Your Dog March 2023

Welcome, There is lots to look forward to for dog lovers in March. For starters, over the past few weeks, you’ll have noticed that mornings and evenings are getting lighter, meaning more quality time for you and your dog and the opportunity for you both to witness the emergence of new life and growth as we head into spring. Of course, the icing on the cake is when the clocks go forward at the end of March and we can, hopefully, ditch the thermals! Another great thing about March is Crufts. The world’s greatest dog show runs from March 9 – 12 at the NEC, in Birmingham. With a packed schedule of all things dog-related, this year it will showcase the first full programme of events since before the pandemic.…

A rescue dog, who lost his leg after being hit by a car in Bulgaria, has completed a virtual 100km race through Lapland to raise more than £430 for charity. Sunny Sandwich, who was adopted four months ago from a Bulgarian shelter by Kat McGregor and Henry McGinty, tackled the mammoth walk around his home town of Bedford in aid of Myeloma UK, a charity dedicated to funding vital research into this incurable form of blood cancer. It took the trio a month to complete the ‘Lost in Lapland’ challenge, which not only helped raise vital funds, but acted as physiotherapy by helping to strengthen Sunny’s remaining three legs. “Sunny made it!” exclaimed 29-year-old Kat, who works as Myeloma UK’s scientific knowledge and communications officer. “Thank you so much to…

Dogs are more relaxed in electric — rather than diesel — cars, according to pioneering new research. This first-of-its-kind study, undertaken by the University of Lincoln in association with multi-national online automotive marketplace CarGurus, investigated canine behaviour and welfare when travelling in an electric versus a diesel vehicle. Results revealed that dogs did not settle as well in a diesel car and concluded that those who suffer from car sickness may feel better travelling in an electric vehicle. “Until now, there were no studies on the effect of EVs on dogs,” explained the University of Lincoln’s professor of veterinary behavioural medicine, Daniel Mills, who led the study. “Our results clearly show that dogs seem to be more relaxed in EVs, particularly when looking at behavioural traits such as restlessness.”…

DOG DATA According to Rainwalk Pet Insurance’s analysis of Google trends data, searches for ‘Is my dog happy?’ are 451.16 per cent — or six times — more popular than ‘Is my kid happy?’ The team at a Cambridgeshire-based veterinary referral centre is reminding owners to take extra precautions to prevent their pets swallowing everyday items, after vets removed batteries, children’s toys, underwear, stones, and bones from dogs’ stomachs. Ferran Valls Sanchez, head of internal medicine at Dick White Referrals in Six Mile Bottom, explained: “People would be amazed at some of the items our team has recovered from inside dogs. “Out and about, dogs can pick up anything in a split second — it could be a piece of toxic human food, like chocolate or chewing gum, or debris…

A young Labrador’s vision has been saved, thanks to the combined expertise of ophthalmology teams at two leading veterinary specialists. Linnaeus-owned London Veterinary Specialists and Hertfordshire-based Davies joined forces to successfully remove a fast-growing melanoma from Connie’s right eye. “The mass was approximately 10mm in diameter and due to the rate at which it was growing, we needed to perform surgery promptly to save Connie’s eye,” explained ophthalmologist Ioannis Tzouganakis. Connie underwent a microsurgical procedure under general anaesthetic to remove the mass before the site was repaired with a corneal transplant (xenograft), which was stitched onto the surface of the eye using hair-thin sutures. Connie’s owner, Pip Allen, from London, added: “Ioannis not only saved Connie’s eye, but we honestly cannot tell there has been such a huge surgical intervention.…

● STATS NAME NORTHUMBERLAND AS UK DOG THEFT HOTSPOT Research from home security company ADT has revealed Northumberland as the UK’s dog theft hotspot. The data, compiled from police forces across the country, showed that the region has recorded 437 stolen dogs since 2017. Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, Gwent in South Wales is one of the safest areas in the country for dogs, with no thefts recorded by Gwent Police over the last five years. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the most commonly stolen breed, according to the figures. ● TAKING THE BISCUIT An innovative pet-care app, which makes it easier and more rewarding for owners to improve their dog’s health and well-being, is celebrating its first birthday. Biscuit Pet Care has enabled UK owners to…