Blog posts of '2021' 'July'

Dealing with pet hair is just another part of being a pet owner… but when you’re covered in it, it doesn’t necessarily make a good impression on people at work or in social situations. Keeping on top of the problem is the best way to keep fur off of your clothes so you can always look your best.

Most of us put a lot of trust in pet food manufacturers, particularly when we are dishing out a lot of money on ‘premium’ dog foods. But do you really know what you are feeding your dog? Do you read and fully understand the labelling on commercial dog foods you give to your pet? There’s a few important tricks of the dog food trade that can make it challenging to figure out exactly what you are feeding to your dog. So here’s my guide to helping you decipher pet food labels to make that all important decision on behalf of your four legged friend.

If you are just starting a new back-yard free range venture you need to know some basics before starting. Most chicken rearers will supply an information page to get you started but it’s important to get birds from a reputable rearer. With day length now increasing, backyard birds will start to get back into a proper laying cycle. Hens come into lay which is dictated by the amount of light they receive whether this is natural or artificial. It is important to ensure that the hens have everything spot on and available to them as they come into lay.

So what actually is mud-fever we hear you ask? ‘Mud-fever’ as we will call it, goes by many different terms such as; rain scald (or rain rot), equine dermatitis, scratches or greasy heel. It is a collective term for what is essentially a bacterial, and in some cases fungal, infection that causes irritation and inflammation of the skin. It will often present itself in moist conditions and mostly affects the heels of a horse – however it can present itself anywhere on the body and will commonly also affect the face, shoulder, back and rump of a horse, where it may be referred to as rain scald.