How to keep your pets healthy and avoid the vets

When you decide that it’s time to introduce a pet into your family’s life it’s easy to get caught up in discovering all the cute little things they do. One aspect that many people overlook is the potential expense that an unexpected trip to the vets can cost. With vets’ fees rising sharply, the average single pet insurance claim now costs more than £600.*

Luckily, here in the UK we have the NHS to rely on if we fall ill or have an accident but our furry, scaly and feathered friends are not so lucky and when they need medical attention veterinary treatment can be very expensive. Accidents can happen to anyone, at anytime and having More Than pet insurance will give you peace of mind that those costly unexpected bills are taken care of.

Nobody likes seeing their pets unwell, so making sure that yours stays as healthy as possible is one very easy way to avoid going to the vet.

Here are 3 simple tips to keep your pet in tip top condition.

Road Sense

Collisions with cars can cause horrible injuries to animals and a simple way to prevent them is to always keep your dog on a lead when you go onto the street or near a road. Cats are creatures of habit so only let yours out into your back garden rather than letting them out of the front door towards the traffic.

Home Check Ups

As the temperature drops at this time of year, take the time to make a regular check of your pet’s paws and pads. Winter grit and salt are two of the biggest culprits for small cuts and grazes which can easily become infected. Both cats and dogs will always try to clean their own wounds but sometimes they will only irritate them further and can result in an upsetting appointment with the vet.

A Healthy Diet

Providing your pet with a healthy balanced diet is essential for them to get all the nutrients that they need and it is the very least that any responsible owner should do. It’s nigh on impossible to monitor everything that they eat when they’re off their leads in a park or put out for the night but while they’re under your control make sure that they’re eating the right amount of wholesome food. Another way to ensure your pet is having a well balanced diet is by making the food yourself rather than buying it from stores.

Do you have any tips on how to keep your pet healthy?

*Post brought to you by More Than.

Pet Facts Video Infographic by Petplan

Petplan created a really interesting video infographic about pets they insure; from dogs, cats, horses to rabbits or even tortoises.

I like numbers and statistics so this infographic is really up my alley.

It is interesting to know that despite the UK being a nation of cat owners (apparently) Petplan has much more dogs than cats on their books (only 37% of cats to a staggering 56% of dogs).

I wonder why… maybe this has something to do with the size and vet bills… unsure… but I would assume it is the reason why so many cat owners have decided not to insure their cats, which is really silly as vet bills can easily reach in to the £1000s when something goes wrong (we know the pain we missed a hot spot on our Bunk once and thus got hit with well over £500 of vet bills for cleaning it up).

The most interesting part of the infographic for me is the ages of the Petplan elders “customers”. The oldest rabbit is 13 years old, oldest dog is 21 (wow!), elders cat….

… watch the infographic to find out…

It is very enjoyable, I promise.

* I was provided with some Amazon vouchers as a thank you for sharing this infographic with you.

The 7 Types of Pet Owner – Which Are You?

Some people happily treat their pets as a part of the family, while others think of their pets more as part of the furniture. What type of pet owner are you? Do you fall into one of these categories or are you a mix of two or more?

The Goldfish Owner

You leave other people to worry about whether dogs are better than cats safe in the knowledge that the humble goldfish trump them all – they’re low maintenance, cheap, and there’s little chance of you becoming too attached to them.

The Animal Adopter

You love animals so much that just the thought of one in distress causes you to tear up. Consequently your home has begun to resemble a makeshift animal shelter, with cats, dogs, bunnies, gerbils and anything else that you can look after being offered a warm welcome. Recently you’ve been thinking about relocating somewhere bigger, simply in order to make room for more animals in need.

The Not-got-a-pet-yet Pet Owner

You fawn over other people’s pets and jump at the opportunity to do a spot of pet-sitting if given the chance, but you aren’t quite ready for one of your own just yet due to your hectic work schedule and manic social life. Until you have a pet of your own you’ll find yourself daydreaming about what breed of dog would suit you best or what name you’d give your cat.

The part of the family owner

You celebrate your pet’s birthday by showering them with treats and make sure that they get to enjoy Sunday Roast like the rest of the family. You wouldn’t dream of shutting them outside in the cold – in fact they’re much more likely to curl up at the end of your bed. Of course, just like with any other family member you have your falling outs, but you could never stay angry with your pet and there’s nothing better than making up.

The Pet Pam perer

More than just a friend, or even a family member, your pet is a first class fashion accessory and a regular at your local dog grooming business. You spoil it with the finest quality organic pet food to ensure its coat stays glossy and you’ve made sure that its colour complements your skin tone after a spray tan. It probably has a slightly ridiculous name and yes, of course it fits in your handbag.

The replacer

Nobody could ever accuse you of mistreating your pets – you follow vet’s instructions precisely and have read up extensively on the best way of caring for them -it’s just that you’ve been terribly unlucky, and after the loss of a gerbil, hamster and rabbit all within a few months of each other, you’re beginning to wonder if you’re jinxed.

The Reluctant Owner

There’s an animal that lives in your house, but you don’t really consider it yours – you bought it because the kids wouldn’t stop pestering you, or your partner thought it would be such a great idea to have a pet they went ahead and got one without asking you. Even though you never wanted the pet, you find that you’re the one usually feeding it or cleaning up after it. While you imagine you’re immune to your pet’s charms you’ve caught yourself overwhelmed by cuteness on more than one occasion.

This article was written by David Lewzey of helpucover.

helpucover is a trading style of Pinnacle Insurance plc, an insurance company who offer a range of cover including Income Protection, Pet Insurance, GAP insurance and Gadget Insurance.

How to be a responsible dog owner

Just around Christmas time many families will have the brilliant idea of getting a new pet – A dog, cat or even something smaller like a rabbit or a bird… for some of them this decision will be well thought through, but sadly for some it may well be a rushed decision made in the heat of the moment.

In light of this, I have put together a list of important things to consider whilst getting a new pet, especially a dog, but to the same extent it will work for any pet.

Please remember that pets are not just for Christmas and they will stay with you long after you have forgotten all about the festive season, so think before you decided to get a new companion.

So this is my little guide on how to be a responsible dog owner…

Never, ever buy a pet in a heat of a moment

This is happening way too often, you go somewhere, see a cute fluffy puppy and before you know it; you’re driving him home with you… Bad idea!

Do your research

This is really important! Find the bread you love, but most importantly a breed which will fit into your lifestyle… for example do not buy a Husky if you hate walking… once you pick your perfect breed read about it, talk to other owners and if you are happy with what you read and hear start looking for a good breeder. Identify traits and problematic behaviours that may become evident in adulthood. You want your pup to be from a good home, I am not suggesting that it must be a show dog, but find a breeder who cares about dogs and doesn’t do it just for the money. Make sure that your pup is health checked, that you meet his/her parents, look further down the genetic line to check for any problems from the past. If you do this right, your chances of getting a healthy pet are so much greater.

Or if you are not keen on a weeing, chewing pup with endless energy levels maybe consider a rescue dog, but again do your research before you hand over the money and sign any contract (yes, you will be asked to sign a rescue contract, ours for Lilly was almost as long as the one which we signed whilst buying our house).

Check your finance

Yes, you are reading it right. Pets are not free and they do not live on air. You will need money for food, treats, pet accessories like leads, collars, harness, pet bedding, toys etc but most important you will need dog insurance, because everyone knows vets are extremely expensive places to visit. Some owners forget about the cost of the vet, but you simply cannot ignore the fact that your new best friend will need vaccination and it will most likely get sick every now and then. When getting a large breed think about transport… can you fit your dog and all other members of your family into your current car? We had to buy a bigger car when Bunk stopped being a pup, simply because we couldn’t travel all at once in my little Astra but at least we had planned for this before we got him.

Look at your home and lifestyle

This is something many people ignore but try and answer these questions honestly:

Is my home pet friendly?

Will I have time for my new friend?

What will happen when I have to go away?

If you work 10 hours a day, like your home perfect, clean, gloop and hair free, like weekends away – is a dog really for you?

Do you have friends who will be able to look after your pup when you go away or will you make a passport for your dog so he/she can travel with you (which mean’s even more money and expense)?

A dog will change your life but you have to be sure you are ready for those changes and will be able to handle it on a daily basis.

Josh Billings once said:

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself”

Are you ready to take this responsibility and return that feeling?

This is a sponsored post and I have a link to Argos in it but in reality you are spoilt for choice if you are looking to insure your pet. There are other providers you can find via searching on Google or Yell so I recommend you get quotes from more than one company and compare prices and what is covered.