All Creatures Pet Care

22/12/2023

Over the festive period, vets are inundated with emergencies- usually pets who have eaten dangerous foods or non-edible items. 🤒

Post Christmas, canine professionals are inundated with behaviour consultation bookings from incidents on or around Christmas day. 😭 🤕

⚠️ It's important to remember that....

ALL dogs are capable of exceeding their threshold for coping.
ALL dogs are capable of biting.

When you hear about dogs who have bitten people, please consider that the persons involved were likely suprised by their dog's behaviour.

Dogs who bite can be loyal, friendly family pets. Not all demonstrate problem behaviours prior to incident.

Don't let yourself get caught out this Christmas, please take no risks. It's better to be careful and have no regrets, than to let your guard down and be full of regrets.

✅ Purchase a stair gate or heavy duty puppy pen to create a safe area. If you’re taking your dog to someone’s home, take it with you and install it at the house!

✅ Go and buy your dog lots of things to enjoy in this safe area, such as long lasting chews and lickimats. If your dog is not used to being behind a barrier, now's the time to teach them. Sit with them in the area or close by while they enjoy their activity.

☎️ Communicate in advance with family members/friends about how to interact with your dog, ESPECIALLY when children are involved.

🗣️ Repeat this information in person on the day and be prepared to remind everybody across the day.

😟 Sometimes advocating for your dog means you may worry about coming across as bossy. Whilst giving information and instruction doesn't have to come across as bossy, I'd rather be bossy than be the person whose dog bit someone.

🤔 If you're not sure how people should interact with your dog, please just ask in the comments.

🐕 💨 Practise a recall around the house. Sometimes the quickest thing to do is to recall your dog out of a situation rather than remind people what to do in that moment. This should be an emergency response, please don't rely on it as a strategy.

Here's my popular 2022 blog for Blue Pet Co. on how to keep your dog relaxed and everybody safe this Christmas.

https://bluepetco.com/managing-dogs-at-christmas/

25/10/2023

It’s that time of year again & there are still events being organised using noisy fireworks instead of silent 😡

28/05/2023

Looking after this beautiful girl this weekend. Almost walked straight past her yesterday, as she was laying on black in the shade 🐈‍⬛🐾

21/05/2023

One of my clients is away all week and doesn’t want the hassle of having to cut her grass when she returns home.
With the rain and sun we’ve had this week, everything has shot up!
Just one of the add on services that I can provide.

20/05/2023

19/05/2023

Have had an interesting week with this little girl. Apparently she dislikes people & she made that quite clear - just look at those eyes on day 1 !!
By the end of the week, a little patience, doing things at her speed & giving her space, she no longer hates me 😻

17/05/2023

It’s a cat week this week!! 🐈🐈‍⬛
Looking after some regular ‘friends’ this week. It’s great when you’ve built a bond with them & are treated like part of the furniture!! 🐾

02/05/2023

Looked out for these two kitties over the weekend. Two very different cats who live together. One in his twilight years at the grand age of 20yrs & on daily meds for thyroid issues. The other a sweet little farm cat, once feral (marked by the clipped left ear) but now very accustomed to the creature comforts of a home.
This is where ‘many’ years of volunteering with Cats Protection comes in handy 🐈‍⬛

30/04/2023

Morning girls … 🐓 looking after these three chatty hens this weekend. Absolutely love chooks. So individual. I have my favourite of course …

08/04/2023

Another beautiful morning, frosty & cold. It’s so quiet at 6.30am, just the sound of the birds. These girls love the fields & all the smells. We usually see foxes but none today.

16/03/2023

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/treasured-pets-now-safer-as-microchipping-for-cats-becomes-compulsory

New legislation laid in Parliament today introducing mandatory cat microchipping

26/02/2023

Visiting the boys this weekend while their mum & dad are away - they are very handsome for black & whites but then I am biased 🐈‍⬛

22/02/2023

Today is National Walking the Dog Day. A short walk with lots of good smells & time to sniff is just as good as a long walk.

17/02/2023

Looking after these two cuties this weekend. They are only young so we’ve had a good game today trying to catch dried up leaves 🍂 outside & annihilating a piece of string!

05/02/2023

23/12/2022

🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄

You might be surprised that on Christmas Day there are more dog bites reported than normal, which results in a influx of calls to rescues on Boxing Day with familes wanting to rehome their dog.

This is due to no fault of their own and preparing for the day, so that the family dog is ready for the chaos, is a great way to prevent this happening.

Christmas can be very overwhelming for some dogs and they can act out of character with us not noticing that they’re getting stressed. We then get annoyed at the dog, when this really isn't their fault. We need to be helping them stay calm and feel safe.

Here are a few tips to help them stay calmer so they enjoy the festive celebrations as much as you.

🎄Do a nice big walk with them in the morning so they can get rid of that energy ready to chill out through the day. Remember to them its just a normal day.

🎁Create a quiet area for them to take themselves off to if it gets too much for them or use a spare room or crate with a blanket over.

🍗 Get stocked up on long lasting treats or a licky mat with some yummy frozen food on & position them away from small children.

🍽 watch what snacks your guests are sneaking your Pooch.
No one wants a poorly pooch or a trip to the vets over Christmas!

Have a great Christmas 🎄 and enjoy your time with your family and pets.

🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄

21/12/2022

Have been looking after my two favourite boys this week. One of them used to be quite shy with me but not anymore. Both have been enjoying cuddles while their mum & dad have been away. 🐈‍⬛

10/12/2022

With only two weeks away until Christmas, please be mindful of those items that are toxic to dogs.
Lots of information out there.
Including a link from Blue Cross - https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/christmas-dangers-for-dogs
Remember to keep batteries & snow globes out of harms way. Not many people are aware but most snow globes contain anti-freeze and ingestion will kill your pets.

04/09/2022

There’s nothing more cute than a bunny having a wash. Also a good indication that everything’s ok in their world. 🐰
I’ve been paying visits to this little man over the weekend while his mummy & daddy are away. He would normally go to a bunny hotel but every time has developed stasis ☹️. It’s taken us a few days to become friends but we’re there now.

17/07/2022

Please please, please do NOT take your dogs out in this weather & challenge anyone that you see who has!

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/dog-almost-died-despite-being-in-the-shade-with-water-during-london-heatwave/ar-AAZDSz5?ocid=sf

Three-year-old Trojan had to be rushed to the vet when his temperature hit 41C.

16/06/2022

There are loads of posts going up about dogs & heatstroke but please also consider other pets in this heat.

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If you keep rabbits or guinea pigs outside, please consider the following:

• Clean hutches out every day to avoid fly strike
• Put hutches/runs in a shady area – use a garden umbrella if necessary (remember these guys live in burrows in the wild, so will be underground in the day, keeping cool)
• If you are using a water bottle with metal spout, swap out for a bowl to avoid your pet burning its mouth. Check water regularly.
• Put a plastic bottle of frozen water in hutches to allow your pet to have a cool spot
• Ensure your pet has sufficient space to move around freely

🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰🐹🐰

14/06/2022

It’s going to be a scorcher this weekend, keep your pups in & find some indoor games to keep them amused.
Remember - no dog has died from missing a walk but they have died from heatstroke 🥵🐶🐾

16/01/2022

Looking after my favourite this week - chucks! 🐓 I’m an early ‘bird’ myself, so enjoying the chilly mornings & bird song.

24/09/2021

Having been called upon last minute in August to look after this cheeky little man, while his mum & dad got married, I’ve been entrusted with his care again this week & we’ve got to know each other better. We’ve had cuddles & conversations - he’s a typical intelligent Bully

09/09/2021

Looking after these two handsome chaps this week. Lovely markings on both of them. Typical siblings, one is more dominant than the other.

19/08/2021

Have been looking after this gorgeous girl over the last few days - she is not impressed with the cat flap getting locked at bedtime - but that was the instruction from her mum. Sorry Daisy 🐱

17/08/2021

This week I’ve had the privilege of looking after this gorgeous boy again - who doesn’t love a black cat 🐈‍⬛

01/08/2021

Have been looking after this handsome young man over the weekend, while his mummy & daddy went off to get married. He has regular eye drops so needed several visits. He was as good as gold but then he is a Cats Protection 🐈‍⬛ adoption, so I’m slightly biased. We had several good games of ‘string’.