Vet Pets Magazine

FEBRUARY, 2016

Amazing Pet

Portraits

New Columnist:

The Telegraph’s

‘’Pete The Vet’

Princess Katalin shares her pet interior design tips

Paralympian

LIbby clegg and

her guide dog

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Dr Pete Wedderburn qualified as a vet from Edinburgh thirty years ago in 1985. He has worked in his own four-veterinarian companion animal practice in County Wicklow, Ireland, since 1991, and he has his own menagerie of dogs, cats, ducks, hens and others including a pet rabbit in his kitchen. Pete is well known as a media veterinarian in Ireland and the UK, with a weekly breakfast television slot on national television for the past fourteen years. He is a prolific writer on animal topics, with weekly columns in the Ireland's Herald newspaper and the UK's Daily Telegraph. Pete is known as "Pete the Vet" on his busy Facebook and Twitter pages, regularly posting information on topical subjects and real-life cases from his clinic. He also write a regular blog at www.petethevet.com.

There are some situations in life where an element of uncertainty and ignorance is hard to avoid: going into a new workplace for the

first time, bringing your first baby back from the hospital and yes, bringing your new puppy home for the first time. By the nature of the situation, there's always going to be some degree of anxiety, but with some simple planning, it's easy to avoid the worst mistakes.

Here's a quick five point schedule to help you get it right.

Before you bring the puppy home: choose the right animal and set up his new home in advance.

The biggest mistake people make is choosing the wrong pup in the first place, ending up with a pet that's inappropriate for their situation.e.g. too big, too bouncy, too anxious, too assertive. To avoid this, first consider getting a pup from a rescue group: when

‘PETE THE VET’This Month: ‘Bringing your new puppy home’

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you do this, you automatically get the back up of experienced dog people who will help to make sure that you are well matched to the pup. Alternatively, choose a pup from a private breeder and meet both the father and mother of the pup on the premises: if they are both good-natured, healthy animals, it's far more likely that the pup will turn out that way too.

Meanwhile, buy a puppy crate, bedding and food/water bowls so that his home is ready for him.Rebecca, a client at my practice, chose a 12 week old Labrador-Collie cross from a local rescue centre: she could not meet his parents, but the staff assured her that the pup was good natured, placid and healthy

Make sure you have a good “new home” package from the pup's breeder:

Ideally, the person giving you the puppy will do this automatically, giving you written instructions on how to care for the pup, including details of all vaccines and parasite control that's been given and microchip registration details.

They should also give you a small amount of the food that the pup is used to eating: you should continue to feed the same food for the first few days in your home, and only then making a gradual change to a new diet of your choice.

The rescue centre gave Rebecca their standard “new puppy pack” with all the information she needed as well as a small bag of

the puppy food that they recommended.

Take the puppy to your own vet as soon as possible:

Before you get too emotionally involved with your new friend, it makes sense to ask your vet for a full, independent medical check over. Sometimes pups have hidden congenital problems, like heart murmurs, hernias or cleft palates, and very rarely, your vet may recommend that the pup is returned to the place where he came from. During the visit to the vet, you'll also be given plenty of good quality information about important puppy issues - such as vaccinations, parasites, nutrition, pet insurance and behaviour.

Rebecca took the new pup – now named Harry – to her vet on the way back from collecting him from the rescue centre. The vet gave him a clean bill of health, and at the same visit, he gave him his final vaccination, so that a week later, Rebecca would be able to start to take him out and about without the fear of picking up a viral infection.

Be very gentle with your pup for the first few days:

Your pup has just left everything he has ever known behind, and everything is new to him. Go easy on him, giving him plenty of loving attention, minimising stress.

Make new introductions slowly and cautiously (such as to children and other pets). You will notice him becoming more lively and

active as he adjusts to his new situation.

Harry whined at night in his crate for the first evening. Rebecca left the radio on beside him, and he soon quietened down, sleeping well at night time.

Focus on socialisation and training from the start:

The most common reason for puppies not working out in their new home is “bad behaviour” as they grow older. This is often the owner's fault rather than the unfortunate dog's. Engage with a good trainer from the start (ask your vet for a recommendation), so that you learn the best way to interact with him, and he learns the best way to behave to fit in with your home.

Rebecca took Harry to puppy socialisation classes immediately, and then she took him to a weekly course in basic training at the local doggy daycare centre for the next two months: they both learned a lot.

If you follow these simple steps, you and your new pup will be more likely to live happily ever after, and isn't that what it's all about?

NEXT MONTH: Pete writes on how to raise a healthy indoor cat.

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WWW.ARTYLOBSTER.COM

3D Pet Sculptures

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My PET

Libby Clegg is one of Great Britain and Scotland’s most successful track and field athletes of recent years. With two Paralympic Games Silvers, World Championship Gold and

European Championship Gold, she is one of the UK’s brightest young stars. We meet Libby and her faithful guide dog Hatti.

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Libby Clegg is one of Great Britain and Scotland’s most successful track and field athletes of recent years. With two Paralympic Games Silvers, World Championship Gold and European Championship Gold, she is one of the UK’s brightest young stars. Libby is originally from the Scottish Borders and moved to Cheshire at 19 to pursue her running career.

Libby suffers from a deteriorating eye condition known as Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy disease, which means she only has slight peripheral vision in her left eye, and is registered as blind. Last year, Libby became the proud owner of Hatti, her guide dog. She went through a number of stages at the beginning of 2014 and successfully completed all her training to have Hatti full time in May. We were delighted to speak to Libby

about the special role Hatti plays in her life.

WHAT BREED IS HATTI & WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HER?

Hatti is a lab retriever cross. I wasn’t aware but with guide dogs you can actually choose your breed. Initially I did really want one of the German Shepard puppies because they look so cute but I was really happy when I met Hatti because she was so friendly and I instantly knew she was the perfect match.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD HATTI?

I have had Hatti for nearly two years, yet it feels a lot longer than that because I can’t really remember what it was like not having her with me. We had such a great connection when I first met her that it feels like she has been with me forever.

Libby & Hatti

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DOES HATTI COME TO WORK WITH YOU?

Hatti comes pretty much everywhere with me. I know that when I take her places I don’t have to worry about her not getting on with people because she gets on with absolutely everyone. Even people who aren’t keen on dogs! She probably spends most of her time with me at the track watching me train. At the beginning she was kept on a lead but now I let her off and she sits so patiently waiting for me. We do let her have a little run around and play after training and it is fun to see her enjoy herself and play with us.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES HATTI MAKE TO YOUR LIFE?

She makes a huge difference. Not only with her general guide dog duties of helping me get around, and giving me more confidence and independence but we also have a great companionship.

DO YOU TAKE HATTI ON HOLIDAY WITH YOU?

I haven’t taken her abroad yet but I’m planning on doing that when I have more free time. When I go away for training or take some time off, Hatti will go to my parents’ house in Scotland and has her own little

holiday. Both of my parents have dogs as well, so when Hatti gets there she is able to play with the other dogs and have a break from her day-to-day guide dog duties. I love that she is able to enjoy herself and be the dog she is. When she is away she doesn’t work at all as I want her to be able to relax just like me.

DO YOU TAKE HER TO PUBS / RESTAURANTS?

I haven’t taken her to a pub yet but we do go out for lunches. She is really well behaved in restaurants and usually just sits under the table and sleeps or tries to catch any left overs if she can! Most people are a bit shocked to see a dog in the restaurant because you just don’t expect it but they all understand. There is a place I go to a lot in Edinburgh with my brother because it is a dog friendly pub and I love the food too! It’s great being able to walk into a restaurant where I know Hatti will feel welcome.

WHAT ARE HATTI’S FAVOURITE THINGS?

Hatti’s favourite thing in the world is food! Labradors are obsessed with eating food and Hatti lives up to her breed. She also loves walks in the forest, especially back home in Scotland as she gets to play

like a normal dog. Oh yeah and also trying to get onto my bed! That’s a favourite thing of hers too but food is her number one love.

DOES HATTI HAVE ANY SPECIAL TRICKS?

I have sort of taught her how to high five but that is the only trick I have managed to teach her. Obviously she has her guide dog qualities but she can just about do a high five, it is very selective and usually only happens if food is involved! She does like to go play fetch and is great at catching a ball and bringing it back to you. Encouraging her to let it go is a whole other story though. She likes to trick you and pretend she is going to let you pick it up before she grabs it and runs back away with it. She is a bit of a tease!

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ANIMAL WELFARE?

I would say you need to understand that a pet is for life. They need to have regular checks at the vet, make sure they have a pet plan in place and they are fed the best product that supports their overall nutrition. I feed Hatti with Eukanuba because it provides her the right amount of nutrition to allow her to be the working dog that she is.

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www.pattypets.com

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AMANDA STUART runs Edie & Reggie Pet Accessories. As well as cute and stylish clothing and accessories for your dog (check out our cover photo!) she is also a talented pet artist. Pictured is Pets Magazine’s very own Sophie, the Cavalier

King Charles Spaniel. Amanda talks to us about her inspirations and gives some tips for budding artists.

©Amanda Stuart

Art With Soul...

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AMANDA STUART runs Edie & Reggie Pet Accessories. As well as cute and stylish clothing and accessories for your dog (check out our cover photo!) she is also a talented pet artist. Pictured is Pets Magazine’s very own Sophie, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Amanda talks to us about her inspirations and gives some tips for budding artists.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you gets started as a pet artist?

Today I have two Mini Schnauzers ruling the house! I can quite honestly say they are my inspiration in my current freelance working life. I want them to have nice things, be warm in winter, capture images that show their character and to be healthy and happy. That's where the Edie and Reggie Pet Accessories and my ‘Product Pawtnership’ came from, I wanted other dogs to have the opportunity to have nice things too and I get to combine the challenge of animal photography and fab products for dogs. A Product Pawtnership is where a company sends me a dog product(s) and I photograph it with my two pooches, or their other four legged friends, and I keep the products and the company has some professional photos and a review from Edie and Reggie and me. That's it. If after that they wish to hire me for more, then that's great also!

Where do you take your inspiration from?

The character of my dogs - because Schnauzers are full of it! I love their energy and try to capture it on camera. With a drawing though, it takes on a completely opposite effect, especially with a complete stranger's pet... You are relaying a little of what you think their character is onto a blank piece of paper.

You have a photograph in front of you that their owner has picked for you to draw and you see it come alive with each pencil stroke and by the end of the drawing, it's like you have gotten to know the subject. You have spent hours and hours with it, looking at every hair, glints in their eyes, wondering what they were looking at when the photo was taken by their owner. By the end of the drawing you have imagined the

Pets Magazine’s Sophie is taking shape

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character of the dog and feel as though it is a stranger no more.

I enjoy lovingly wrapping and boxing a customer's drawing and I always wonder what the customer will think when they open it and their 2D pet is staring back at them! I always worry if I have captured the character the way the owner knows their animal to be. A drawing is a very personal and unique thing, a one off, just like their dog or pet.

Is pet photography the favourite part of your work? If so, why?

They say never work with kids or animals, well I do both! I just love a challenge I guess. I work part time at a school, so when I go home I have my own little ‘furbabies’ to look after. I was a 'cat' person all of my childhood and to think I wasn't a fully fledged 'dog' person until April 2013 is crazy considering I have built a little business because of my two dogs and has become a daily obsession (in a good way). I contemplated getting a dog for over a year. It was ultra important that it was the right decision for a dog and also for me. The time was right and I welcomed Reggie into my home as a 10 week old puppy, later that year I welcomed Edie too. I would never have thought three years later I'd be doing a

majority of freelance work because of my dogs.

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What are your favourite places and subjects to photograph?

I have use of a studio area, with lights and a white infinity background. There I photograph other companies products as well as my own. If I'm outside, there's no better backdrop than autumn trees and a wood. I also love spring and the wonders of the vast open sea.

Any tips for the amateur pet artist?

Finding a 'subject' that you love always makes it easier and more exciting when you see the drawing coming to life in front of you, nothing but you creating it. It's quite a personal journey I think and by the end, without even knowing it, you've somehow put a personality to the animal. You tend to put that extra bit of heart and soul into it too.

For more information about Amanda’s work and her pet accessories and to order, please visit: http://edieandreggie.wix.com/petaccessories

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Marbella-based Princess Katalin zu Windischgraetz is the founder of KZW Pet Interiors. The company creates bespoke, elegant pet furniture which

can fit with any interior design scheme. Princess Katalin begins the first in her series of exclusive interior design columns for Pets Magazine.

PRINCESS KATALIN: Pet-inspired Interior

Design

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Princess Katalin zu Windischgraetz from Austria is the founder of KZW Pet Interiors. The company creates bespoke, elegant pet furniture which can fit with any interior design scheme. Born behind the Iron Curtain in Hungary, Princess Katalin is fashion royalty. As a high fashion model in Hungary she appeared on over 300 covers and was shot by the legendary Norman Parkinson. After modelling for some years, Katalin escaped communist Hungary and established her fashion brand in Vienna and before expanding her design influence globally.

After a successful career, she retired from the fashion industry and moved to Marbella, where she organised two international charity galas to help abandoned and tormented animals in Spain. This resulted in her building the first fully equipped clinic in a private animal shelter (Triple A) in Spain. She then went on to found her current business, KZW Pet Interiors which creates top end furniture which would provide the perfect furniture and toy boxes for some of the world’s most wealthy dog lovers. Exuding elegance, the pet beds have intricate embroideries and opulent styles and are made of the best quality materials. In combining her love of animals and design, the Princess’s bespoke pet interior service includes beds, sofas, mattresses and toy boxes and gives pet owners the opportunity to decide between a wide

range of designs to suit their home aesthetic.

Princess Katalin begins the first in her series of exclusive interior design columns for Pets Magazine.

PRINCESS KATALIN writes....

It is very important for all of us to create harmony and comfort in our homes and enjoy interior design made with high quality materials and excellent craftsmanship to provide long-term value. There is a practically limitless luxury furniture and interior decoration range for us to select from, however, to this date, no one worldwide has created a concept

for our pets - who are after all our family members - to enchant the eye and complete our interior decoration, giving them the maximum comfort and hygiene. For those needs I designed and developed a unique collection, which gives the opportunity to decide between different historical époques of furnishing, with woodworks presented in various colors and a very wide range of fabric tones to please distinct home interiors.

Starting in Haute Couture in Europe, I became a successful New York fashion designer with my knowledge of fabrics, style and color coordination. I gained experience in interior and furniture design including the creations of decorative paintwork. Studying history enable me to appreciate different “periods” of furniture styles which helped me to decorate magnificent homes in different countries. Those have appeared in many publications.

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My four-legged family members have ranged from tiny Yorkshire Terriers to large Pointers, from beautiful pedigree dogs to poor abandoned or tormented creatures. I have had the opportunity to observe them, learn their individual ways and their behavior patterns, as well as having accumulated appreciation of anatomic knowledge in order to

create healthy resting places. As a result, all the pet owners in my social circle asked me to design furniture for their animals that matched their individual home decoration. These requests quickly multiplied.

A few years ago, to unleash my passion and make it come alive, I called upon all my knowledge and experience to design my first “Pet Furniture” collection with matching toy collector boxes, with different

époques starting from Baroque up to Contemporary (covering all breeds up to 55kg) and there was a great response.

Here are just a few of the happy dogs in their elegant and comfortable homes.

H.S.H. Princess Katalin zu Windischgraetz

Diana the Weimeraner in her KZW ‘Art Deco’ bed

‘Russian Imperial’: Sunny the West Highland Terrier in a bed fit for a Tsar.

Classic: Sissy the French Bulldog feels very much at home.

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Proud cat owner David Cliff, MD of Gedanken, a company specialising in coaching-based support and personal development, reviews a fascinating compendium of all things cat.

The Hairy Tales of a Cat Sitter

By C.H. Hemington RRP £7.50 Published by Irony Press.

I was very pleased to review ‘The Hairy Tales of a Cat Sitter’. In the book, the principal subject, Katherine, is a cat sitter providing support to the loved moggies of a whole range of different people whose lifestyle periodically requires their cats to be cared for by someone coming into the home. But it's not just cats, it's birds, it snakes, dogs, you name it and sometimes Katherine's antics and trying to keep different species apart whilst caring for them has all of the slapstick mirth of Brian Rix's infamous farces.

Author Claire Hemington may be a Cat Behaviourist, but she does a

good degree of insight into the human condition as well, as again and again, our pets’ lifestyles are materially affected by our own and their moods and be other behaviours are often dictated by the environments we set up within our homes which are emotional in nature, as much as they are physical.

This book is totally entertaining, thoughtful, funny and deeply insightful about humankind's relationship with the feline species, and a few others to boot. The key thing for me was the different approach that a third party can bring to the care of an animal that can shine a light onto how to better improve its

experience of life and its relationship with its owners. This was demonstrated in many of the anecdotal examples given within the book that formed many case studies on what to do and in many cases what not to do with animal care.

Katherine, the heroine of the book, and one suspects an alter

ego for the author, comes a cropper on a number of occasions and get a few surprises not only by the animals, but the covert lifestyles of many of their owners. It is a hugely enjoyable book with a clear heart for the personalities, behaviours and idiosyncratic ways that go to make every cat completely unique and yet with a quintessential sameness that generates a fascination that captivates our attention.

But then I'm speaking as a "cat person", but I would defy even "unbelievers" not to get some real fun out of reading this publication on a wet Sunday afternoon when one simply wants a bit of entertainment.

In a world of fiction where we see the recent popularity of the characters of "Marvel" comics saving the day, arguably, Katherine is probably a superhero of the feline domain. As a character, her adaptability, heart and dare I say, plain "doggedness" for ensuring her charges were well looked after is in many ways

deserving of accolades. It's only one book I wondered what the film or TV series drawn from the stories would look like.

It's a fairly substantial read at about 280 pages and one that one could read over a period perhaps when one feels the need for a relaxing but funny feline "fix"!

Pet Tales book review

David’s cat Lola

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Offer valid until February 29, 2016.

Exclusive 20% discount on KZW Pet Interiors products for Pets Magazine

readers!