Prepare your pet for the firework season

The weeks leading up to November 5^th and continuing through until the New Year can be a traumatic time for some pets.  The signs of ‘firework fear’ or the phobia of loud noises can range from mild behavioural changes to severe destructive or aggressive behaviour.

Firework fears and noise phobias are a common problem in pets, with at least 80% of pets being scared of fireworks.

Signs that your pet is fearful includes hiding away, seeking closer human contact, whining or barking, and destruction of the room left in during the panic of trying to escape.

An animal with noise phobia will start to panic at the slightest noise and the reaction is always a sudden, extreme and excessive response.  The fear of noises tends to get worse over time rather than better.  If you have a pet that is fearful of loud noises a de-sensitisation program has great benefits.  A de-sensitisation program involves playing a CD of noises daily to your dog, initially at low levels and gradually increasing the duration and intensity of the sound until your pet becomes comfortable with the noise.

There are also other medications that can help your pet deal with stressful situations including firework noise and these include Zylkene, Adaptil or Feliway.  These medications use pheromones which encourage a calming influence which helps the pet deal with a stressful situation and are very helpful during the firework season.

Pet Dispensary is an online company offering veterinary medications and has focused on behavioural products for the firework season.  As well as offering useful information and guidance sheets on the website they are also offering a free sound de-sensitisation CD with every box of Zylkene purchased.

Lynsey Bacon Manager comments, “With such a high number of pets showing some sign of fear during the firework season, it is beneficial for owners to know there are medications available to help their pet deal with these anxieties.  Last year Zylkene was our most popular product as this can be used short term and is palatable and easy to give.  The stress management medications don’t require a prescription and we are able to offer advice to pet owners to suggest what would be the best option for their pet.

Pet Dispensary recommends starting a ‘De-Sensitisation Program’ now in preparation for the 5^th November.  Pet Dispensary is offering a Free Sound De-Sensitisation CD with every full box of Zylkene purchased.  Starting the program now could mean a much easier Firework season for you and your pet, further details are on our website”

Three top tips for Firework season

1. Provide a den or hiding place where your pet can feel safe
2. Increase the feeling of security by using Zylkene each day over the festive period or by plugging in and Adaptil or Feliway Diffuser as close to the Den or hiding place as possible

3. Ignore fearful behaviour such as panting, shaking or whining.  Dogs may pick up on their owner’s anxiety which can make the problem worse.

For further details please visit http://www.petdispensary.co.uk/shop/Zylkene.html

Pet Dispensary - affordable pet medication: Pet Dispensary Awarded Accreditation from the VMD

Pet Dispensary - affordable pet medication: Pet Dispensary Awarded Accreditation from the VMD: Pet Dispensary an online retailer of Veterinary medications is pleased to be one of the first to receive accreditation from the VMD. Th...

Pet Dispensary Awarded Accreditation from the VMD

Pet Dispensary an online retailer of Veterinary medications is pleased to be one of the first to receive accreditation from the VMD.

The VMD (Veterinary Medicines Directorate) invited UK Internet retailers of veterinary medicinal products to apply for accreditation under the VMD’s ‘Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme’.  The scheme is a means of regulating the Internet sites offering veterinary medications and inspections can be carried out to check on-going compliance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations.  To be approved the company must be able to demonstrate compliance with the legislative requirements set out in the VMD for dispensing, supply and advertising of veterinary medicines. 

The VMD’s Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme will allow customers a way of identifying legitimate on-line retailers and will be assured they are purchasing authorised veterinary medicines which are correctly supplied.   The Accreditation scheme will significantly reduce the risk of people buying veterinary medicines that are not authorised for use in the UK or are not suitable for their animals.  It is excellent for pet owners there is reassurance when purchasing their medications from accredited sites.

Accredited websites means:

·         The retailer has voluntarily applied for and been granted accreditation

·         The VMD has inspected the website and found that it complies with the Accreditation Schemes requirements and the Veterinary Medicines Regulations

·         There is less risk of buying an unauthorised, inappropriate or ineffective veterinary medicine.

Pet Dispensary now displays the VMD’s Internet Retailer logo which includes a unique accreditation number, clicking on the number will take you to the register of accredited retailers on the VMD’s website and allows customers to check the accreditation status.

Pet Dispensary - affordable pet medication: 'Give your dog a bone' for a happy worm free life

Pet Dispensary - affordable pet medication: 'Give your dog a bone' for a happy worm free life: Available Now the UK's first worming tablet shaped like a bone. The launch of Drontal bone from Bayer will be supported by a national TV ...

'Give your dog a bone' for a happy worm free life

Available Now the UK's first worming tablet shaped like a bone. The launch of Drontal bone from Bayer will be supported by a national TV advertising campaign, and an online competition called Give Your Dog A Bone designed to engage further with dog owners and communicate the benefits of having a worm-free dog.

The Drontal range has a product for every breed of cat or dog from a six week old kitten to an 11 stone St Bernard. To have a happy, healthy pet Drontal recommends that adult dogs should be wormed at least every three months. Puppies should be wormed more frequently, ideally every two weeks up to three months of age and then every three months thereafter.
For more details on Drontal or to purchase the New Bone Shaped Drontal click here

Pet Dispensary - affordable pet medication: Cavalesse - taking the Itch out of Sweet Itch

Pet Dispensary - affordable pet medication: Cavalesse - taking the Itch out of Sweet Itch: Has your horse or pony got a summer skin allergy? Have you had to curtail your equine activities over the summer due to persistent itching...

Cavalesse - taking the Itch out of Sweet Itch

Has your horse or pony got a summer skin allergy?  Have you had to curtail your equine activities over the summer due to persistent itching?  If the answer is yes, then you’re not alone.  Recent research carried out by Elanco Companion Animal Health, distributor of Cavalesse, showed over half (55%) of owners of horses with sweet itch were concerned that their horse will suffer and nearly half become stressed about the way their horse is affected (47%).  Indeed, nearly a third of those questioned have had their activities with their horse affected, including being unable to ride their horse, due to welfare, aesthetic and behavioural issues, such as head shaking, rubbing, unpredictability and aggression.

Affecting three to five per cent¹ of all horses in the UK, sweet itch, or Summer Seasonal Recurrent Dermatitis, is caused by an allergy to the saliva in the bite of Culicoides midges.  It is particularly prevalent in the summer months, when midges are most active and all breeds and types of horses, ponies and donkeys are susceptible to the condition, although some breeds are more so than others.  It is also thought that sweet itch may be hereditary and stress may be a trigger.  The disease is not contagious, however if a premises is particularly susceptible to midges then more than one horse may develop the condition.

Symptoms

Midges usually attack the mane, withers, back, rump or dock of the horse, so it is often these areas that are affected.

Symptoms include severe itching and hair loss, commonly in the tail and mane.  The skin can become bald, inflamed, crusty and sore and as the condition progresses it thickens, becomes wrinkled and the hair becomes sparse and coarse with flaky dandruff.  Exudative dermatitis may develop which can lead to secondary bacterial infection.  These lesions are often found along the spine at the mane, forelock or tail and, in more severe cases, they spread down the body to the abdomen, saddle area, sides of the head, sheath and legs.

The itching can become so severe that the horse scratches itself on anything in reach.  Excessive mutual grooming from field companions is common and a horse may also shake its head or become restless if flying insects are close by.  In addition, a horse’s temperament can change - it can either become lethargic or agitated and impatient, with a lack of concentration when ridden.

During the winter, the skin may totally recover.  However the disease often returns in the spring at the first contact with flies.  It is therefore essential for owners to be aware of the potential risk of purchasing a horse during winter when there are little or no signs.  If a horse has a mane and tail that look suspicious, it is advisable to inspect it closely for signs of hair loss which may suggest sweet itch.

Prevention and control

Sweet itch is notoriously difficult to manage and once a horse develops the condition it can recur every summer, proving a management nightmare for its owner.

Prevention and control should include:

·         Moving the horse away from standing water and boggy land

·         Stabling at dawn and dusk and the use of fly repellents

·         Use of Cavalesse sachets and Gel*

·         Fly protection rugs

Cavalesse^® and Cavalesse^® Topical, are easy-to-administer skin care products containing nicotinamide, which help to maintain healthy skin in horses prone to summer skin allergies.  Cavalesse^® and Cavalesse^® Topical, are available to order from Pet Dispensary.

All preventative measures should be instigated in March and April before the midge season starts to prevent the midges from biting and starting the inflammatory process.

For further information about Cavalesse or to see Case Studies click here or call Pet Dispensary on 0845 6787838

 Pet Dispensary is offering Cavalesse Combi packs at a reduced price for a limited time and are also offering a free hoofpick with every order.