All the latest info on caring for your pet

Bugs Bunny may be a fan of nothing but carrots, but did you know that real-life rabbit diets are actually far more complicated? If you are considering a cuddly little bunny, this article is for you. Today we will explain the surprisingly complex biology of rabbit digestion. Discuss good and bad diets, and go over some of the issues rabbits with poor diets may have. Time to chow down!

Can dogs eat apples? If an apple a day can keep the doctor away from us, can one keep the vet away from your dog?

In short, yes, it is fine for dogs to eat apples. Dogs are facultative carnivores, which means that although most of their diet should be animal protein (meat), they can digest small amounts of plant matter, including apples. So although we would not recommend your dog moves to an all-apple diet, the occasional piece is fine for a treat.

You may have heard about joint supplements and be curious about whether they might be of benefit to your pet. Joint supplements are products designed to maintain normal joint health, or to aid in the treatment of joint disease. They can be formulated in various ways, such as tablets or capsules, liquid solutions or in special diets. 

We’re living in strange times. Never in living memory have so many people been asked to ‘stay home’ for so long. There’s a lot of focus on the bigger negative effects of being indoors for so long: mental; physical; social; and so on. A less obvious downside of lockdown that recent news reports have brought to our attention is vitamin D deficiency. Health experts are concerned many people are becoming deficient in this crucial vitamin because of a lack of going outdoors in the sun. As Britain doesn’t get great sun at the best of times, they are recommending certain groups of people should be taking vitamin D supplements to top up. Naturally, as a nation of animal lovers, questions have arisen as to whether our four-legged friends, who may also be indoors more than usual, should be given vitamin D supplements as well. So today we will be answering the question ‘do dogs need vitamin D supplements?’

In the first of a new series on “controversial topics”, we asked vet student Joe Dunne to review the evidence on Grain-free foods for dogs, and the potential health issues. Here’s his take on the situation!

Pet food manufacturing is a big industry. Every day there are more products on our shelves, more adverts featuring cute dogs on TV, and more recommendations on social media. It can certainly make us feel a bit clueless while shopping for kibble. While choice is always a good thing, an increased consumer appetite (pun intended) for ‘exotic’ pet diets, such as grain-free diets, may be causing unintended health issues in our dogs. One of the most talked-about is a potential link to these diets and heart disease in dogs. Today we will be discussing these unusual diets and their potential risks. You can make an informed decision on what your dog devours daily.