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East Anglian Pets Likely to Be Most Unhealthy in the UK, According to New Research
New research out this week has highlighted the UK’s top 10 most unhealthy areas to live if you’re a pet revealing that East Anglia has more pets suffering from ailments than anywhere else in the UK.

The study which gathered insights from Co-op Pet Insurance claims data for both dogs and cats discovered that East Anglian pets suffered most from gastrointestinal and digestive disorders, often caused by eating something other than pet food. Respiratory issues and skin masses such as tumours, warts, growths and abscesses were also found to be common problems the region’s pets suffered from.

Across the UK, the most common reason pets visit their vet include: road traffic accidents, the biggest threat for both cats and dogs, digestive problems and concerns over mobility and joints.

UK’s top 10 unhealthiest pet regions
1. East Anglia
2. North East England
3. South East England
4. The Midlands
5. North West England
6. South Central England
7. South West England
8. Scotland
9. Wales
10. London
Speaking about the findings on behalf of the pet insurer, Matt Brash, star of long-running series ‘Zoo Vet at Large’ said:

“It is so important to keep your pets healthy and, unsurprisingly, a big part of this is diet. The Co-op’s findings show that digestive tract problems are prevalent across the UK for both dogs and cats with stomach upsets and resulting gastrointestinal inflammation commonplace.

“Much of this is probably to do with the food that owners are feeding their pets. Whilst ‘human food’ may be seen as an innocent treat, this can be dangerous, especially for pets with sensitive stomachs, or pets with dietary allergies and intolerances. It causes them a great deal of discomfort and pain and of course the owners a big emotional and financial cost should the problem be severe.

“Likewise not feeding your pet the foods which are suitable for both their age and exercise levels can also cause issues. For example, older pets do not need as much protein, as they are no longer building muscles and growing, and of course less carbohydrate as they are often less active. Over feeding them leads to obesity and all the problems that comes with that. Over feeding protein in older cats is particularly bad, as it can predispose to kidney failure. All pets, as they get older should be fed on a senior pet food.

“Interestingly on a national level, it does look as if pets in the north may be out exercising more on rugged terrain than their southern counterparts based on the number of joint related problems in that part of the country. Although there may be other factors involved, such as breed variations and obesity. Of course it could also be related to the colder damper weather we seem to get up north.”
October 13, 2016
RSPCA Appoints Dr Julia Wrathall as Chief Scientific Officer

A woman who has dedicated her working life to animal welfare has started work as the RSPCA’s Chief Scientific Officer along with her rescue dog Bridie.

Dr Julia Wrathall has worked for the RSPCA for more than two decades, including most recently as the head of the charity’s farm animals department for 12 years.

Her new appointment sees her leading the RSPCA’s four science teams at the charity’s headquarters near Horsham, West Sussex, accompanied by her Irish Setter Bridie.

She said: “I feel both excited and privileged to be taking on this new role, heading up such an outstanding group of staff.”

Julia has a lifelong association with and love of dogs. She is a dog training instructor, being a strong advocate and practitioner of positive, motivational, reward-based methods, and has recently adopted an Irish Setter from RSPCA Halifax, Huddersfield & District Animal Centre following the dog’s rehabilitation after being rescued from appalling conditions by RSPCA Inspectors.

Dr Wrathall said: “Bridie was rescued from terrible conditions but her positive nature has shone through despite the horrors of her former life. Thanks to the wonderful care and dedication of the those who rescued her and brought her back to physical and mental health, she now lives life to the full and enjoys every minute of her ‘working life’ at RSPCA HQ.

“Her friendly, happy and affectionate nature makes her a big favourite with human and canine colleagues alike.

“Having her by my side at work each day, with her unfailingly positive and upbeat approach to life, is a constant reminder both of the amazing work of our inspectors, vets, animal centre staff and volunteers, and of the extraordinary willingness of dogs to move on from past horrors and give life – and humans – a second chance. What an incredible species they are, and aren’t we lucky to have them in our lives?”

The RSPCA’s Science Group has four departments specialising in companion and farm animals, animals used in research and wildlife. This in-house expert resource was first introduced in the 1970s to help enhance the RSPCA’s knowledge and understanding of the physical and behavioural needs of different species, thereby enabling us to act as effectively as possible to improve their welfare through a scientifically informed, evidence based approach.

Julia said: “If we are to ensure that the RSPCA provides the best possible welfare advice, information and support in all areas of human interaction with animals and to the many and varied stakeholders, it is essential that we take proper account of available factual information about what the different species need in order to have a good quality of life.

“The Science Group’s role in gathering and analysing information from animal welfare science and other robust evidence sources to develop and apply practical solutions is therefore a very important aspect of the Society’s work.

“Whether we are producing fact sheets to advise the general public about the welfare of wildlife in their gardens or how to understand their dog’s behaviour, or developing welfare standards and guidance to improve the welfare of farmed livestock or animals used in research, it’s crucial that our advice is both scientifically informed but also practically achievable.”

Julia added: “I’ll be aiming to help maintain and build on the amazing work of the RSPCA Science Group both within and beyond the Society, and also to raise awareness and understanding of the existence, nature and scope of our work, not least the hands-on, practical approach we take to addressing welfare problems through applying animal welfare science in practice.

“This is a particularly exciting time for the RSPCA following the recent appointment of our new Chief Executive and I’ll be working to ensure the Science Group contributes to making this new era a positive and progressive one for animal welfare.”

In addition to their external advisory and advocacy role, the Science teams also work closely with others across the organisation, providing advice and support to the Inspectorate and animal centre staff, as well as working to help ensure that the RSPCA’s campaigns, press work and educational materials are evidence-based and focused on priority welfare issues.

Julia joined the RSPCA as a Scientific Officer in 1994 following a degree in biochemistry, a Masters in animal production and a doctorate in ruminant endocrinology. She became Head of the Farm Animals Department in 2003. During her career at the RSPCA, she has represented the Society on a number of industry, scientific and governmental committees in the UK and overseas, and overseen on-going development of the widely respected RSPCA welfare standards for farm animals which are utilised by many in the UK and beyond, and underpin the RSPCA Assured ethical food labelling assurance scheme, formerly known as Freedom Food.

Julia has also travelled on behalf of the RSPCA to various countries including France, Belgium, Croatia and Australia to provide advocacy and advice on animal welfare and forge relationships with relevant organisations and sectors to enable collaborative work to progress welfare issues

June 15, 2016
The Three Greatest Loves (& Losses) of My Life

I should feel lucky to have had three great loves who’ve loved me unconditionally but having just recently lost Chloe at 15 years old my heart feels broken and although it hasn’t yet been two months since she left us, the loss feels greater the more time passes leading me to think about all three of the dogs we’ve loved, lost and forever treasure.

My first great love, and loss, was Bonnie.

A quirky Cocker Spaniel, in any and all senses of the word. She was a funny character, I’m not 100% sure anyone, myself included, ever fully knew her. We adopted her at two-years old from a show kennels my cousin worked at. Bred from Crufts winning stock, she decided life in the ring wasn’t for her.

When I think back I liken her personality to Columbo. A persona that screamed simplicity, but underneath those massive ears and curly mophead lay a cunning mind whirring away.

I remember once while living in Suffolk playing cricket outside one Summer’s night. We left the door open and Bonnie and Jackson followed pottering around. Mid-way through what was most likely a shocking attempt at playing cricket from myself, I saw Bonnie creeping back inside then coming out and thought no more about it until I saw her repeat the action a few more times. I decided to creep up and investigate when she went back inside one more time. She had opened a hole in the bottom of a 30kg bag of food and was treating it like a self-service buffet.

Classic Bonnie move. In fact most classic Bonnie moments involve her opening and stealing a ham hock from the fridge, stealing and eating a loaf of bread at nano speed, before getting to older age and being unable to catch a treat dropped from hand height to her but opening her mouth and making that lip smacking sound we all know too well about five second too late.

My second great love and loss was Jackson.

He wasn’t my dog, not really, not to begin with anyway. Ryan had him from a puppy but when I first met Ryan in his dog training days, Jackson went everywhere he did. He was four-years old then and Jackson and I became friends, mainly through feeding him Skips crisps initially (at the time I didn’t realise Ryan’s diet mainly consisted of Skips, Supernoodles and orange Club biscuits).

Jackson has an aura about him derived from his statuesque nature and everyone who met him has a Jackson story. In fact the ‘Nervous Twitch’ mentioned in K9 Magazine’s last Dogosaurus was inspired by him.

He was a kind, protective, funny boy who made me laugh more times than I can count. Jackson battled cancer, and won, before passing suddenly one weekend just over nine-years ago aged 13 years old.

After he beat the disease we took him on a celebratory pet friendly break to Newton Abbot in Dorset. A weekend of pottering about (him) and falling in water (Chloe, his daughter). One of the funniest moments that weekend came when we were packing up to leave, it’s something we only spotted in the photos afterwards and the sequence of shots has led us to put our own dialogue with voices and accents, of course, to them.

For some reason Jackson took exception to something a dog in the distance said so Chloe peered over to check it out, while his grumpy old man face stayed put.

The next photo in the sequence was of Chloe running out of the car to check on things, while the third photo showed her back in the car with a satisfied (almost smug-like) look on her face as ‘daddy’s little girl’.

Chloe really did idolise her dad. She changed personality after he passed and although noticeable at the time, now that Mia has been left by Chloe, she too has changed personality. Chloe is my third love and most recent loss.

Indulgent this feature may be, I’ve been reading a lot about coping with the loss of a pet recently to try and give my mind some sort of order once again. One thing I cannot find the answer to is if I am alone in the grief feeling so overwhelming and all consuming weeks afterwards. After reading this article by Joe Yonan I was inspired to share.

At the time we had to say goodbye to Chloe, it was after a year long illness. We were told she had a combination of canine spondylosis and degenerative myelopathy which affected her spine with the effects worsening over time. In fact, looking back she hit all three stages from development to the latter stage pretty much bang on schedule as other dog owners had relayed in their own experiences.

Throughout the three stages of the disease progressing, Chloe needed more care and to the end was unable to walk or hold herself up late afternoon/early evening in particular so our day was scheduled around Chloe’s needs and what she needed and when. If only she’d been younger to take advantage she would have loved it…

We tried to manage her rest as well as we could, and sometimes it worked. If she would rest after breakfast she would be fine until lunchtime. She was a stickler for routine paying no attention to the clocks going back, but when they went forward she whole-heartedly agreed. She would start her countdown to tea around 10 to 3 in the afternoon. It used to amuse me and I’d get used to hearing the banging of her tail outside my office door or against my desk. You literally could set your clock to Chloe-time.

In the latter stage of the disease, her mind was the same but her body was failing her and we knew would only get worse, yet I didn’t truly prepare myself for a time when she wouldn’t be here.

As the disease progressed, Chloe-time worked against her. She would still want to get up and walk around, but she couldn’t cope with the pacing.

I am lucky in that working at home wasn’t an issue so for most of Chloe’s life we’ve spend every day with her and I cherish that. Or will do in the weeks or months to come I think with much more ease. Just now I’d do anything to get another 15 years with my special girl.

With Chloe we had three markers on what we would look out for to make sure she was still enjoying life and had quality of life, and when it got to the point that she was no longer able to cope we felt we had no choice but to make a decision to let her go because if we didn’t, it would have just been for ourselves rather than her, and she loved so fully and unconditionally, this was one final thing we could do for her.

It left us with broken hearts and a hole as big as her heart.

I think in the first few weeks I threw myself into work. With such a lot to do, I felt I could do more good through National Dog Adoption Month helping more dogs to find new homes and more owners to find their canine soulmate. At night times with the house so much quieter without Chloe’s presence, I just worked some more and Mia, who idolised Chloe as much as Chloe did Jackson really, was lost without her and slept for most of the time.

As November began, my work load began to slow and I found myself albeit busy during the day, I was running out of excuses.

I wonder if in the early weeks I distracted myself too much, or if perhaps I was mindful of the decision being the right one for her whereas now, although that’s still the case, the loss is greater because time has passed and what I’m left with now isn’t the Chloe on 29th September who needed us to help her, but the Chloe I remember for 15 years worth of fun, beauty and spirit, her love of all things orange in her younger days, her ability to have her eyes closes in most photos taken, and so much more besides.

Chloe once shouted at Andrew Castle from her dressing room backstage at GMTV while accompanying Mia (she sat with her back to the camera on a live appearance once also).

She once trod in and upturned a water bowl on Big Brother’s Little Brother backstage after being given a tour behind set by Dermot O’Leary. She also once attempted to usher someone out of our house because his presence delayed her teatime. I think I’ve said enough of her stickler for routine!

She had the biggest heart and biggest, most beautiful brown eyes and I will forever miss her. She gave the best cuddles and I miss her presence every moment of every day. I hope she knows just how much she taught us about living life the Chloe way.

If you too have lost a pet, share your special moments below here. I’d love to hear your own canine’s shenanigans and hope the antics of Bonnie, Jackson and Chloe here have amused you.

November 25, 2014
Keep Your Pets Safe at Christmas
Christmas is a fabulous time for us humans, but it is fraught with hazards for our pets! Some pets of a rather more nervous disposition might find the changes that take place in the home (with the tree and decorations, plus extra visitors and comings-and-goings of family members) rather stressful.

But there are also physical dangers that can face pets and other animals during the festive season, which UK charities such as the RSPCA are keen to warn people about.

Here are two of the main things to beware of this Christmas if you own a pet and some practical suggestions for pet-proofing your Christmas this year:

The Tree:

Cats and dogs routinely go outside, so you might think that if they have the sense not to eat a tree when it’s in your garden, they won’t start eating one just because it happens to be inside your house. But a tree in the garden doesn’t have lots of interesting, dangling decorations and lights hanging from it, and nor does it shed its needles onto a hard surface where they can push into the soft pads of a paw. So, inside, trees pose the following risks:
- Pine trees (and the water they stand in, if they are cut) are toxic to cats and any needle that is eaten can puncture the intestines or throat.
- Chocolate decorations are tempting to dogs, but chocolate can make them ill or even kill them.
- Electric cords for your lights are tantalisingly curly and swingy, too much of a temptation for most cats and some dogs. Chewing through a wire can lead to electrocution.
- Glass baubles that shatter and shed pine needles can cause injuries to paws.
Tips to Reduce Tree-Related Dangers:

1. Buy a plastic tree (though be vigilant to monitor whether your pet develops an unhealthy interest in chewing the plastic boughs – some pets do like the taste of plastic!).
2. Keep wires tucked out of the way and/or secured properly to the wall.
3. Use unbreakable baubles or decorations made from fabrics.
4. If you do use a real tree, sweep or vacuum regularly to get rid of dropped needles.

Food:

We tend to vastly overeat at Christmas and that means that often our pets get extra treats and leftovers too – leading to some colossal cats and porky pooches. Obesity in pets is serious and needs to be avoided – remember that when a dog eats a digestive biscuit it is the calorific equivalent of a human eating a burger. There are also some foods that are toxic and must not be given to your pets:
- Alcohol.
- Chocolate.
- Salt (remember that there is salt in cheese, and in gravy).
- Poultry bones (unlike other meat bones, chicken and turkey bones splinter when bitten, causing damage to the mouth, throat and gut).
- Coffee.
Finally, as well as your own pets please try to remember the pets that don’t have homes this Christmas, that are cared for by UK charities like the RSPCA. They need to raise money by asking for donations from the public to keep the animals in their care warm, safe and fed all year round – so if you can, please spare a thought and some change or food for your local shelter.
December 18, 2013
Britain’s Pet Obesity Problem Growing

This time of year, many of us are a few pounds heavier than normal; but what about our pets. Have we over-indulged them as well?

Britain is the fattest nation in Western Europe, with more than a quarter of the population ranked as obese, according to a recent study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

But what about our pets? Are they tipping the scales as well?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes. An estimated 40% of UK pets are obese, according to The Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic at the University of Liverpool. With the New Year well underway, perhaps it is time to get a grip on the problem.

Rosie Skinner, Head Vet at Emmview Veterinary Centre, Wokingham, offers timely advice on how you can recognise if your pet is overweight, and steps to ensure a happier, healthier and slimmer dog or cat.

“Obesity in pets,” says Rosie, “is a serious problem, leading to and exacerbating a number of health issues, including diabetes, heart problems and arthritis. In addition, obesity can decrease your pet’s lifespan and seriously impair its quality of life.

“To be classed as clinically obese,” says Rosie, “your pet has only got to be 15% over its normal body weight.”

In most cases, the reason pets carry too much weight is simple: they eat more food than they burn off – exactly the same as for humans.

It’s a dog’s dinner…

Rosie points out additional factors that can contribute to a pet’s obesity.

Breed – certain breeds have a higher risk of becoming obese, including Cocker Spaniels, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Basset Hounds, Shetland Sheepdogs and Dachshunds.

Age – the risk of obesity can increase with age. Keep this in mind when feeding your pet, especially when doling out the treats.

Gender – with the exception of older pets, obesity can be more common in female animals than in males.

Neutering – there is some connection between obesity and reproductive status; this is because spayed and neutered dogs generally require fewer calories to maintain a healthy weight.

Pet owner – fortunately, pets can’t stop by McDonalds after a stressful day or break open a tub of ice cream if they’re feeling sad; their food and exercise levels are at owner discretion. As long as the human in the relationship makes the right choices, pets can overcome their obesity issues.

Keep your eye on the ball

“It is important to keep an eye on your pet’s weight,” says Rosie, who recommends pet owners regularly check the following:

– Can you see and feel the outline of your pet’s ribs without excess fat covering them?
– Can you see and feel your pet’s waist? Is it clearly visible when viewed from above?
– Is your pet’s belly tucked up when viewed from the side?
– If you answered no to any of the above, your pet may be overweight.

“Regular and fun exercise is essential when keeping your pet fit and healthy,” continues Rosie. “There are plenty of ways to exercise animals besides walking. Dogs enjoy running and playing games like fetch, which can make exercising exciting and fun for you and your pet.”

However, exercise isn’t the only key to losing the pounds; it has been shown that calorie restriction has a greater impact on weight loss than increased exercise.

Rosie warns, however, that sticks can be dangerous. “We see a lot of casualties where sticks have been swallowed or become stuck in a dog’s throat. It’s best to use a durable plastic bone or ball that’s too big for your dog to swallow”.

Do cats need exercise too?

You may think cats need very little exercise, but the opposite is true.

House cats in particular need regular exercise to break up their routine of eating and napping. Owners should set aside time every day to play with their cats. You can also encourage them to ‘work’ for their food, using toys that release food when pushed and played with.

Outdoor cats should exercise as well because it’s difficult to tell what they get up to when they’re outside. The best toys are those that inspire cats to chase and pounce, such as fishing rod-type toys and climbing equipment.

“Making these small changes can help maintain your pet’s proper weight,” says Rosie, “ensuring your best friend and companion lives a happy, healthy life while in your care. You are a big factor in the life and health of your cat or dog.”

If you are concerned about your pet, make an appointment with your vet to ensure there are no underlying medical problems. You’ll also be able to get sound advice on how you can help your pet to maintain a healthy weight.

January 31, 2013

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