#BestForPets Magazine Edition #3 (Spring 2022)

#BestForPets Magazine Edition #3 (Spring 2022)

Edition 03 - Spring 2022

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Magazine

Great British Dog Walks Follow your noses to wild and wonderful places

A Day in the Life of a Vet Nurse What really goes on in a veteri nary practice Feline Focus

The ‘Energetic and Chatty’ Bengal Cat

Finley

Bonnie

Busta

Leeloo & Letty

Luna

Brought to you by

Lifetime pet insurance

Contents Click on the page you’d like to read

Welcome... to edition 3 of #BestForPets magazine, a publication packed full of advice, features and fun for both you and your pet. In this issue, we have a spring in our step ready to embrace the warmer weather and the great outdoors. We’ve compiled a list of the top British dog walks, as voted for by both two-legged and four-legged friends. Why not take a look and see where your noses might lead you? In preparation for any travel plans on the horizon, we also give you some top tips on how to coax your feline friend into the dreaded cat carrier! Hopefully, we can help you make it a less claw-some process for all parties involved. We love to give you the lowdown on practice life, so we’re taking a peek into the day in the life of a veterinary nurse. Holly gives us the lowdown by walking us through a typical day at her busy surgery, Larwood & Kennedy . Did you know that the role of the vet nurse is just as important to your pet’s welfare and happiness during their treatment as the vet themselves? Our resident vet, Shula Berg, is here again to answer your pet’s pressing questions. If you have anything you’d love Shula to answer in our ‘Ask the Vet’ feature, please get in touch by sending an email to [email protected] . Stay furbulous! Rebecca Editor

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Pet news Feline friends or foes? Pet pawtraits A day in the life of... a consulting vet nurse The UK’s most pup-ular dog walking spots

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Lifetime Flex Our comprehensive lifetime policy to suit your pet’s needs... and your budget Our LifetimeFlex cover includes: A choice of veterinary fee cover between £2,000 to £12,000 Complementary treatment as recommended by your vet

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Horoscopes Ask the vet The dangers of chocolate for pets Cat Vs carrier Feline Focus: The Bengal Cat Pet pawtraits How to keep rabbits active Barking Breeds: Cockerpoo When it’s time to say goodbye Percy’s Puzzle Time Problem cat Percy’s Puzzle Time answers

Additional benefits including third party liability cover (dogs only), advertising & reward, holiday cancellation, boarding and kennel fees cover, emergency treatment abroad, and many more benefits

To get a quote, please visit mipetcover.co.uk

The #BestForPets magazine team Design: danidixondesign.co.uk Contributors: Rebecca Gardiner, Audra Shreeve, Linda Simon, Holly East, Heather Grace, Jo McKeown, Bronte Stephenson Clinical contributor: Shula Berg

*5% multi pet discount. Minimum premiums apply. Please see mipetcover.co.uk/multi-pet-insurance. MiPet Cover is a trading name of CVS (UK) Limited which is an appointed representative of Insurance Factory Limited. Insurance Factory Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (No. 306164). Registered in England and Wales number 02982445. Registered office: Markerstudy House, 45 Westerham Road, Bessels Green, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 2QB. You can check this by visiting the Financial Services Register at www.fca.org.uk/register

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Check out the new Healthy Pet Club Video Find out more about the benefits included in The Healthy Pet Club membership in this wag-tastic new video.

The legend of the Easter Bunny

Helping our deaf clients access veterinary care for their pets

Since February 2020, all Healthy Pet Club veterinary practices have offered the SignVideo service to our deaf clients. This enables them to communicate with our veterinary teams on the phone or in person via a video call with a qualified British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreter. Having this service available means that we can support our deaf clients with looking after their pets, giving them confidence that their pets are getting the best care possible. Our ambassador Julie Beckett (right), who is a deaf Animal Nursing Assistant at Marske Vets, was a huge driver in getting this service off the ground. Julie continues to work towards giving deaf pet owners informative and engaging pet advice via videos in BSL. These cover a range of topics from learning about keeping pets safe from parasites to top tips on managing dental disease in pets. In the meantime, legislation for British Sign Language to be recognised as an official language in the United Kingdom is currently going through the final stages to be made law in England and Wales.

Do you know the story about how the Easter Bunny came about? As rabbits often give birth to large litters of baby bunnies (known as ‘kittens’), they became known as a symbol of new life. Some would also say that the Easter bunny is also responsible for the fun that comes with the festivities by laying, hiding and decorating the eggs in springtime.

It seems we have those furry friends to thank for the eggcellent chocolate egg hunts many families enjoy at this time of year.

Now, where did I leave my basket?

Strike a pose! Hey pets! We’re on the lookout for future cover stars. You could win an exclusive goody bag and get your paws on a share of the limelight. You’ll feature on a future front cover of #BestForPets magazine, plus you’ll occupy the banners on The Healthy Pet Club and MiPet Cover’s social media pages for an entire month. To get involved, please email your most pawfect piccie to [email protected] or pop it on our social media posts.

You can find all of Julie’s pet advice videos on The Healthy Pet Club Facebook page

You can find out more about how to use our SignVideo service here

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Food resources Cats within an established social circle may be willing to share some resources, but many cats will simply adapt to accept the resources they are offered. This doesn’t, however, mean they aren’t stressed by a lack of resources or the location of them, and they could be just trying to avoid hostility with their feline housemates. Ideally, you should aim to: • provide each cat with their own food bowl (this may mean completely separate rooms to prevent cats stealing one another’s food) • position food bowls in a corner, or an area where the cat is able to watch their surroundings as they eat • provide routine with feeding times (cats are creatures of habit!)

Water resources Our feline companions are generally not devoted consumers of water, but it’s important to encourage water intake and ensure that there is no physical barrier to stop them accessing it. For example, an aggressive cat may subtly block a more docile cat from accessing water if there are minimal options for hydration. Some ideas for ensuring water access in multi-cat households are: • enough water bowls for each cat within the household • place water bowls, or water fountains, in low-traffic areas • position water bowls in an area that a cat can watch their surroundings, such as high up on a shelf or in a corner • keep water bowls separate from food bowls,

Feline friends or foes? Keeping the Peace in Multi-Cat Households Bronte Stephenson gives us the low-down on the best approach to keeping things calm…

as cats may easily feel that the water is ‘contaminated’ if they have been eating next to it

Social groups Multiple cats within the same house can form sub-groups or social circles. For example, in a household of three cats, you may have one cat that desires not to interact with the other two, but the other two will play and groom one another. Identifying sub-groups helps to determine who may be willing to share territory and/or resources. A simple way to do this is to record the actions each cat carries out towards the other cats. Does Cat A sleep in close proximity to Cat B? Does Cat C hiss and swipe at Cat A whenever they are near one another? Determining a majority of positive interactions suggest a social circle, whereas mostly aggressive or disregarding actions indicate that there is no ‘friendship’ between two cats.

Cats are naturally solitary predators and, though they sometimes will form small colonies in the wild, many choose to live a more self- contained life. Domesticated cats will often choose to positively interact with other members of their species within the same household, and may carry out activities such as reciprocated grooming or sleeping next to one another. However, many prefer to ‘tolerate’ rather than intermingle with other cats within the household. Which often leads to stress and tension if there aren’t enough resources, or if a cat feels they don’t have enough of their own territory. Here are some tips for maintaining a stress-free environment within a multi-cat household.

Sprays and diffusers Many calming sprays and diffusers are available to purchase to aid in reducing stress and tension in multi-cat households. Some examples of the options available are: •  Feliway Friends plug-in diffuser (contains a synthetic version of Cat Appeasing Pheromone, which mothers would naturally produce when nursing their kittens to help them feel safe and secure) •  Pet Remedy spray (contains a calming essential oil blend)

You should always follow the instructions

provided for each specific product.

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Give your puppy or kitten the best start in life

Our Puppy and Kitten Club helps you, as a new pet owner, have all the tools to hand to give your pet the best possible care in their first year. As a member, you can make great savings on treatments, pet food and vet bills, as well as many more exclusive benefits to help your pet stay happy and healthy. Join The Healthy Pet Club today and have peace of mind that your new pet’s healthcare is covered, so you don’t have to worry.

The following benefits are included:

Enrichment and sleeping arrangements It’s all about space and territory when it comes to multi-cat households, and toys, scratching posts and sleeping arrangements are no exception! Some tips for ensuring your feline housemates have enough options for entertainment and self-grooming are: • provide multiple sturdy scratching posts in low-traffic areas, where there is enough space for the cat to fully stretch out • for cats whom show aggression towards one another, you can separate them into different rooms at night time so that they can get some rest and down time away from one another • provide each cat with their own sleeping area and bed away from each other (cats whom get along well can they choose to sleep together if they wish) • provide safe high resting places (such as a perch with multiple exit routes)

Toileting As a general rule, there should be at least one litter tray/box per cat, in a low-traffic area, away from food and water, within the household, plus at least one extra. Some cats may prefer to urinate in one box and pass faeces in another, so the more litter trays you can comfortably provide, the better!

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Plus much more...

Join today >

Bronte Stephenson

Bronte is a Registered Veterinary Nurse at Evolution Animal Care, looking after pets in Thorne.

* Savings are based on the cost of purchasing these benefits separately (taking average prices charged across a sample of CVS practices) which would result in an average annual saving of up to £200 (more for larger breeds). Benefits, costs and savings vary depending on the type and size of your pet.

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Pet pawtraits

Marble

Lexie

Jack

Hattie and Margot

Bonnie

Alba and Otis

Nelly

Maze

Lily

Cleo

Cossima

Harry

Poncho

Leeloo and Letty

Moony, Hobnob and Buttercup

Willow

Check out page 4 to find out how your pet could become our cover star or be included in our next edition’s Pet Pawtraits… there’s prizes up for grabs!

Teddy

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A day in the life of... a consulting vet nurse Holly East gives us a behind-the-scenes peek at what really goes on during a typical day in the life of a vet nurse.

rate of knots, leaving them ready to be attached to the correct products. It’s all in the teamwork and we always get it done. Occasionally I even get to the end of the list before lunch, but it’s unlikely, and even if I do, it’ll probably be just as long as it was when I come back to check it again! Once I’ve finished with a block of consults, I’ll head back into prep to help where I can. This might be cleaning down theatre, running some bloods up to the lab for testing or taking over from someone so that they can go for lunch. The afternoon consults might begin with another nail clip, or there might be an emergency that rushes through the door and needs our full attention. We grab stethoscopes and oxygen, catheters and equipment to place them so that we have access to veins, pain relief at the vet’s request and we all work together to stabilise the patient, talk to the client, find out what happened and go from there.

One appointment down, about twenty more to go…

A vet nurse’s day starts with putting the kettle on. Mostly because we need the caffeine but also it’s the only hot cuppa we’re guaranteed to drink that day!

waiting patiently while I gently snip their nails to the correct length and solemnly listening to my profuse compliments and thanks while I tell them that they are “the best and most wonderful, brave good-boy”. Other times, the patient is having none of it. I call it the “alligator death roll” when the (usually small) patient is so determined not to have their nails clipped that they begin doing 360-degree spins in their owner’s arms in an attempt to evade me and my trusty nail clippers. Sweating profusely and using every yoga position ever invented to reach these evasive poddle-paws, nine times out of ten I wave goodbye to the patient and their freshly pedicured feet with a sense of achievement and still proclaiming that they are the “best, brave good-boy”. The one time out of ten we do what we can, wave them goodbye and go in search of a lint roller, some deodorant and the kettle.

The consults fly by in a whirlwind of second vaccines, health checks, anal gland expressions, weight checks, injections, blood tests, post- operative checks, more nails clips, ear checks, treatment applications and so much more. It’s so rewarding when the cat whose spay you monitored the anaesthetic for a few days ago comes back with a beautifully healing wound and sits purring in your arms while you check them over and congratulate their owners on their excellent post-op care. Or when the elderly dog who was struggling with arthritis comes bounding in for their monthly injection and you barely even need to ask how they’re getting on at home because they’re standing on their back legs covering you in kisses. In the meantime, fifty or so people (ok, I may be exaggerating a little bit) have called in to request flea and worm products. I make a start working through the list, much to the delight of reception who get the fright of their lives when the label machine starts spitting out labels at a

Once that important bit is completed, it’s time to enter into the fray and get stuck in wherever I’m needed the most. This might be holding a patient for a blood sample, taking a temperature, pulse and respiration (TPR) reading for an in-patient, helping to place a catheter in preparation for an operation or simply popping a load of washing in.

Once my appointments start, I’ll find myself a consult room, check it has everything I need for the day and read through my cases so that I’m prepared for my patients. Nurses see a huge variety of appointments so no two days are ever the same.

Today, my first appointment is a nail clip. Now, these can go one of two ways. They can either go really well or really… not so well! Sometimes the patient is wonderfully genial; politely offering me their paw,

Continued...

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Protect your rabbit with our tailored Rabbit Club

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Rabbits are prone to a number of health issues, including fatal diseases like Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease, and parasitic conditions like flystrike.

With The Healthy Pet Club, you can be reassured your rabbit will be provided with the best preventative health care available to help them they stay protected and healthy.

Once everything is under control, I can head back to my consult room to finish my day consulting. I weigh puppies (and give them

This consulting nurse’s day has been full of hair, slobber and love, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Tomorrow is a new day and I may be consulting again, or I may be in theatre, or recovering patients in their kennels after their procedures. That’s one of the best bits of vet nursing, every day is so different, and so rewarding. It’s great to know that you’re making a difference to the lives of your patients and clients and to put our nursing skills and knowledge to good use every day. There are long days and tough days, but a love for the job and excellent team work makes it all worthwhile so for now, I’m off to put the kettle on.

When you join The Healthy Pet Club, your rabbit’s routine health care is covered, so you don’t have to worry. The following benefits are included:

cuddles), vaccinate kittens (and give them kisses), talk diets and weight loss (with lots of ear scratches) and everything in between (with oodles of treats handed out to those that are allowed them). Once the last waggy tail disappears back into reception, it’s time to tidy up, restock whatever I’ve used from the drawers and cupboards, sweep up the dust-bunnies that accumulate after a particularly rambunctious appointment and turn off the light in my consult room.

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plus much more...

Holly is a Registered Veterinary Nurse at Larwood & Kennedy Veterinary Surgeons, caring for pets in Dereham, Norfolk.

Join today >

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The UK’s Most Pup-ular Dog Walking Spots One of the joys of canine companionship has to be a good dog walk – boosting wellbeing, stimulation, fitness and bond for both you, the owner, and your four-legged friend.

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The top 10 dog walking spots The following list shows the top ten dog walking spots, organised by number of dog walking reviews.

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Pedigree, rescue or mixed breed, all dogs need taking out regularly for ‘comfort breaks’, exercise and to keep them stimulated. Where you and your pooch live will largely determine where and how you exercise them from day to day. It might be a quick game of fetch in the local park during the week, but what about those special days and weekends when there’s more time to dedicate to your furry chum? Using Tripadvisor >Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16-17 Page 18-19 Page 20-21 Page 22-23 Page 24-25 Page 26-27 Page 28-29 Page 30-31 Page 32-33 Page 34-35 Page 36-37 Page 38-39 Page 40

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