Lungworm Awareness Campaign

What is this lungworm?

The lungworm Angiostrongylus vasorum (also known as French Heartworm) is a parasite that infects dogs. The adult of this particular lungworm lives in the heart and major blood vessels supplying the lungs, where it can cause a host of problems. Left untreated, the infection can often be fatal.

The lungworm parasite is carried by slugs and snails. The problem arises when dogs purposefully or accidentally eat these common garden pests when rummaging through undergrowth, eating grass, drinking from puddles or outdoor water bowls, or pick them up from their toys.

There is a national campaign highlighting this issue more information can be found on the two sites below.

www.vetclick.com/news/bayer-animal-health-launches-lungworm-consumer-awareness-campaign-p918.php

http://www.lungworm.co.uk/scripts/pages/en/home.php

Chickens - More than meets the eye

We tend to sit for clients with a variety of pets which we are familiar with and have owned in the past.

Until we started pet sitting we had not looked after chickens. Our parents' generation are used to them in their gardens, but it was not commonplace in the towns when we were growing up.

We have really grown to love these birds and learn a lot about them. They are very easy to look after, just needing a secure shelter at night, to stop predators getting at them, food and water.

We have come across a number of different chicken houses, some just a small coop, which could be moved around to a different spot in the garden, to garden sheds and out buildings.

They are so curious, watching everything that is going on around them. They turn over the earth looking for grubs etc.

The best thing about them though is the fact that they will put themselves to bed just before it gets dark. They just have to be locked in to be secure.

The eggs have the most yellow of yolks making any cooking a gorgeous colour.


British Hen Welfare Trust

We feel the chicken is a very overlooked bird, and it is worth giving it a bit of attention the next time you come across one.

Discovering i Portal

As we travel around quite a bit, in the UK and Europe we rely on our lap tops a great deal. They become a portable telephone, a way of actually seeing our friends and family via web cam and an easy way to visit the bank as well as keeping in touch with clients.


We like to dip in and out of tv programmes whilst we are travelling around, and with most tv channels we are able to use the iplayers provided with each channel. This is most useful whilst we are abroad as the time difference sometimes makes it inconvenient to watch live tv. However you are only able to access UK channels via the internet whilst in the UK, so when abroad we use a service called i Portal.


By signing into this service you effectively use a UK based server. The service is also useful when emailing from outside the UK, for using tools like spellcheck. If you are in France, for example, and using spellcheck the tool will automatically spellcheck in french, unless you are connected to i portal.


The service makes our life so much easier and for a small subscription either annually or monthly we would not be without it.

To find out more about i Portal go to our 'Links Page' on our website.

Bloat in dogs

Looking after other people's precious pets is a great experience but also a great responsibility. We are trusted to look after and care for an animal as if they were our own.

We follow the routine of the pet owner so that the pet is settled, and not disrupted by the change of human carer.

Meal times can be stressful, especially with dogs, and there is a risk of bloat which many pet owners are not aware of.

As long as a few rules are observed, for instance, stopping vigorous exercise an hour before or after feeding, limited water before and after feeding, and stress free mealtimes, most dogs are fine.

Some breeds, those with a high ribcage for example, are more prone to bloat. We have looked after dogs where there is a history of bloat, and are aware of this risk with other dogs that we look after.

This is a really good site telling you what to look out for, and how to prevent bloat.

http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm

We have a form you can download to give to your pet sitter so that they know what to look out for and what to do if your dog presents with symptoms of bloat. This is located on the Links page of our website.

New Year on the French Riviera

Christmas and New Year in a small town just up in the hills behind Cannes has started our year off on a pampered note.

We saw the New Year in with the beautiful people, but more importantly with beautiful pets. We had the pleasure of looking after Zuka, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Alfie a Spoodle. We were looked after by Bruno the Cat.

Our Spoodle, or Cockerpoo,

Alfie is a toy poodle crossed with a spaniel. He is very sweet and has a very soft and curly coat which doesn't molt. .

click below to get more information on this breed.
http://ten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

He loved to have cuddles most of the time, basically as soon as you sit down he was there asking to get up. He has a sweet temperment he is full of energy and very playful.

Zuka is a Rhodesian Ridgeback

Wikipedia quotes this breed " The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a dog breed developed in Southern Africa where it was used (amongst other things) to hunt lions. This is most likely why this dog is known for its bravery."

Obviously Zuka had not read this descirption of himself as he was scared of his own shadow, literally. He was a bit nervous of us at first, but given his space he soon got used to us and was a shadow for the entire sit. He took his lead from Alfie on most matters, letting his older brother guide him.

He was a very effective guard dog as he would run and bark up to the gates of the property when anyone called. As part of the family he is very loving and gentle.

Bruno is a Burmese

Click here for further information on the Burmese.

Burmese Cat Club of GB

Bruno was very tolerant of us and was gratious enough to welcome us into his home. He too liked lots of cuddles and was very vocal around tea time. He was kind enough to let us smooth his deep and very soft coat , we felt very honoured when his attentions were turned to us.

Wishing our clients Past, Present and Future

a Very Merry Christmas

and a Happy and Peaceful New Year

from Tracy and Della at Chez Vous

click on the link below to see the show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-0WVfj76bo


Instead of sending out Christmas Cards this year we have sponsored a puppy. Click on site below to see what the clever dogs do.

http://www.caninepartners.co.uk/

Shropshire Good Life

October saw us in the rural surrounds of Shropshire, looking after a small holding with horses, sheep, chickens and cats.

Where space allows, folk seem to be coming back to the idea of self-sufficiency, even if it is just to keep a few hens for eggs.

This lifestyle was recently relived in the BBC2 programme 'Giles and Sue live the good life.' In this series they recreated the efforts that Tom and Barbara Good went to to be self sufficient. It turned out to be a lot more labour intensive and time consuming than they thought.

Their set up was perhaps a bit too self sufficient for most people. On our sits we do find that elements of self sufficiency, whether it be a veggie plot or just some hens, do feature.

The work and dedication involved in looking after animals and tending veggies, in our opinion, is well worth the effort. We always get a kick out of the fact that we are eating food just picked from the garden. We find looking after and tending to animals very relaxing and rewarding, even if it is pouring with rain, and freezing cold when the horses need bringing in and the hens need shutting in their house for the night.

At the end of the day, with flora and fauna, you reap far more than you sew.