The average lifespan of cats and dogs in the UK has reduced in recent years to only 10 years old! This is an average, which means some are crossing the rainbow bridge even earlier! This is really upsetting news, but luckily there are things we can do to change this.
Firstly keep an eye on your pets weight. Around 50% of pets in the UK are overweight. This leads to heart disease, diabetes and early onset of arthritis. Sadly as a Vet Nurse I've seen pets so overweight they can't even walk. An average cat is around 4kg. One cat was around 15kg! That's insane! It's a form of cruelty. Our pets don't understand the link between overeating and obesity, so it's our job to be responsible and ensure our pets stay a healthy weight.
The biggest killer of cats and dogs is cancer. A high percentage of dogs will get cancer by 10 years old. When we look at what we do in the UK it becomes clear why.
We feed them highly processed kibble, which is full of carcinogenics and lacks a lot of nutrition! You can read more about the problems with kibble in our "why you should ditch the dry" article.
We administer pesticides to them every month just incase they get fleas and worms! These chemical treatments are full of carcinogens and are toxic to our pets. I remember a case in practice where a lady applied a flea treatment she'd bought in a shop over the counter to her two Jack Russells. She came in about an hour later with both dogs having seizures. We tried to save them but unfortunately she lost both her dogs that day. I can't imagine how she must've felt. To make it worse they didn't even have fleas!
Did you know in Scandinavia it's illegal to use these products unless there's a medical reason. They poison the environment as they're excreted when you're pet goes to the toilet. These products are poisoning our rivers.
Your pet shouldn't get worms if they're healthy as the immune system and diet will take care of them.
Feeding hairy rabbit ears at least 3 times a week is enough to flush out any intestinal parasites. Plus this also helps if you have a dog with anal gland problems. You can always check for worms before using treatments by testing your pets faeces. Test kits are available here: https://www.woofster-uk.com/product-page/cat-and-dog-worm-count-kit
There are also natural flea products on the market such as Billy no mates https://www.woofster-uk.com/product-page/billy-no-mates-325g-herbal-flea-repellent
Or No more bites
These products repel parasites so they don't even bite your pet. Veterinary products often don't work until the parasite has bitten. If a parasite bites your pet it can transmit disease such as Bartonella. Ticks can carry Lyme's disease so it's better to stop parasites from biting your pet rather than using products that only work once the Pet has been bitten.
Another difference in Scandinavia is they don't routinely neuter their pets. It's seen as mutilation. There's not a lot of research on the pros and cons of neutering but my experience has taught me it's best to at least wait until your pet is fully developed.
Another treatment we overuse in the UK is vaccinations. We're advised by our vets to vaccinated every year! This is because it's extremely profitable for them. They charge on average around £50 for a vaccine that costs them £3!
In other countries they give the puppy/kitten course followed by a booster after a year and that's it. You can titre test each year to check your pets immunity, but a healthy pet should keep it's immunity and puppies and kittens will receive immunity through their mothers breast milk.
The longest living dog reached 31 years and lived in Portugal. This dog was fed a raw organic diet.
The average lifespan of cats and dogs in Japan recently increased by 50%.
This part of the world has access to foods that aren't available so easily in the UK, but they are becoming available.
Japanese mushrooms have amazing health benefits for pets and humans.
Reishi mushroom is known for increasing longevity.
If you want to give your pet a health boost we have a mushroom blend available here https://www.woofster-uk.com/product-page/shroom-shop-canine-complex
They're starting to feed their pets better diets.
If they can do it, so can the UK. We just need to make some changes to how we look after our pets.