand their language it’s not always so easy to tell what they are saying. We vocalize easily and conversation is our main communication […]