Vet Pets Magazine

December 2014

VINCE THE VET on festive treats to avoid

MALCOLM D WELSHMAN shares a Christmas tale

COMPETITION: Does your pet have the Xmas Factor?

Vet Pets Magazine

Festive treats to keep away from your pet!

It’s that time of year again when our pets as members of our families will no doubt be getting their own Christmas stockings. But, there are many supplements and other edible nasties that go into our pets’ treats. Expert holistic vet Vince MacNally BVSc. VetMFHom MRCVS - Vince the Vet - shares his thoughts on the good, bad and ugly of festive pet treats.

VINCE THE VET

Vet Pets Magazine

Christmas Day is fast

approaching, the shops are full of glittering gifts and there’s a twinkle in many a pet’s eye as they imagine the surprises Santa might spring come Christmas morning! Topping the list will be a tasty treat. The more health conscious will probably be angling for something a little more nutritious. A few might even be toying with the idea of a nutritional aid to weight loss or sachets of detox powder, as they dust off bikinis and trunks in anticipation of the holiday adverts!

Pets have a great knack of

letting us know what they want,

so no problem there. They do

struggle to read labels however,

so let’s help them discover what’s inside the supplements

and other edible gifts that

might be jockeying for a place

on their festive wish lists!

EvolutionOur pets’ digestive systems are

miracles of evolution. Over

millions of years they’ve

perfected the ability to extract from food, the nutrients

essential for good health.

These nutrients occur in nature

as rich complexes of proteins, sugars, vitamins, minerals and

many other elements. Good,

nutritious,

health-

promoting

supplements

therefore, contain these

multi-nutrient

complexes in

abundance.

Nitty grittyTo learn how

good a

supplement is,

you have to ignore the

wrapping and

product

description and

get straight to the nitty gritty of

the ingredients label.

Here the components that

make up the product can be found. Beware being led astray

by heart-tugging pictures of

happy pets and wonderful

testimonials!

The Good, The Bad and The UglyNext, the fun bit; a game you

might both like to play in the

what-do-we-do-now post-prandial lull after the turkey,

pud and sprouts! With

smartphones at the ready,

grade the supplement as good,

bad or ugly, based on the guidelines that follow.

Try not to fall out if you can’t

agree, no matter how much

sherry you’ve had! Extra marks

can be awarded for the most credible evidence produced for

a particular point of view,

following a Google search. That

should settle it!

Remember, it’s what’s on the

ingredient label that counts.

Quoting descriptions loses

marks!

The GoodTop of the tree are supplements

rich in health-promoting

nutrients, as they occur in

nature.

Vince with Dog

Vet Pets Magazine

Look for:

● premium quality

● pure or organic

● whole foods

● natural plant and animal

extracts

Tip: these supplements

generally contain a relatively

small number of named plants,

or natural plant and animal extracts. They cost more to

produce and so command a

higher price.

Bonus points: organic ingredients are a definite plus,

so the more the merrier!

The BadNot so good, are supplements containing indigestible

ingredients or synthetic

‘nutrients’.

Look for: ‘Fillers’ or ‘bulking’

agents, which are used to dilute active ingredients. They can’t

be digested by dogs and cats

and so go in one end and out

the other:

● cellulose - plant cell walls

● microcrystalline cellulose - a

smaller version of the above

● silica - mainly found in rocks

and sand

● silicon dioxide - as above

Claim bonus points for

unearthing and naming other

fillers, and giving reasons why

they’ve been included!

Synthetic additives are used

because they are cheap

compared to naturally

occurring nutrients. A number are manufactured from

industrial raw materials, such

as petrol, coal tar and

hydrogenated sugar treated

with acetone (ascorbic acid or vitamin C).

● synthetic vitamins

● synthetic amino acids

● genetically modified

organisms

Tip: synthetic additives appear

as E numbers or individually

named ingredients, such as: ascorbic acid; vitamin C;

vitamin A; vitamin D; vitamin

E; niacin; folic acid; biotin;

lysine; vitamin B12; methionine

etc. Double points for whoever finds the supplement with the

longest list of additives!

The UglyBottom of the ladder are products containing potentially

harmful chemical additives,

used as lubricants, glues,

preservatives, artificial colours

and flavours:

Examples are:

Titanium oxide - a pigment.

Sodium benzoate - a

preservative which can convert

to benzene, a known

carcinogen.

Magnesium stearate or stearic

acid - a lubricant which a published study showed may

suppress the immune system.

Unethical animal products -

may not be harmful, but who

wants to encourage the use ofIngredients like chondroitin

which may come from

inhumanely harvested shark

cartilage or battery hens?

Triple points for an online

search and adding a few more

to this list.

That’s it! Your pet will have a much better idea now of what

to ask Santa to bring.

So good luck with the glass of

milk and hanging up the

stocking!

Vince MacNally BVSc. VetMFHom (1998) MRCVS is an expert holistic vet. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Liverpool University in 1983. He went on to gain the VetMFHom qualification in 1998. Vince has 30 years experience of using a wide range of natural remedies, therapies and supplements in pets, including acupuncture, homoeopathy, herbs and nutritional supplements. He is currently a Partner in Vince The Vet® https://www.vincethevet.co.uk

Vet Pets Magazine

CAT LOVER AND owner David Cliff, MD of Gedanken, a company specialising in coaching-

based support and personal development, reviews two purrfect gifts for cat lovers.

I was delighted to be asked to review two new offerings from Polly Horner. Polly is an artist and an illustrator known for her precise yet quirky paintings that capture the essence of cat personalities. Based in Rye in East Sussex she won the book trust early years award with her children’s book Polly and the North star published in 2002 (Ryan).

Her two current offerings include ‘Cats: Best in Show – a trump card game’ and ‘Cat Postcards’. Best in show is a card game of cat breeds where one acquires cards by trumping different cat attributes by breed. Everything from identifying the grooming level through to the intelligence levels, independent personalities and size of cats, form criteria for winning the game. It’s simple enough to play. It does give one pause for thought and the potential to

pick up a considerable amount of detailed knowledge for one immersed in the cat field. Each card gives the player a general overview of each pedigree breed’s key attributes accepting of course, there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ cat, of any breed.

At £8.95 including vat, this is a wonderful stocking filler for those who want to know different cat breeds better and have a bit of fun on the way.Cat Postcards draws from Best in Show images and provides a selected number of postcards drawn from the best in show series.

These 21 postcards retailing at £8.95 come in a block pack and are tastefully enclosed in a protective cover. Inside the cover is a key to all of the postcards which are just ready to tear off and send to your friends. The reality is, I feel only a minority will actually make it to the post-box and instead will find their way onto notice boards and cherished walls of fame ably supported by blobs of bluetack! Some may

find their way into small frames to stand on tables for posterity.

These subtle images of cats drawn true to life and with no background have the simplistic quality of allowing you to reflect on the nature of each breed, rather than see these cats placed in some sort of picture based context however fun or endearing that may be.As with Best in Show, there is a little bit of sophistication about all of this and this makes for a thoughtful gift to and from cat lovers everywhere.

Don’t tell Pets Magazine’s editor, but I shall not be returning these anytime soon!

Especially for Cat Lovers

READER OFFER: Please

visit the following page of our

blog to get both products direct

from the retailer for a discount

using our special code: http://www.petsmag.co.uk/blog/

reader-offer-cat-postcards-

trump-cards.

Cat Postcards

Vet Pets Magazine

The chatter of voices

emanating from my waiting

room one early December

afternoon stopped abruptly as

I entered and ground to a halt

self-consciously. Eight little faces peered up at me from

the circle that surrounded Mrs

Jennings, a teacher from the nearby primary

school. It was a very seasonal looking circle. Five

lads were in dressing gowns, with red-checked tea

towels wrapped round their heads. A couple of

girls had white cardboard wings attached to their

backs. And the remaining lad was virtually

invisible, swamped by an oversized sheepskin

coat, inside out, with its sleeves hanging down to his knees and the collar over his head - shepherd

or one of his flock, I couldn’t quite decide.

‘We’ve just been doing a dress rehearsal for our

nativity play,’ said Mrs Jennings, by way of explanation.

A Christmas Crisis for Gerry the Gerbil

MALCOM D WELSHMAN is a retired vet and author of three pet novels. The first, Pets in a Pickle, with a foreword by James Herriot's son, reached number two on Kindle's bestseller list. The third, Pets Aplenty, has just been published. The Sun says: 'It’s perfect for animal lovers the world over.' Malcolm shares with Pets Magazine readers this festive short story, one of many stories based on his years as a vet.

Vet Pets Magazine

‘I’m one of the five wise men,’

said a tea-towelled boy proudly,

peering up at me through heavy

black-rimmed pebble glasses.

‘Five?’ I queried, looking at Mrs

Jennings.

She shrugged. ‘We had

difficulty in finding parts for everyone.’

The boy with the glasses

turned to one of the angels

who was clutching a small cardboard box, her thumbs

keeping the lid firmly in

place.

‘Well go on, Emma,’ he said, pushing her forward,

crushing her wings, ‘show him

Gerry.’

‘Leave off Ben,’ said the girl, pushing him back with her

elbow in a very un-angelic

fashion.

Mrs Jennings hastily intervened. ‘Now ... Now ...

Behave yourselves, you two.’

‘Er ... let’s go through to the

consulting room, shall we?’ I

said.

‘Can we all come?’ said a

muffled voice from the depths

of the sheepskin.

‘Only if everyone’s on their best

behaviour. Understand?’ said

Mrs Jennings.

Tea towels nodded, angel wings

flapped and the sheepskin coat

wagged its sleeves, as their

teacher ushered them through,

Emma elbowing her way to the front with the cardboard box.

She lifted it on to the consulting

table and seven anxious faces

and a headless coat clustered round as I cautiously took the

lid off.

Inside, curled up on a cushion

of cottonwool was a brown and

white rodent, not much bigger

than a mouse, but with much longer legs and a long, hairy

tail. The creature lay on its side,

motionless, with no visible

signs of life.

Ben stood on tip toe and peered

onto the box, his pebble

spectacles, sliding down his

nose. ‘I reckon he’s a goner,’ he

declared, giving the box a vigorous poke.

‘Don’t do that,’ said Emma

crossly, smacking his hand.

‘You’ll frighten Gerry.’

‘Not if he’s snuffed it, I won’t,’

retorted Ben, pushing his

spectacles back up his nose.

I didn’t like to say it but I happened to think Ben was

right. But the sudden jolt made

the rodent’s whiskers twitch. So

it hadn’t passed on. Not yet.

‘He’s a very poorly gerbil,’ I

said quietly.

Carefully I lifted out the

prostrate creature. I could see a smear of blood on the

white fur of its belly.

Parting the fur, a tear in

the skin was clearly visible.

‘Can anyone tell me what

happened?’ I asked.

There was silence for a

moment. Then, a rush of words from Emma.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Furiously wiping them away,

she sobbed, ‘I went to look at the gerbils and saw Gerry was

sick. He was lying in a corner of

the cage, not moving.

‘I called Mrs Jennings and she said Gerry was injured and that

we ought to take him to the

vet’s.’

‘The other gerbil attacked him,’ said the sheepskin coat.

The creature lay on its side, motionless,

with no visible signs of life.

Vet Pets Magazine

‘Males fight. Says

so in my pet

book.’

‘They shouldn’t have been

together,’ said

Ben, knowingly.

‘Can you do anything for him

Mr Vet?’ sobbed

Emma, sniffing

back a tear.

‘Naw ... he’s had

his chips,’ said

Ben gruffly,

giving the box

another poke.

‘I’ll try stitching him up,’ I said,

pulling the box out of Ben’s

reach.

Once the children had trooped

out, I took the gerbil down to

the prep room. Once

anaesthetised, it didn’t take

long to clip the hair away from the rodent’s wound, clean it up

and insert two dissolvable

sutures.

Gerry was collected by a delighted delegation, devoid of

their nativity wear, the

following day.

‘Didn’t snuff it then,’ grunted Ben, pushing his spectacles up

his nose.

Just before Christmas, I

received a large brown

envelope from the school.

Inside were 18 hand-made

Christmas cards from all the pupils in Mrs Jennings’ class.

One card in particular made me

smile.

It was a crayon drawing of a brown rat-like creature, which I

guessed was meant to be Gerry,

the gerbil. It was asleep in a

crib with a large silver star

above it. Below was written:

‘Dear Mr Vet,

Thank you for saving Gerry. I

was very worried he might have

died or something worse might have happened.

Happy Christmas from Emma.’

*********************

Malcolm D. Welshman is author of Pets Aplenty published by Austin Macauley Publishers 0207 038 8312 at £7.99; Kindle version £0.97 www.malcolmwelshman.co.uk.

Gerry was saved

Vet Pets Magazine

Pets Product Picks

Ruffwear Sun Shower Rain JacketRRp £50.00Stockist: Cotswold Outdoor

We’re loving this waterproof jacket for dogs. It’s perfect both in cooler months and during spring showers.

The Ruffwear Sun Shower is weatherproof rain jacket built for the trail. Waterproof fabric helps extend adventures into wet weather by keeping dogs comfortable. Non-insulated design allows for use in warm climates and can be worn over insulating layers for cold climates. Full coverage minimizes wet, muddy dog cleanup.

Beautiful tents for children & dogs!

We absolutely love the new range of

tents from The Raj Tent Club. They

are perfect for both children and fur

kids!

Visit: http://www.rajtentclub.com.

Vet Pets Magazine

Dog About TownHow to raise a happy dog in the city

By Louise Glazebrook

Illustrated by Ping Zhu.

£12.99 HB

Dog about Town, is a fun yet informative manual to your mongrel. Pooling together her years of experience, Louise will educate you on everything from puppy training to feeding schedules, understanding your dog’s tail talk to the importance of urban etiquette. You’ll learn your dog’s anatomy, the importance of micro-chipping and mental stimulation and what yummy treats to make your four-legged friend.

There’s even advice for more fashion-forward dog owners - what to wear on a dog walk! Because your doggy Instagram account needs a #OOTD (outfit of the day) pic! Available from Amazon.

Bespoke Cushions www.digilabeluk.com offers cutting edge, top quality

digital photo printing onto various home furnishings, clothing and other personal items including quilt

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beach bags and sarongs, with new products being

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Users can upload their own images and designs using

the inbuilt configurator and have the option on some

products of customising the size, allowing the user to

create a unique, one-off product.

Promo code: PETSMAG1 (Valid until 31/12/14)

Vet Pets Magazine

Growling Tums dog food

All Growling Tums products are hypoallergenic; natural and without artificial ingredients or additives, and are composed using quality British farm produce.

Growling Tums sell directly through their own website keeping prices to a minimum (RRP is £39.99.)

Visit: http://growlingtums.co.uk/

Festive treats for dogs & cats

From Lilys Kitchen

We’re loving the festive range of treats and dog and cat

food for the Christmas season. The Advent Calendar

contains healthy snacks for a change and the treats are

very festive with turkey and cranberry. Lily’s Kitchen also does a lovely range of wet and dry food for the season,

which are canine taste tester gave a definite paws up to.

Pictured: Advent Calendar, Lulu Fox Christmas Tree

Decoration, £6.95, Christmas Biscuits, £2.99.

Vet Pets Magazine

Does your pet have the Xmas Factor?We're searching for the most festive of pets for our #PetXmasFactor

competition. Up for grabs are three cushions from DigilabelUK that will

feature your pet.

To enter, simply take a photograph of your pet

looking Christmassy. Then, visit the Pets

Magazine Facebook Page or Twitter page

(@Pets_Mag) and post your pet photo with the

hashtag #PetXmasFactor. IMPORTANT - it must

include the hashtag #PetXmasFactor for the

entry to count.

The deadline for entries is Wednesday December 24 at 12 noon. Three

lucky readers will win one of three microfibre 20 x 20 cushions of their

pet from DigiLabelUK.com. Winners will need to email the photo they

would like to use on their cushion to editor@petsmag.co.uk.

Terms & Conditions There will be three winners for this competition - all entries sent in after the above date will not be counted. The competition is open to all pets. All entrants must be either uploaded to our Facebook page or Twitter page and must include the hashtag - #PetXmasFactor. The deadline for photos to be sent in is Wednesday December 24 at 12 noon. Three winners will be announced and contacted on Wednesday December 24 2014. This competition is only open to UK residents. By submitting this image you are allowing us to use it for marketing purposes. Winners are required to send an additional photo of their pet that they would like to feature on their cushion via email by January 31st 2015.