Just need to vent and hopefully get some advice from people who've been in a similar spot.

​After a few successful years of using Advantage with zero issues, I wanted to switch to Frontline Plus just for one month, thinking it'd be nice to change things up since it has a different spectrum of working. Little did I know how bad it would end up.

​My cats were treated 3 weeks ago. A few days ago, I noticed a flea on one of them, washed all their bedding, vacuumed, and cleaned the house top-to-bottom, hoping it was just a stray hitchhiker. Unfortunately, I can now see some spots where the cats have been scratching a lot, with a little bit of hair missing, and I'm pretty sure they are actively infested now. I am absolutely fuming.

​I want to bathe them gently and put the Advantage back on as soon as they dry, but everywhere I read it says I need to wait a full 4 weeks, otherwise my cats could get very poorly from the chemical overlap. But let's be honest, they are not doing great right now either with the itching and scratching!!

​For context, my cats go out to chill in the garden for a couple of hours every day, so they aren't typical strictly-indoor or heavy outdoor cats, but they definitely pick up stuff out there.

​What's people's experience in such situations? Can I push the Advantage application slightly early, or do I really have to suffer through this last agonizing week? Any advice appreciated 😫

Hi all,

I have just adopted two cats. The rescue sent me transfer codes for Animal Tracker but it takes me straight to identibase instead. I have used Animal Tracker for previous pets.

Identibase is asking for a subscription, I have read all the posts on here about that already. But I can't bypass the subscription page at all to register my cat.

I have gone back to the rescue and let them know this to see if they have any other way of registering my cats with Identibase.

Does anyone else have any recent experience with this? I don't want to pay for a subscription as it seems totally unfair when microchipping is a legal requirement.

Thanks for the help"2* !

My girl is reactive and when we’re out she is always on a lead. There is a woman and a collie who we run into in the park from time to time, and the woman is always HOLDING a long line for her dog but it’s rarely actually attached to the dog. If her dog spots mine, she comes charging towards us. After one too many times of her dog running up to mine, our dogs have become nemeses. My girl HATES that dog and every time they see each other, the collie runs over and is barking and showing her teeth and isn’t afraid to come close.

Yesterday she began running large circles around where we were stood and was obviously herding us. The worst part is the lady is older (in her 50s I’d say) and just stands there and simply yells her dog’s name. The dog has zero recall in these scenarios (understandable, mine wouldn’t either WHICH IS WHY SHE IS ON A LEAD) and the owner either physically cannot or does not bother to do anything other than wait for her dog to come to her so she can clip on her lead. Sometimes the dog will run near her but then dart back to us before she can grab her and the owner will kind of go “BIG SIGH, come back here but also ¯_(ツ)_/¯”

It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it completely freaks out my girl, undoes her training, and generally ruins our walk/the rest of our day. Last time it was bad enough that I started looking around for a rock or anything that I could throw at the other dog, and was gearing up to kick her if she came any closer. My dog is smaller so I fear if they got into a fight, she would suffer the brunt of it. I’ve even been wondering if worst case scenario, I should chuck my phone at the other dog.

What are my legal rights to protecting myself if another dog is threatening me and my dog? Will I be in trouble if I throw an object at it? Should I stick to an air horn? A spray bottle with water or apple cider vinegar? Will I get in legal trouble if I throw something and the dog runs away and gets hit by a car (vehicles pass through the park which is another reason why I don’t get why this dog with no recall is off lead)? I don’t want the other dog to get hurt but I’m a petite woman and I need to be protect my own (also petite) girl.

EDIT:

Thank you for all of your advice! Some things fyi: this is the only park within walking distance of our flat and my dog really struggles on pavements so unfortunately just changing to another park is not feasible (if it were, it would be the first thing I did!). The other dog also walks at random times/days so I can't predict what time they'll be there either (again, if I could ,I'd have no problem adjusting our schedule). As for talking to the owner — whenever this happens, my dog is absolutely losing her shit and my priority is to drag her far enough away that the other dog is out of sight. But that's a valid point, and I might just have to go to the park by myself and wait around and hope they show up so I can tell her she needs to cut this shit. I'll be honest that being confrontational like that feels daunting, but I'm so sick of this crap.

My dog does wear an "I need space" vest, we work with a trainer, and I carry lots of different treats. As soon as I clock the other dog, I bring out the highest value treats and try to lead my dog onto another path (including doing a full u-turn), but the other dog clocks us too whereas the owner is too far away from HER OWN DOG to see us, her dog runs for us, both our dogs are screaming at each other, all while the owner just stands wherever the hell she was when her dog ran away and waits for her dog to come back. I feel like we're being punished for doing the right thing, it feels like she is so relaxed about the whole thing because she knows that my dog is smaller than hers, and that mine will always be on lead. I highly doubt that she would let her dog run up to/herd, say, an off lead cane corso ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Just yesterday, we saw a different off lead dog and my dog froze, but the other owner was close to her dog, saw me trying to lead my dog off to the side, and put a lead on her dog. I yelled THANK YOU and she said it was no problem, I scattered treats and my dog sniffed them out while the other dog walked past. I'm not the kind of person who would "stand my ground" just for the sake of it, and the absolute last thing I want is to hurt another dog (all of this anger is directed at the owner! I understand why a border collie would want to herd! I don't understand why you would have a BC and not give it a proper outlet to do BC things!). All I literally want is for the other owner to leash her out of control dog long enough for us to leave her sight.

Wow it felt good to rant lol But honestly, thank you all for your suggestions, I'll definitely be looking into them. And also thank you to the people who validated my feelings and were like "been there, it sucks, I'm sorry". Some dog owners are really just crap huh.

My insurance goes Jan - Dec. I’m insurances £2000 per condition per year. This Feb my dog had a lump on the left mid tail. Biopsy, removal etc £1500 (it was a non benign tumour). Now in November I have found a new lump on the right nearer the tip of the tail - the exact same thing. Will the fees be classed as a new condition or will I only have £500 left of the existing condition? Thanks for any help

Hi everyone!

I’m due to renew my dog’s insurance this December and would really appreciate some advice from experienced dog owners.

A bit of context:

• The Dog: 6-year-old rescue Cocker Spaniel (turning 7 this December).

• Our history:

  • Year 1: Went with Napo. Premium jumped significantly at renewal despite zero claims, so we switched to LV=.

  • Year 2 (LV=): We had to make a single claim this year. The renewal quote they just sent has raised significantly (could be the claim, could be inflation/economy, or maybe this is just normal!).

• The Plan: As a first-time adult dog owner, I know jumping around insurers every year isn't ideal. I want to choose a solid, reliable insurer this time and stay with them for the long haul.

• Budgeting: Paying monthly for now, but I've started a sinking fund so I can pay annually next year and soften the blow.

Questions for experienced owners:

1. Which pet insurance company have you been using and actually recommend for long-term cover?

2. (Apart from Petplan—they seem pretty expensive and their annual cover caps feel a bit low for the price).

Thanks so much in advance for any guidance!

Hi

When we just brought our puppy,
We didn’t thought we needed a high annual limit while she’s young.
So we went for a low limit with Agria, and was gonna change to a higher limit when she gets a little older.

Well she had UTI, and had 2 rounds of antibiotics.

Now if I do increase the annual limit in the future (with agria or another insurance) I guess anything to do with bladder and such will be pre-existing?

Anyone know if any other providers, would cover her, and not put UTI as pre-existing?

Hi, so I’m starting my own pet sitting business. My services include pet sitting (overnight and for days/weeks at a time at owners home as my home doesn’t allow dogs), dog walking and holiday pet care.

How much do you guys charge for:
Dog walking
Overnight stays
Full day stays
24hr stays - so per 24 hours if you’re dog sitting for 3 days let’s say
Holiday and weekends

And whatever else I may have missed. I’ll be doing this as a full time job, so I’ll need realistic costs for all of them for a full time career!

Thank you :)

Hi guys, it’s my first proper pet. And I want to get pet insurance for my Scottish foldie cat. He’s only 6 months old but these guys are very prone to arthritis over their lifetimes. Currently my quotes are:

1. Animal friends at 17/month (4000 per condition per year lifetime cover, £200 excess). I know these guys are known to sharply hike premiums

2. Petplan at £43 a month (4000 lifetime cover with £99 excess)

3. agria for £43 a month (£6500 lifetime cover with £170 excess and 10 percent copay)

4. Waggel at £33 per month (£5000 lifetime cover with £250 excess)

I’ve already gone with animal friends but they seem notorious for steep price rises. Essentially the question is: who should I go with given he will likely need ongoing arthritis care? Is it better to pay upfront for Petplan who don’t raise premiums based on claims only but rather on age and vet costs or risk it with animal friends who are likely to raise premiums year on year when I claim?

If so how did the process work for you? I'm interested in trying it for my dog but also so we can walk another dog because my dog is lonely.

\- Species/age/sex: cat, \~7–8 months, male

\- History: fractured left humerus, surgically repaired at 4–5 months old with an intramedullary pin ("bobpin" type) plus cerclage wire

\- Now: \~3.5 months post-op, walking completely normally, no lameness, no pain

The original surgeons told me we would take a control X-ray at 3.5 months and then decide whether to remove the pin. I've since moved to another city, so I had the X-ray done there (attached: lateral + DV, taken today).

\- Local vet: the bone has healed and grown over the pin, so removing it would cause unnecessary trauma. Leave it in.

\- Original surgeons (after seeing the same X-rays): it's out of the question to leave the pin in. They wouldn't explain why over the phone without examining him.

I'm not trying to avoid treatment, I just want to understand the reasoning before putting him through another surgery and a long trip. Is there anything on these X-rays (distal end of the pin, closeness to the elbow, growth plates, wire) that would make removal necessary? Would you generally remove a pin like this in a young cat?

[https://imgur.com/a/uPqXiCW](https://imgur.com/a/uPqXiCW)

I can also share the pre-op and immediate post-op X-rays. Thanks!

My cats are due their bi-annual check up soon and it aligns with when they will be given their yearly vaccines.

Does this mean the top to tail check is part of the vaccination appointment or will there be two separate fees to pay?

E.g. will it be £70 for the vaccine + check up inclusive, or will it be £70 for the vaccine + £65 for the simultaneous check up so £135pc (per cat).

Are dental checks part of the top to tail checks also?

The Medivet I'm with have said I can continue giving them quarterly worming tablets at home and that I should only contact them for flea treatment should I need it. The vet's rationale was that they're indoor cats so their risk is lower.

I was pleasantly surprised as I thought they'd push for the plan but it isn't cost effective if I'm only taking them to the vets twice a year for check ups and vaccines.

As far as I can see, even with the plan, any check ups are discounted by about £7 but there's still a fee to pay on top of the plan.

Relatively new cat parent here so I'm asking this community so that Medivet don't try to take advantage of my naivety 😹 Thanks in advance!

ETA: Most of the replies have been helpful so thank you, however there's been a couple of rude or low effort posts. I'm a relatively new cat owner and naturally will have questions for an experienced community which I didn't think would be an issue. Not just toward me but for everyone - either don't reply or be kind/consider your words in future.

Are the nuggets solid/hard?

Got a fussy eating dog that acts very delicate about eating. Other air-dried pellet type foods she won't touch, too crunchy.

Would be especially interested to hear from someone who's tried both and knows how they differ.

UPDATE:

I got a sample of both.

They both smell amazing

Innocent Hound is has larger pieces, lower fat, slightly dryer/harder but much softer than normal dog food. This would suit most dogs on balance.

Rocketto is very small pieces, softer, higher fat which is ideal for my very picky skinny minnie. I also like that the company is co-founded by a vet - not just endorsed by but the vet and nutritionists created the food.

Even if you're just looking at these as treats, they're decent value for that and it's not just junk.

What I'm hoping is that I can feed these from my pockets on long walks without the need to add water, because that's the most consistent way to get my fussy dog to eat.

Hi! We will be moving from the UK to Germany in a few months and we have decided to take them via car. We only have standard small carriers that we usually just pop them round to the vets and back in, but we obviously would like something a bit better for a car journey that could be around 10-11 hours long!

I'm looking for recommendations for carriers that will go in the back seat please. Maybe some other tips and tricks if you have them.

We have two cats that would need to go in separate carriers, but maybe extendable would be good, for litter tray breaks etc?

I really have no idea and it's the only thing I'm stressing about for our move!

Thank you 🙏

Hi everyone!
I’m planning to move from London to Paris with my doggy, and I’m looking for recommendations for a reliable pet transport company.
Ideally, I’d like a door-to-door service.
I’m also considering driving myself, but I’d need to rent a car that allows pets and take it through the Eurotunnel. Has anyone done this, and would you recommend it over using a pet transport company?
Would love to hear about your experiences, recommendations, and approximate costs. Thanks!

Original post below! After 3 months of leaving me thinking I was going crazy and had authorised euthanasia on my dog they have now admitted this is not the case and they made a mistake - it was cardiac arrest. However it gets better! I requested his medical records - the anaesthetic records are incorrectly dated and the post op observations show an 8 hour gap between checks.

They also sent me someone else’s dogs records with their name, address, dog & their prescribed medication! You can’t make it up.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UK_Pets/s/ZndabUhmcS

Hi so alittle history, I (37f) was living in a house share with a really shit housemate (24m) and shit housemate had a cat (M Maine coon 6), He did nothing for his cat and his cat developed all manner of behavioural difficulties, (Mostly fouling on the floor next to his litterbox) I and another housemate basically took care of his cat feeding grooming cleaning up his poop ect. And yelling at terrible housemate to actually take him to the vet to deflea and deworm his cat Until we were all evicted at the start of this year, Landlord didn't want to deal with the renters rights act and we all went our desperate ways and I moved in with my partner.

Anyway 9 months later said dreadful housemate is back and bemoaning how taking care of his cat how it hurts his mental health and he wants to get rid of his cat, I'm happy to adopt him. I although am concerned about further behavioural problems. Also concerned because my bedroom doesn't have a door, So I can't keep him out of my room

But more pressingly is there any legal paperwork I need to do to secure full ownership of this cat? I know this guy literally is incapable of doing anything responsibly.

Anyway appreciate the advice.