With summer holidays on the horizon, many people will be looking for activities to engage in. Animal lovers may be tempted by the array of animal-related activities available but how can we be sure that the animals’ welfare is put first? In this episode Vanessa and Maggie discuss activities involving domestic species such as bulls, horses, donkeys and camels. Is it OK to ride an elephant or trek with llamas? What about cat cafes and goat yoga? We will give you our views and some tips to check if your chosen activity is OK from the animal’s perspective.

Most of us love the warm weather and so do many of our pets but there are dangers regarding heat and other seasonal issues that it’s important to be aware of. Did you know that your pets can get sunburnt or suffer from heatstroke? What about the risk of those pesky fleas, ticks, maggots and even snakebites? How can an innocent grass seed become a major problem? Maggie and Vanessa give you their top tips for dealing with summer emergencies and how to prevent them for a sunny but safe summer.

Sorry about the background noise in this recording, we were trying to keep ourselves cool by sitting in the shade outside!

Maggie and Vanessa explain what extreme conformation is and why some dogs are bred with very flat faces, short legs or tails, no hair, or lots of wrinkles. They may look cute but often there are unintended consequences that affect the health and welfare of the dogs. These problems lead not only to more vet bills and heartache for you but lifelong issues for your pet. We discuss what’s being done to help reduce these problems and how a new tool, the Innate Health Assessment could improve the lives of future generations of puppies.