Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…according to Guinness World Records, the world’s oldest dog has just celebrated her 21st birthday. Living in New York, Chanel, a Daschund-cross, has impaired sight and hearing, but still enjoys life. Her owner believes a healthy exercise regime has resulted in an extended life span. Owner and dog would go for regular four mile runs and even now, Chanel is able to take short strolls. As a special treat on her world breaking birthday, she enjoyed a trip to the New York Dog Hotel and Spa for some special pampering.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…the Daily Telegraph has unearthed more interesting dog related expenses that MPs are claiming for. The latest victim of the paper’s investigations is Mike Penning, who put in a claim for a £2.99 stainless steel vessel, together with dog mugs. He has since apologised and offered to pay the money back. The last time Mr Penning hit the headlines was when he claimed that the army spent more on dogs dinners than it does on human rations. According to the MP, the average cost of a military dog’s meal was £2.63 a day, compared to troops that had to make do on a budget of just £1.51 a day.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…the UK inventor behind the RoadRefresherTM non spill dog bowl has cracked the US market with sales of £1m. This is despite the set back of failing to convince the pundits on Dragon’s Den that her product was going to be a big success over the pond. The bowl has a patented floating tray that keeps splashes and spills to a minimum. The would-be investors turned down her request for £120,000. Mrs Ellis developed the non spill bowl after getting in trouble with local police for trying to give her pet dog water while on the move. Her most recent US customer is President Obama’s dog, who will be slurping water out of a very special one-off design modeled on the White House and decorated with the Stars and Stripes.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…with Summer on its way, farmers are keen to raise awareness of a problem that continues to blight the lives of those in charge of livestock - dog attacks. NFU Mutual, a leading farming insurance company, recorded 182 attacks in 2008, costing a estimated £1m worth of damage. Recent reports include a Hampshire farmer who witnessed an attack from one dog that resulted in severe injuries to four ewes and lambs. A further 20 sheep were also attacked, leaving the flock traumatised. Farmers have a right to shoot any dogs ‘worrying’ livestock, so pet owners would be well advised to keep their dogs on a lead in areas of open countryside, even where livestock appear to well out of reach.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…when Rick Thomas lost his Jack Russell while out walking, he feared the worse. Jake just disappeared down a hole and failed to emerge. The owners searched the area and even went on local radio in an attempt to find him. After three weeks had passed and still no sign of their six-year-old terrier, the couple gave up all hope of seeing Jake again. Fortunately for them, he proved to be a resilient character, able to sit it out in his hole for 25 days until he lost enough weight to get himself out again. The plucky dog then managed to make his way to a nearby farm. Vets were unsure about his chances of survival and immediately put him on a drip. Recovery is slow, but Jake appears to be on the road to a full recovery.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…mobile blood centres are nothing new, but the latest to hit the road is after dog donors. The sponsor, Royal Canin, may give a clue as to the purpose of the state of the art trailer, which comes fully equipped with television and hydraulic tables. Donors will not be offered a cup and tea and biscuit, but will walk away with a goodie bag containing toys – and all for just five minutes work. They are also given a health check for their trouble. The first stop for the mobile unit was the University of Nottingham vet school at Sutton Bonington. Visits to other UK vet schools are planned, with unit staff looking to train student vets to carry out blood screening tests.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team… a cat called Sockington, or more commonly Socks, has become the latest internet phenomenon. Owner, Jason Scott, has been using Twitter to post up regular updates on Socks’ thoughts and actions. These banal musings are now followed by 500,000 Twitter account holders. Jason seems genuinely perplexed by this interest in his cat, offering an opinion that his daily musings are this century’s equivalent of the famous Garfield comic creation. Social media for pets is nothing new, Facebook offers applications for Dogbook and Catbook. It seems that pet lovers will use any new medium to transmit their enthusiasm.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…a woman from Somerset got the shock of her life when she looked at the front page of her local newspaper and read a story hailing the return of a lost cat. The face staring back at her was Tigger, a ‘stray’ cat she had found and looked after for the past four months. She had left him at the local vets so they could check a lump on the cat’s head. It was during this visit that the vet came across a microchip which revealed that Tigger was actually Whisky and his original owner was anxiously waiting for his return.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…some good news at last from Crufts. After a series of well-publicised withdrawals from famous pet brands, the world’s leading dog show has finally managed to replace Pedigree dog food with a new headline sponsor. To the surprise of many, the top spot has gone to sofa company DFS, a decisive break from traditional dog-related products of previous years. DFS chairman, Lord Kirkham, tried to create a link between the two brands by claiming that DFS was proud to be associated with an event dedicated to making dog’s lives more comfortable. The Kennel Club made no such claims in its press release, just adding that the involvement of a soft furnishing giant will help make next year’s show even better.
Latest from the Buddies pet insurance news team…National Microchipping Month is scheduled for launch in June and is being supported by Tory shadow ministers Richard Benyon and Andrew Rosindell. Both MPs will be posing for publicity shots, showing how the imbedded devises are used by professionals to identify pets. The month long campaign is designed to promote the work of Petlog, the Kennel Club’s microchipping arm. Currently, there are nearly 4 million pets registered on the scheme, with around 40,000 new pets added to the database each month. The Kennel Club will be working closely alongside the Dogs Trust to ensure the safety message goes out to both dog and cat owners.
