October 2005 saw a law change allowing vets to store pet blood for future use. The charity is seeking donations from larger dogs, with donation events planned for around the UK.

Once collected, Pet Blood Bank UK separates the blood into plasma and red cells, with one donation helping up to four dogs. Their website explains what they’re looking for in dog donors:

• good temperament
• be aged between one and eight years old
• weigh more than 25 kilos
• not have traveled abroad
• be up-to-date on all vaccinations
• be fit and healthy.

They plan to charge for the blood they supply, promising a reduced rate for major animal charities.

We’ll try to get an interview with the people behind Pet Blood Bank UK. Send us your questions!

One interviewee, on BBC radio, explained that she’d use the drug, Yarvitan, because she couldn’t resist feeding her dog unhealthy treats.

The medicine, which works by preventing fat cells from entering the bloodstream, appears to be a get-out for irresponsible dog owners. Fat or not, all dogs need exercise. Quite apart from the physical benefits of a cardiovascular workout and the burning of calories, dogs suffer mentally if they’re locked up in a house all day.
No doubt there will be some cases where Yarvitan will be the right choice. Let’s hope vets prescribe a daily walk and healthier diet before turning to drugs.

Ross Finnie, Scottish Animal Health and Welfare Minister, said:

“Tail docking of dogs involves the removal of most or part of the tail, severing muscles, tendons, nerves and sometimes bone or cartilage.

“That cannot be justified because of a possibility that the dog may injure its tail in later life.

“A ban on tail docking is not a step which we have taken lightly.”

Alex Hogg, Chairman of The Scottish Gamekeepers Association argued that not docking the tails of working dogs actually caused more harm:

“The minister has failed in his obligation to protect the welfare of our working dogs and condemned many breeds to a life of pain in his attempts to curry favour with animals rights activists.”

He added, rather menacingly:

“The countryside will not forget.”

The Conservative party suggested that the ban was against all reason but, last I heard, most members of all the UK’s political parties were without tails and so, probably, are unqualified to be quite so forthright on the issue.

So, tail docking: is it a cruel and arbitrary mutilation of a defenceless animal in order that they’re more convenient for human beings, or are we towny-animal-loving-workshy-do-gooders just making a fuss about nothing?

“His appetite has really increased plus he has a lot more energy, and he doesn?€™t need an afternoon nap like he used too!”

PDSA Veterinary Surgeon Carolyn Oldridge, added:

“Pets can be affected by breathing in second-hand cigarette smoke. Although Winston’s cough hasn’t gone completely, it has improved significantly thanks to Dot giving up.”

Tim Miles, RSPCA chief veterinary adviser, said:

“If you give in and feed your dog chocolate which is meant for humans, you risk poisoning your dog and it could even die.

“If you want to give your dog the occasional chocolate treat this Easter, please stick to specially made canine chocolate drops.”

Pet supermarket, Pets at Home, has special chocolate eggs for your dogs.

According to Dr Alex German, who runs the Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic at the university’s Small Animal Hospital, increasingly widespread pet obesity is largely down to over-feeding:

“Pets might be having the little bit off the end of the dinner plate and owners are also feeding them too much pet food. Measuring cups can hold huge amounts if you cram down the food,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

While human medics use the Body Mass Index in their diagnosis of obesity, no equivalent exists for animals. The primary aim of the clinic is to develop an objective means of determining if a pet is obese.

Through all-body scans, using a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scanner donated by Royal Canin foods, the clinic hopes to build a database of pet sizes and fat distribution, enabling them to create something similar to the Body Mass Index. They’re starting from scratch by questioning what constitutes animal height.
In 1993, another dog food manufacturer, Hill’s, launched the Hill’s Pet Slimmer of the Year competition. Recognising the problem of overweight pets, the competition is run in conjunction with local vets across Europe. Research to support the competition has produced some interesting information:

• 76% of pet owners believe their pets’ weight to be ‘just right’, but actually, up to 50% of cats and dogs are overweight.
• 60% of European pet owners do not take their pets to the vet to be weighed.
• Pet owners in the UK and Germany are particularly unaware of pet obesity but French and Italian owners are more critical of their pet’s weight.
• Only 15% of owners of obese pets purchase calorie controlled food.
• 40% of pet owners feed snacks to their pets more than once a day, single female dog owners are the main culprits!
• One in four dog owners do not exercise themselves or their dogs.
• Only 30% exercise their dogs enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Burns Pet Nutrition also has information on how their range of natural complete foods can help overweight dogs to slim.