Bored paws are in for a treat

An American start-up company have developed an electronic game for dogs, which is said to aid in the alleviation of boredom for dogs left alone. 

The electronic bowl, features flashing lights that when pressed by bored paws will dispense a treat. The game starts with a teaching mode before offering "catch the squirrel" "pattern play" and a follow your own (pre-recorded) voice directing your pet to the correct pad to press. 

With around 2.3 million UK dogs being left alone for five hours or more on a weekday, the number of dogs potentially suffering the stress from loneliness is slightly on the increase.  

Products like these will never replace the human-animal bond, but it is certainly pleasing to see that technology developers are aware of the needs of pets in our ever changing modern lifestyles.  

Currently only residents of the USA are able to purchase directly from the site, I am sure a UK distributor for this unit will soon appear and products like this will eventually be the norm in every household. 

Reading about developments like this I am confident that the pet technology market is one that will grow over the next couple of years. 

I need to get my thinking cap on and come up with a new product...... 

References: PDSA PAW report 2015.  

This article is not endorsed or sponsored by any company. All views and opinions expressed are my own.  

7 Pet Weight Loss Tips

Follow these seven simple steps to help you manage your pet's weight loss.

1. Do an assessment of everything your pet eats – be honest! 
2. Be sensible and realistic in making weight loss targets 
3. Feed multiple small meals – split your pet’s daily allowance into 2-4 smaller meals 
4. Use an interactive feeder to stop your pet just wolfing down their food 
5. Assign feeding to one person so pets can’t beg extra meals off different people in the house! or at least create an "I have been fed chart"! 
6. Feed pets separately so they can’t eat each other’s food or consider a microchip pet feeder. 
7. Perform weekly weigh-ins and take measurements of your pets neck and waist. Just like us, your pet's shape should change. I have created this Pet Weight Loss Record Card for you to print out and keep.  

Pet food labeled as ‘light’ is not the same as a specialised weight loss diet. It simply helps to PREVENT weight gain. 

What is the best pet insurance policy?

The best policy for you will depend entirely on your pet and your circumstances. This can take a lot of research, as well as a lot of careful perusing of small print!

Here’s a simple guide: 

There are, broadly speaking, 3 different types of pet insurance: 

Lifetime/ covered for life

• Cover is provided per condition up to a set amount each year. 
• There is no time limit on claiming for each condition. 

Lifelong cover is the most comprehensive for both emergency treatment, as well as long term illness. Unsurprisingly, this means that it’s also usually the most expensive. You get what you pay for ...springs to mind. 

Maximum Benefit 

• The policy will pay out a maximum amount for each single condition. 
• There is no time limit over which this amount can be claimed. 
• Once the maximum amount has been claimed for that condition, it will be excluded from future cover. 

I have found that these  policies are often the most confusing and many have been purchased believing they are the ‘Covered for life’ policies as described previously. In a sense if you never spend the total amount of money in the kitty ( sorry excuse the pun), then yes you have been covered for the pet’s lifetime!  

Time limited

• Will cover a condition for twelve months from when it is first detected (or up to the renewal date, depending on the policy which will tend to be be less than 12 months). 
• The policy will pay out a maximum amount for each condition. 
• After 12 months that condition will be excluded from the cover. 
• Premiums and policy excesses will rise when the pet reaches a certain age. 

These tend to be the cheapest of all the insurance polices. They can be great for one off accidents, but not so great for long term illness. If you do find yourself with a long term problem, you cannot get cover else where as this is now a pre-existing condition and will not be covered. 

You only have one opportunity to get it right and this has to be a pre-emptive decision. 

So,what should I look for in a good policy? 

• Is the insurance company reputable? 
• Have you compared the excesses and benefit levels? 
• Have you checked that the premium and excess don’t increase every time you make a claim? 
• Will the company insure your pet into its old age? 
• Check that the insurer will not place exclusions at renewal for an illness that has occurred in the previous policy year. 
• Check if your insurance will cover the following: Congenital and hereditary illness, hip related conditions, dental treatment, behavioural problems, dietary food. 

Things to remember: 

• If you change your policy any condition that you’ve already claimed for will be excluded on the new one. The same will apply if you let a policy lapse. 
• Your insurance premium will depend on a lot of factors– your pet’s age, their species, their breed as well as where you live. 
• The above may mean that if your pet’s breed is particularly prone or predisposed to a health problem, eg. hip problems in large breed dogs, then it may not be covered.
• Be aware that premiums and excesses will probably rise as your pet ages. 
• You will have to pay yourself up to whatever figure your excess amount is. 
• Some policies will be voided if your pet’s vaccinations are not kept up to date, especially if your pet suffers from a disease covered by vaccinations. 
• General preventative healthcare such as vaccinations, neutering and flea and worming treatment are not covered by insurance. 

It is important to remember what is a good policy for your friend's dog, may not be the right policy for you. The small print is boring, but please remember this is what you are paying for, and when you want to use this policy you are never in a ‘good place’.  

Notes:  

The costs of veterinary care in this article are to give you the reader a benchmark and idea of rough costs. Your vet will be able to provide you an estimate of costs before treatment commences. It is always a good idea to have your insurance company pre-approve treatment for complicated cases before you commence. This is known as a pre-authorisation request and gives you confidence that the bill will be settled by your pet insurance company.

Is pet insurance worth it?

Pet insurance is a minefield and unlike any other insurance product, you do not get a ‘no claims discount’ for NOT claiming and you definitely do not get a replacement pet when the old one breaks! 

With strict policies in place for discussing financial products, veterinary professionals are almost gagged to be able to give you their honest opinion on some products. I thought I would share you my thoughts on the subject and what I have recommended to my own family! 

So is pet insurance even worth the money?

Firstly you have to consider, what it is you are buying? 

My interpretation of what you are buying is

Financial protection against the RISK that should and if your pet becomes ill or has an accident, you have the resources to fund the necessary veterinary treatment

in order for your product to be used, the following circumstances must have happened; 

1. Your pet becomes ill and or is involved in an accident 
2. You are covered against said illness or accident in part 1 
3. The treatment fees exceed the policy excess (some include a % of total costs too) 

Some people might have the money or even a credit card that they are happy to use should and if a problem arises. I have spoken to some owners who do not believe in invasive procedures and so would not spend thousands of pounds on end of life care for a pet for example. There is no right or wrong in this argument, it's just worth sitting down and have an honest discussion with your family about the hypothetical possibilities. 

I often pose three scenarios to pet owners and you should  ask yourself the following : 

would you pay for the treatment OR decide it is best to have your pet euthanized? 

Remember there is no option to leave your pet. This would be inhumane and so you ethically MUST either treat or end their suffering. If you would opt for treatment, could you afford to pay for the treatment? the hypothetical scenarios are:

1. You dog/cat cuts himself. It is a very simple case and the vet deems there to be no long lasting problems. They only require a stitch up, some painkillers and possibly a short course of antibiotics. The bill costs approx £300. 
2. Your pet develops diabetes, initially they require hospitalisation for medical stabilisation, then long term medical treatment and regular tests/ close monitoring for life. It is also worth remembering than life isn’t always that simple and diabetic cases potentially can become unstable and require stabilising again, which requires hospitalisation and additional tests and medical treatment. To be optimistic let’s say it costs £5k the first year and then (for a dog), including needles, syringes, urine test strips and specialised food around approximately £100 a month thereafter, with blood tests once a year around another £100. So approximately £1300 a year - with all being well. It is important to note that well manage diabetes cases mean your pet’s life expectancy should not be affected and they should live a very happy and comfortable life. 
3. Your pet develops cancer. Your vet is able to refer you to a specialist, who potentially may be able to save your pet. In-order for them to be able to give you an idea of possible treatments and outcome they need to perform a number of investigative procedures, from blood tests and ultrasound scans to high-tech MRI scans. You need to spend £3-7k finding out the exact nature of the problem - you have not yet commenced treatment, but there is a chance your pet can be saved. 

If your choice is restricted by not being able to afford treatment, then pet insurance is the product for you! 

Want to know more? I have followed up this post with "What is the best pet insurance policy?"