Elderly Yoda, increasingly in pain from arthritis, now spurts around their garden and runs everywhere with no sign of the crippling pain she was in before. Yoda is one of the first dogs in the UK to be given the natural fulvic acid-based formula after owners Cathy and John Dean noticed the animal was increasingly experiencing  difficulty walking far and only wanted to lie down.

“She went from being a lively dog that would walk as far as we could take her, to suffering from pain in her limbs and unable to walk very far at all. It was obvious she was in trouble,” said Cathy. “Border collies are used to running round a lot and she was looking really down. “Vets told us there was really nothing we could do for her as she was old and had arthritis.  We were told it would gradually get worse.”

Cathy, a well known Potteries area networker who runs the IBD Internet Business Directory,  met Stafford man John Challinor who was looking for dog owners to try out his new formula,  based on the human version of the naturally found fulvic acid, but with added vitamins. “We were desperate and said we’d try anything,” said Cathy. “We were a bit sceptical, but John assured us the formula - called The Pet Answer - was based on natural minerals  that so much of our food today lacks.  What a difference it made after just a month.  Yoda was jumping up and running everywhere she could; we just couldn’t hold her back.  All our friends are amazed at the turnaround; she’s a puppy again.”

Further information about the formula is on www.healthypetsdirect.co.uk or John Challinor can be contacted on 07957 882 997.

Here are just some of the health benefits that can come with owning a pet.

1. Improve your mood

Research has shown that pets do have mood-enhancing benefits. In fact, a recent piece of research showed that men with AIDS were not as likely to suffer from depression if they had a pet.

2. Encourage healthy behaviour such as exercise

Exercise has been proven to be very beneficial when it comes to managing stress and what better way to get some exercise than taking your dog for a nice long walk.

3. Help regulate blood pressure

In a group of stockbrokers with high blood pressure, those with pets had lower blood pressure and heart rates than the proportion of the group that didn’t own a pet.

4. Act as a talking point for socialising

If you ever see a person with a dog walking past you, how tempting is it to say hello and ask about their dog. Being a dog owner can make you more approachable and therefore increase the number of people you meet.

5. Provide love and reduce feelings of loneliness

I’ve heard many people say “I sometimes prefer to speak to my dog than people because it doesn’t talk back”. You know with a dog or a cat that you can tell them a secret and it won’t go any further and most pets can help stave off loneliness.

6. Reduce risk of some forms of cancer

A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology showed that those that owned pets were close to 30 per cent less likely to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects people with weak immune systems. It is thought that our pets expose us to materials that help build our immune systems. Our keenness for cleanliness has lead to less exposure to these materials.

Visit http://www.compareandsave.com to compare pet insurance.

If you want to treat your pet on Christmas Day then there is nothing wrong with handmade gifts. It can be as simple as serving up a few pieces of the Christmas turkey but take care not to let them loose on the leftover carcass as the small bones can choke a cat or dog. You could also cook them something special seperately, such as sausages for your dog or fresh chicken for your cat. There are also many gourmet ranges of cat and dog food available that will give your pet a surprise meal. Brands such as Sheba for cats and Ceaser for dogs will delight your pets and are inexpensive as a one-off treat.

Pets also love to play so a new toy for Christmas will amuse both you and your canine or feline friend. You can buy these from pet stores on the high street and online from between £2 and £15. Places such as Pet Planet offer toys that also are healthy, such as the Good Boy Dental Twister (£3.49), a soft chew-toy that can be used in games of fetch and also keep your dog`s teeth and gums in good condition. A cat will enjoy chasing anything. You can buy a toy mouse from My Bow Wow for £2 but your cat will enjoy a homemade gift just as much. Try getting a small cloth bag, about 2 inches across and stuffing it with catnip then tying a long string around it. Pulling this around your house will drive your cat crazy and provide lots of entertainment for you both. Never give your pet a cuddly toy designed for humans as, particularly with dogs, they will tear it apart and the stuffing can harm animals in ingested.

Finally, there are many options for pet stockings, full of treats for your four legged friend on Christmas Eve. Tesco sell a stocking for a cat and a dog each Christmas for £2.99. Each stocking contains different types of treat your pet will love as well as a toy for them to play with.

For edible treats that will give your pets a very merry Christmas, leading brand dry dog food has lots for you to have fun choosing.

When you play online blackjack you are generally playing against players from all over. Two cards are dealt to each player. Depending on how close the player it to 21 will determine if they want to hit or get another card. If you go over 21, which is also known as going bust, you lose the hand. If you win the hand the payout for the game is generally your initial bet plus that same amount.

Some online blackjack games give players the chance to take an additional risk and split their initial cards into two separate hands. If a player splits their cards they can hit 21 on either set of cards and win. Other online blackjack games may allow the player to purchase insurance on their cards which if they win, increases their payout even more.

All online games are based on traditional blackjack though the rules for each gaming site differ. It’s recommended that you read the rules and regulations for the online blackjack games before you sit down to play.

The survey shows that while only 11 per cent of UK pet owners would stop paying for their pet insurance if the credit crunch affected their wallet, more than double that number (23 per cent) would stop paying for their own private healthcare.

By contrast:

58 per cent said they would cancel their gym membership.
73 per cent said they would cancel subscriptions to DVD rental websites and magazines
46 per cent would cut charitable donations (46 per cent)
36 per cent would not buy football season tickets and
34 per cent would cancel cable TV subscription.

Missing Pet Search can help take away the worry and stress when a loving Cat or Dog is lost. They are dedicated to doing everything we can to quickly reunite our members and their pets. And with the launch of their unique HELP CARD their members can have total peace of mind wherever they are.

Operating a 24/7 emergency line 52 weeks of the year, they aim to give a nationwide emergency service hoping to create a happy ending for members and their pets.  Here are some key facts about the service:

• 95.7% of calls are answered within 10 seconds
• Average waiting time is 3 seconds
• You will always speak to a human being.

Benefits of joining Missing Pet Search

- A free collar tag with a unique telephone number to identify your pet
- Open 24 hours a day 7 days a week to report your pet missing
- Missing Pet Search email Vets, Charities and Local authorities within the area of where you’re pet went missing
- Print your own Missing Pet posters online
- Helpful links and useful information for the responsible pet owner

Other Benefits:

Introducing the Launch of The Missing Pet Search HELP CARD (to keep in your purse or wallet)

This is a free service for all their members which gives extra peace of mind.

If in the unlikely event any of our members are taken unwell, or in an accident, they will help make sure that their pets are safe and sound.

So how much does Missing Pet Search cost:

Single Pet owners - £4.99 a month or £49.90 a year (2 months free)
Multiple pet owners - Discounted @ £4.24 a month or £42.42 a year per pet

To Join:

Single Pet Owners - Log onto www.missingpetsearch.com and fill out the Missing Pet Search registration form or telephone 0844 248 7921

Multiple Pet Owners - Telephone 0844 248 7921 for your discount on two or more pets.

A startling fact found in research done by Sainsbury’s Finance in September, shows that 1.6 million pet owners have had to put down at least one pet dog or cat in the last five years because of not being able to cover a vet bill. To avoid this unnecessary heartache many are looking into getting lifetime policies for their pets.

As budgets tighten in the recession, families are cutting back on meals out, luxury food items and next year’s holiday. However, it seems that these same families are making a big effort to purchase pet insurance as a precaution.

Elaine Fairfax, Founder and MD of Animal Friends, commented: “More claims are made for pet related illness rather than accidents. Similarly, insurers are reporting that they find claim ratios are 1 in 4 and often as high as 1 in 3 for pets requiring veterinary treatment each year. Another important fact is that veterinary fees are rising faster than inflation and pet insurance claims are made more frequently than other household or car insurance claims.”

“With Christmas just around the corner there will be many new pet owners and it is even more important at a time like this that the annual message gets across: there is a cost to caring for pets. People wanting impartial advice on pet insurance can visit www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cut-pet-insurance-costs,” added Elaine.

Animal Friends are unique in the pet insurance sector as they are a not-for-profit company. All their net profits made from the sale of pet insurance policies go directly to charities which help animals in need. The charities that they provide aid to are worldwide and include Animal Asia, The Born Free Foundation, donkey and horse sanctuaries in Israel and the Gambia along with many others including smaller charities such as Somerset and Dorset Rescue and Woodlands Animal Sanctuary.

The company offers several levels of cover ranging from just a few pounds per month to comprehensive full lifetime policies to help protect pet owners against unforeseen medical expenses for ongoing conditions such as arthritis and to give them peace of mind.

In a recession charitable donations are hit hard too. In response to this, Animal Friends has teamed up with The Mayhew Animal Home, one of the busiest animal sanctuaries in London, rescuing thousands of animals from cruelty and neglect each year. To help the Mayhew’s important work, Animal Friends Insurance will be donating £5 for every policy sold when a pet insurance purchase is made right until the end of December 08, a buyer just has to give the promotional code MAY1 at the time of purchase to trigger the donation. So whether you phone Animal Friends Insurance to buy a policy - or buy online - mention the promotional code MAY1 and Animal Friends will earmark £5 towards this worthy cause on your behalf. The web site can be found at www.animalfriends.org.uk.

In a report in the Dereham Times of Norfolk, David Green, spokesman for the RSPCA said, “The vast majority of responsible pet owners do get insurance. But people often do not appreciate the cost of vet treatment. People are out of touch with what it can cost. Insurance is a relatively small outlay in comparison.”

Fireworks displays will be taking place across the country around  Guy Fawkes night, causing many cats and dogs to experience high levels of fear, anxiety and apprehension. Just as it is the herbal supplement of choice for many anxious flyers, valerian could also help cats and dogs over come their Fireworks Night nerves.

The herbal remedy, which is extracted from the roots of a riverside plant, was used by ancient Greeks for its calming properties and continues to be popular today as it helps relax the body without any of the side effects associated with pharmaceutical sedatives such as valium. And pet owners today are increasingly seeing the benefits as they realise that when it comes to calming down Fluffy, valerian really is the cat’s whiskers.

Valerian is available from Boots, Waitrose and all good independent health food stores and pharmacies.

Types of biting

At the most, there are two types of biting. One is a normal biting and another is aggressive biting. Playful biting is quite common behaviour in puppy litters. They play, tumble, romp, bite and also nip and all of this behaviour is common. When you bring a pup home, for him all of the family members become his pack. As biting is normal behaviour in a litter pack, you can find your fingers, arms or hands being bitten by your puppy. When you play with your puppy, you will find your hands inside his mouth. This is known as mouthing and all puppies do it, but this should not be continued.

Say no to playful biting

The teeth of your puppy can be as sharp as a razor and it won’t be long until your hands get riddled with puncture marks. When the puppy bites, you should cuddle him to your chest and encircle his muzzle with your other hand and say at the same time, firmly “No”. After a repetitive reprimand the puppy will grow and realize that his playful biting is not accepted and it would give up such annoying habit. When you encircle your puppy’s muzzle, you have to do it gently and firmly. For this, you have to be sure that your hand is not over his nose and he can breathe easily. Such method of training won’t work if other family members are not participating in the training. Let all members of the family know that a rough play may not be tolerated.

Chew toys

There are other chew toys which you can buy for your puppy to chew. You can encourage the puppy to play with you and praise him whenever he chews the right toy. But, when he chews any of the household items, you will have to take them and replace them with one of the chew toys. This way, he can learn what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. There are other tools like you can spray bitter apple on your hands for the puppy to discourage further biting. At this moment, you have to be careful that the spray should not get into your eyes and your mouth and also not on our puppy’s face. Repetition of this action is the key to discourage the puppy from biting.

Content of the website

Such website which can provide you with lot of information on holistic methods to keep your cat healthy focuses on specific issues. This includes chronic diseases in cats, how to improve your feline’s immune system and his overall health, feline diabetes and the natural solution to it and many more. Moreover, on such website, you get to know on Utmost feline nutrition, skin and coat care and also on ear mites in cats. What you really need to know is more important on the website and you should be more alert of specific diseases which can be detected in feline too. Moreover, there is immense information on proper diet for your pet cat on such websites.

Feline holistic health details which are necessary for you to know

These websites strive to provide you with details on feline immune system, treatment for certain diseases that are detected, feline hyperthyroidism, on inflammatory bowel disease along with its natural solution and also the pros and cons of giving garlic to your pet cats. There are also holistic practitioner details on the website for you to get information from too. The input of such holistic practitioners is also provided to you on the website. For instance, some of the practitioners believe that a weak immune system can play a vital role in becoming a gateway for a lot of diseases.

Holistic approach

Antibiotics can help fight some of the infections, but they cannot affect whatever weakened the immune system of the cat in first place. This is why, holistic approach is taken and opted for by many veterinarians. They strive to focus less on specific things which can cause certain diseases and more on places which affect the body’s defenses too. There are also details on the basics of feline nutrition for you on such site and how to feed your cat. Holistic approach can help you to keep your cat in a good and healthy condition. Some of the veterinarians also believe that cats can exhibit particular pica behavior as the soil, plants and commercial foods can be deficient in key nutrients for your cat.

If you or any of your friends have a query which is related to holistic approach for your feline, then you can surely approach these websites. All you have to do is to mail or call at the provided number on the site. You can get instant help and support from the site executive who are professional and who can help you to get connected with some of the best holistic practitioners near your hometown.