Check the Puppies Age and Health

Check the Puppy Records

Which Puppy to Choose? (Presuming you have decided on Male or Female)

• Itchy, red, moist or scabbed skin 
• Increased scratching  
• Itchy, runny eyes  
• Itchy back or base of tail (most commonly flea allergy)  
• Itchy ears and ear infections  
• Sneezing  
• Vomiting  
• Diarrhea  
• Snoring caused by an inflamed throat  
• Paw chewing/swollen paws  
• Constant licking

Shanklin pet stores vs Amazon

The high street is in trouble, and for the sake of £10.62 a small business will likely shut this week, soon you won’t be able to pop down the shops, soon the high street won’t have any, that £10.62 to us pays for the shops rent, light, water, repairs, phone, internet, office supplies, staff, to replace goods we sold, van maintenance, then it also pays for our house rents, private car maintenance, gas, water, lighting, food, children’s birthdays and xmas, phone, internet, tv licence and even more things that ive forgotten to list, if you have never owned a shop or your own small business, you will never know the struggle

Every week we have people that shop on Amazon come in store and ask us for free advice, then go and get all their things on Amazon, other than this being rude, why do people think this is ok? what would people do if we shut? would they phone Amazon for free pet advice?

We would love to thank our loyal customers, the customers that come to us and support their loyal independent shop, the people that help us continue to be here

Team Shanklinpets

GROOMING GORGEOUS – IOW

Taxi Service Available For Grooming Gorgeous – IOW .. Book this service with Lindsey 01983 865333, please note we can only transport pets, we are unable to have passengers in the car

One Way £6 Shanklin Area PO37 & Merrie Gardens … £8 Island Wide
Pick Up and Return £10 Shanklin Area PO37 & Merrie Gardens … £15 Island Wide

We do the work for you, we pick your dog up from your house, take him or her for their gooming session, and then return them when its all done, you dont need to lift a finger.

Lindsey has been a professional dog groomer for over 23 years. From the age of 9 Lindsey spent every spare moment at a local dog parlour helping out, she was then lucky enough to be offered a place to train as a dog groomer, where she spent many years learning all aspects of grooming.
She also spent time working at the RSPCA kennels. She was the manager of a dog grooming salon for several years and then after working within a team at a well established salon she has now successfully launched her own professional dog grooming business.

WINTER 2016 Make sure you get yourself and your best friend seen this winter, you may see the car but the car cant always see you, to see night safety wear Click Here and to see are range of Orbiloc Lights (the one we ran over in the car) Click Here.

Be safe this winter, wear a light or something hi viz

Team Shanklinpets

Providing food for birds is one of the most helpful things you can do for your garden visitors, so long as you are thoughtful with your feeding.

The RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology both suggest feeding birds all year round.

However, it is suggested that feeding birds during the colder months should be a priority.

Dawn and dusk are the key times of day to ensure there is food available, especially during these colder months.

Feeders and bird tables

Putting out a good mixed feed on bird tables and in feeders will encourage most urban birds into gardens, providing them with essential energy.

It is also important to provide the birds with access to clean water to drink and bathe in and bird baths should be regularly cleaned.

Feeder hygiene is also very important. Check out our 10 best kept garden bird secrets for more information.

Additional feeding can be done throughout the year but is particularly important in winter and spring.

Parent birds will be in desperate need of food in spring, when they have to provide for their young as well as themselves.

Winter is the hardest time of year for all our wildlife to survive due to scarcity of food. Fat balls [seeds mixed with fat] will be popular additions to your feeding stations and are readily available to buy.

Some come in a nylon mesh bag but always remove these because birds get their claws caught in the mesh, causing injury and potentially trapping them.

As a cheaper option you can make your own. Pop seeds and dry mealworms into your fat feeder mix to add protein and carbohydrate.

Never use polyunsaturated fat or butter as these can cling onto birds’ feathers.

Only use these in the winter as warmer temperatures will melt the fat, causing it to go off.

You could also put out some finely chopped unsalted bacon rind or grated hard cheese to provide energy-rich fat for your birds.

Mealworms

Live mealworms are packed with protein and moisture and are an excellent bird food, quickly attracting birds such as robins and thrushes.

In spring, busy parents are desperately foraging to feed their growing chicks so if you can, put out live mealworms.

However, dried mealworms are also very good, just soak in water before putting them out to provide birds with valuable moisture.

Avoid using discoloured worms which may carry diseases such as salmonella.

Fruits

Fruits are another great bird food as they have a high water content and are energy-rich with all their simple sugars.

Fruit such as apples, pears and plums can be halved and left on either the bird table or ground for the robins, blackbirds, andthrushes to enjoy.

If you have any fruiting trees or bushes, by leaving some of the windfall fruit, you have just provided food for birds through the summer and autumn.

You could also store windfall apples and pears somewhere dry and cool like your garden shed to then put out in winter.

Peanuts

Being high in fats and protein, peanuts are a favourite with tits, finches, nuthatches and woodpeckers.

However, be sure to buy them from a reputable supplier to avoid harming the birds.

Avoid salted peanuts as most birds can not process the salt and may die from ingesting too much.

Try not to leave out whole peanuts in the spring unless they are in a wire mesh feeder, as busy parents may feed them to their young, potentially choking them.

Crush them up and the problem is solved – it will also attract robins and dunnocks to feed on them too.

Push some peanuts into holes drilled into old logs or branches to set a challenge for your nuthatches and woodpeckers.

Sunflower seeds

Many birds are attracted to sunflower seeds as they are rich in protein and unsaturated fats.

Whole seeds provide more natural foraging but be aware that it requires substantially more effort for the birds to remove the husks.

Putting out sunflower hearts or kibbled (crushed) seeds from late autumn through to spring when times are hardest saves them spending unnecessary effort.

Coconuts

Drain and then cut open a fresh coconut and hang it up for tits. Once the coconut has all been eaten the remaining shell can make a great container for home-made fat balls or other seeds.

Avoid putting out desiccated coconut as this can swell up in birds’ stomachs making them very ill.

Nyjer seed

Rich in fat, nyjer seeds are a favourite of finches.

However, they are tiny and will fall straight through most feeders.

Either mix them with other seeds in a plastic feeder, stir them into your fat ball mix or put them on a tray or special nyjer seed feeder.

Leftovers

Dried fruit, unsalted bacon rinds, cooked rice, spare dog or cat food, leftover grated cheese and the remnants from the bottom of your cereal packet can all be left out for birds, so long as they are finely chopped.

Avoid fat from cooked meats as this smears in a way which is not good for birds’ feathers.

Biscuits should be crushed and soaked where possible to avoid choking birds and to add moisture.

Never give birds milk as they cannot digest it. Avoid cooked oats but uncooked are fine.

Wildlife friendly gardens

Investing in certain plants will provide natural food sources for your birds either directly with fruits and seeds or indirectly by attracting insects and invertebrates.

A range of flowering and fruiting seasons is important – holly and ivy produce their berries in winter so planting these will help birds during the leanest times.

Stop birds such as robins going hungry over the winter by planting some spindle – their berries are a vital source of energy.

Remember: a weed is simply a plant that is growing in the wrong place.

Nettles are insect attractors and insects attract birds, so leaving a couple of patches of nettles out of the way will help bring birds to the garden.

Brambles require more gardening work to keep them in check but they provide wonderful fruit and excellent cover from predators for tits and other small birds.

Delaying your annual pruning of herbaceous and berry-bearing plants until late winter will allow the seed-loving birds their fill.

Leave it allow

However the easiest and cheapest way to provide food for birds and other wild visitors is to do nothing.

If you abandon using slug-killer and pesticides, birds and other wildlife will feed on the bounty of invertebrate snacks you have left for them.

Team shanklinpets

When do puppys start eating adult dog food?

This is one of the most common questions that I get from puppy owners. There is a lot of conflicting information out there that makes it very hard for pet owners to know which guidelines to trust. You may find that a vet tells you one thing, your local pet shop says another, and food packaging yet another.

Making the transition from puppy to adult food at an appropriate time is important because there is a major shift in regards to the caloric needs and nutrition requirements of your puppy as she approaches maturity. Puppy food is very high in calories and nutritional supplements, so feeding it too long to a mature dog can result in obesity and orthopedic problems.

In general, you want to make the change to adult food when your puppy is approaching her adult height. The problem is that different breeds mature at different rates due to the wide range of variation between breeds. A rule of thumb to remember is that smaller breeds tend to mature faster than large breeds. Small breed dogs up to 30 pounds mature around 10 to 12 months of age keeping in mind that some toy breeds can mature even earlier. Medium breed dogs up to 80 pounds mature between 12 to 16 months and Large and giant breed dogs weighing more than 80 pounds can take up to two years to reach full maturity.

These are guidelines only and as you may have noticed they can differ from other guidelines out there. So which guideline is the best to follow? Should you follow the vet’s, the pet store owner, or the dog food company’s? The best guideline to follow is your puppy’s! If you see her rejecting the puppy food and showing a preference for the adult food. The puppy food likely has too many calories for her so she feels less of a need to eat when she is on the puppy food. You did not state her age but as long as you are within the general guidelines it is safe to make the transition to adult food.

One final tip for puppy owners about changing food is to do it gradually. Mix in increasing amounts of the adult food with the puppy food over the course of a week while decreasing the amount of puppy food. By the end of the week you should only be feeding the adult food. Making the change gradual makes it less likely that your dog will experience loose stools and upset stomachs.

Team shanklinpets

With firework season getting closer, dog owners will be asking how do I keep my dog calm and stop him or her being scared? There are many ways to help our four legged friends, with simply preparation you can take the stress and anxiety away from fireworks.

What signs should I look for to see if my dog has anxiety?

For noise anxiety, Dogs will show many symptoms of fear and stress including shaking, panting, drooling, yawning, barking/whining, hyperactivity, eliminating indoors, clawing, digging, hiding, and clinging to owners.

How can I help stop/prevent anxiety and stress?

One way is a thundershirt, Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if they are anxious, fearful or over-excited. Based on surveys completed by over two thousand customers, over 80% of dogs show significant improvement in symptoms when using Thundershirt. Thundershirt is already helping tens of thousands of dogs around the world, and is recommended by thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers. As for WHY Thundershirt’s gentle pressure works to calm a dog, experts such as Dr. Temple Grandin believe that pressure has a calming effect on the nervous system. Using pressure to relieve anxiety has been a common practice for years. Before the anticipated fireworks display is the best time to put your Thundershirt on your dog, prior to your dog becoming scared and anxious; but, it is fine to put the Thundershirt on AFTER your dog has become anxious, as you will still see good results. In most cases, it is fine to leave a Thundershirt on your dog for extended durations of time.

Don’t spoil your dog and try not to over fuss, if your dog is suffering from anxiety, whilst the fireworks are going off, using Positive reinforcement methods, don’t say: are you alright? Poor baby, good girl etc, these are words that will help reinforce the behaviour and let the dog know that it is okay to be scared when there are fireworks. They will think that they will get rewarded if they show any signs of fear.

Dogs have many ways of dealing with being fearful, In most cases, when it comes to Fireworks, they just want to hide until it goes away. Therefore if you create a nice cosy den in the corner of the room you are in, then they can feel safe. This can be under a chair with blankets over the top of it, in an actual dog cage, under the table.  Put their favourite toy and perhaps even a filled Kong in it to.

Do a lot of mental and physical exercise during the day before it gets dark. If you have a well balanced dog that is happy mentally and physically, they can cope more easily when the noise anxiety kicks in. Take them for a long walk, hide toys in bushes for them to sniff out, play agility, do some obedience training – anything that will relax them ready for the night before.

Try to drown out the firework noise by shutting the curtains, play loud music (well not too loud, Dogs have sensitive ears) and distracting them with games and treats indoors.

if all else fails, then you could look at the number of herbal remedies on the market, these include herbal tablets, plug in diffusers and calming sprays, most take a few days to be most effective, they don’t work in a matter of seconds so if you need any of these products preparation is key, make sure you have and use them 24/48 hours in advance

I hope you have found this useful and will help you with fireworks this year.

Thanks for reading team shanklinpets

Have you heard the expression “You are what you eat”?  What this means is, if you eat good nourishing food and a balanced diet you will grow to be fit and healthy. Pets are just the same, so to have a happy and healthy pet it’s important they get fed the right food.

WHAT’S A BALANCED DIET?

When a diet is balanced it means it contains the right mix of all the nutrients (different types of nourishing food) that your pet needs.

There are lots and lots of different types of nutrients but each of them belongs to one of these six groups:

• Proteins
• Fats & Oils
• Minerals
• Vitamins
• Carbohydrates
• Water

It doesn’t have to be cooked by Jamie Oliver but it’s got to smell & taste pretty good too!

DID YOU KNOW?

– There are 41 essential nutrients that a cat needs in its diet – that’s a lot of different nutrients!

– A dog’s diet must have 37.

– Don’t worry, good pet food will provide the right amount for your cat or dog, but don’t forget:

* A CAT SHOULD ONLY HAVE CAT FOOD!
* A DOG SHOULD ONLY HAVE DOG FOOD!

Team Shanklinpets

Guinea Pigs are great pets with very specific needs that must be met if they are to be healthy and happy. We recommend all owners read about their duty of care, as outlined in the Animal Welfare Act, and understand about their pet’s five welfare needs. Here we have other information about the three remaining needs COMPANY, BEHAVIOUR and HEALTH.

COMPANY

Guinea pigs love company of their own!  It helps them keep busy socialising and exercising.  Just remember never to keep rabbits with guinea pigs as they don’t mix well.

Make sure your guinea pig has sufficient toys and things to play with.  You should also ensure your pet can avoid things that scare them like dogs, cats and ferrets.

BEHAVIOUR

There are many different breeds of guinea pigs and although most are very sociable, their personalities do vary. Once again, we suggest you do your research before taking on the responsibility of owning a guinea pig.  If your pet has a suitable home and is cared for correctly, they should behave happily.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

An owner should regularly check their guinea pig is healthy and happy.  You can do this by monitoring if there are any changes in eating, drinking, toilet habits and his / her behaviour or appearance.

Common problem areas for guinea pigs are their teeth and claws, which both need to be worn down by eating fibre and walking on hard surfaces or clipping.

If you are concerned about your guinea pig’s health, we always advise you see your vet.

See our range of Guinea Pig Foods and Guinea Pig accessories by following the links

Team Shanklinpets