Out & About Magazine Autumn 2020

lifestyle

Out&About

PET TALK

A fter lockdown halted gardeners’ spring lawn improvement plans, autumn presents the ideal opportunity to sow new lawns and restore turf to its former glory Spring lockdown, followed by a summer of enforced staycations, resulted in lawns being subjected to abnormally heavy levels of wear and tear as families, children and pets isolated and holidayed in gardens at home. New for 2020 is Johnsons Lawn Seed Tuffgrass with Dog Patch Resistance. Tuffgrass solves a problem that’s dogged lawn-owners for years: ugly patches that appear after four-legged friends use grass as their toilet.

Over the counter v prescription flea and worm treatments We all want to see our pets thriving and healthy. One way you can help keep your pets in top condition is to use parasite prevention. Parasites cause diseases, from itchy skin to diarrhoea – there are many symptoms that can appear as a result of a flea infestation or a worm burden. How do you decide which treatments to use? With so many options, deciding can be a confusing task. That’s what your vets are there for. You can be confident that your vet will be giving you the most up-to- date information on the best and safest way to manage parasites. Vets recommend prescription treatments because they are more effective than products you can buy in supermarkets, pet shops or online. They have a broader spectrum of effectiveness meaning prescription drugs tend to protect against a wider variety of parasites, as opposed to just fleas or just one species of worm. One, in particular, is lungworm – a worm that causes coughing and internal bleeding. There are very few ‘over the counter’ treatments for lungworm, which is picked up from eating slugs and snails, grass or picking up a toy a slug or snail has crawled over. Prescription medicines come in a variety of preparations and your vet’s knowledge is key as they can advise on a product tailored to your pet’s lifestyle. Whether your pet has never had fleas and you want to keep it that way or your pet is suffering from a flea infestation, visit your vet to get advice on the best way to get on the right medication to prevent or treat the problem. Lucy Mapplebeck, Donnington Grove Vets This means less wasted money on products that do not work effectively.

By incorporating naturally dog urine-tolerant fine-leaved dwarf perennial ryegrass, scorched yellow patches in lawns have been consigned to history, while lawns sown from Tuffgrass have excellent drought-resistance and stand up well to low temperatures and snow.

The World Big Dog Walk is calling upon the dog walking community to come together to raise valuable funds for man’s best friend

T he World Big Dog Walk aims to raise thousands of pounds for dog-related charities, without compromising people’s safety. This month – September – enthusiastic dog walkers from around the world, can join the fun. Pledge to walk a certain distance or raise a target amount for one of the canine charities featured on the website or a charity of your choice. Once the miles start clocking up, Pip, the walk’s Virtual dog, will start his journey around the world map, which is updated in real time on the website depicting the miles walked by fundraisers. His aim is to lap the entire world – at least once! Joining the virtual event is free to enter and walkers can choose to walk wherever and with whomever they like. To take part visit www.bigdogwalk.co.uk/world-walk Big Dog Walk can also be found on social media at Insta @big_dogwalk, FB @bigdogwalkuk and Twitter @big_dogwalk. Join the conversation on social using the hashtags: #joinourpack

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O&A AUTUMN 2020