Fluffy Theodore

07/12/2024

It's been a while as life has been hectic lately, but I had to share this photo of my beautiful boy taken in a moment of calm.

Have a lovely weekend everypawdy!

17/08/2024

It's Theo's 8th birthday today!

He's been for a run-around at an enclosed field where he sniffed ALL the smells, then had a fancy ostrich chew when we got home 😊

Happy birthday, my beautiful boy 💙

25/06/2024

It's time for my annual reminder, peeps!

It's the hottest day of the year so far here in the East of England, with the temperature in the low 30s (nearly 90 in °F). As dogs don't sweat, they find it much harder to cool down than humans. Heat stroke can very quickly be fatal.

All dogs are prone to heat stroke, but those with thick coats, those who are elderly or ill, those who are overweight or obese, and brachycephalic breeds (those with flatter faces) are at higher risk.

To prevent heat stroke:
•Don't walk your dogs when the sun is at its highest between 11am and 3pm; stick to early morning and late evening if you can.
•Don't play games like fetch or anything where they are running around.
•Keep to the shade wherever possible, and provide some shaded areas in your back garden if they are going to be out with you.
•Allow your dogs to bring themselves indoors if they're finding it too hot - wooden and tiled floors especially can help keep them cool. Giving them a quick hose-down with lukewarm water can also help keep them cool as the water evaporates from their coat.
•Consider getting a paddling pool and put it in a shaded area.
•If your dog has to be muzzled, only use a basket-type muzzle that allows plenty of room for your dog to open its mouth to pant, as this is how dogs cool down. Fabric muzzles that hold the mouth shut are not suitable.
•Skip the walk altogether and play brain games, teach a new trick, or hide treats around the house and let you dog sniff them out. A tired brain means a tired dog; exercise isn't the only way to release energy.
•Don't leave them in a conservatory or sun room - the temperature can quickly rise to unsafe levels, even with windows open. The only exception to this is if the room is fully air conditioned - a fan is not enough.
•NEVER leave them in a car, even with the windows cracked open and parked in the shade as temperatures can rise to fatal levels in as little as 15 minutes - that's not even long enough to pop into a coffee shop to pick up a coffee.
•ALWAYS allow them access to fresh water.

27/03/2024

Sorry it's been a while with no updates or photos of Theo, but he's doing very well! I've been a bit busy, unfortunately, which leads me to ask a favour...

Calling all UK dog owners and people who know dog owners!

For the dissertation for my MSc in Animal Nutrition, I am investigating whether diet type affects behavioural reactivity in adult pet dogs.

I am gathering my data via online survey, and I'd appreciate it if you could answer and/or share it. You can either share the link directly, or share this post.

https://uofg.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3awHeClnsG0E6Oy

You don't have to have a reactive dog to answer it (in fact I need a good mix of reactive and non-reactive dogs), but your dog has to be between 2 and 15 years old.

It'll take about 15 minutes to answer it (sorry, I tried to keep it as short as possible). If you have more than 1 dog, you can answer about all of them.

Thank you!

This survey will ask questions about your dog's diet and behaviour to see if diet type affects behavioural reactivity in adult pet dogs.