May 26, 2025

Dressing up your dog could be harming their health

Owners that dress up their dogs in outfits like jumpers and coats could be causing them to develop skin problems, vets have said.

New research has found that 81% of pet owners have at least one coat for their dog, however some vets don’t think this is wise. According to a lot of owners (78%), they dress up their dog because they worry about them getting wet, but professionals say that a dogs’ fur dries quickly and rain is unlikely to harm them in any way.

The research, conducted by Direct Line Pet Insurance, asked 23 vets about their professional opinion on dogs wearing clothes. The survey found that 1 in 3 vets had concerns that dressing them up can cause skin irritation while 27% said clothes can cause stress and 23% had concerns of overheating. The West Highland White Terrier was identified as the breed most susceptible to skin conditions.

Dr. Andrew Francis, RCVS at Pawsquad said: “Owners should be mindful that sometimes putting their dogs in clothing can cause skin damage, as the added materials can irritate a dog’s skin.

“Skin disease is the most common reason for people seeking an online veterinary consultation and, while easily treated, can cause problems if left for a long period of time. If any owner is concerned their dog may be suffering from skin disease they should speak to a vet.”

Pet Friendly Hotels – Gatwick Airport

Hilton London Gatwick Airport

Linked by direct covered walkway to the South Terminal
10-minutes from North Terminal
Free 24-hour monorail service
Soundproofed rooms
Free Wi-Fi

Call 01293 518080 for more information on the hotel’s pet policy and any charges.

Sandman Signature London Gatwick

4 miles from Gatwick Airport
Free Wi-Fi
24-hour front desk
Private parking is possible at a charge
30-mins from Central London

Call 01293 561186 for more information on the hotel’s pet policy and any charges.

The Old House Inn

10-minute drive from Gatwick Airport
Free on-site parking
Free Wi-Fi
Mature garden
Country pub atmosphere

Call 01342 718529 for more information on the hotel’s pet policy and any charges.

Pet-friendly hotels will require prior notice if you plan on bringing your pet there. It is extremely important to contact them before booking anything.

PetAir UK Teams Up With Visa Bureau

Petair UK is delighted to be able to help the clients from Visa Bureau – one of the leading visa specialists in UK.

Who are Visa Bureau?

Visa Bureau specialise in Australian and New Zealand migration and have successfully supported thousands of families with their visa applications since 2003.

Registered Migration Agents oversee all aspects of your visa application, providing professional and up-to-date advice on migration as well as access to professional partners to support your move down under.

Visa Bureau provides a dedicated UK based Case Officer to handle your application from start to finish. This means convenient, accessible advice throughout the entire process.

Why use Visa Bureau?

Visa Bureau have OMARA and IAA regulated agents with over 10 years of experience

They host regular Relocation Seminars in the UK, designed to give you a broad overview of key decisions you will face when planning a move abroad. You can find out about their latest seminar here.

Visa Bureau work closely with a number of selected partners to provide a complete relocation service to our clients. You can read more about our partners here.

They offer flexible payment plans, which correspond with each application stage.

For a free visa assessment please complete an online assessment for Australia or New Zealand.

Cat Behaviours: What Do They Mean?

Head butting

Ever noticed your cat rubbing against your hand or nudging their face against yours when on your lap? Cats have scent glands all over their body and they use them to leave scent marks on things, including you. While actually called head “bunting”, this behaviour shows that they feel comfortable with you and see you as part of their colony. They want to put their scent on you so that you smell familiar to them; if they could talk, they would probably be saying something like “You smell like me. You’re mine. I feel safe and relaxed with you.”

There could also be the explanation of your cat just wanting some attention. If they nudge their head up against you and then tuck it down or to the side, they may be wanting you to give them some fuss – perhaps a neck tickle? They most likely remember that in the past, they have displayed this kind of behaviour and gotten something pleasurable from it in response, so they learn that this is a good way of attention-seeking.

Blinking

Slow blinking by a cat (you know, when they look extra sleepy and close their eyes for a few seconds) is a way of telling you that they are very comfortable and content in your presence. Don’t directly stare at your cat, as that will often make them nervous. Instead, try developing a further mutual trust by slowly blinking back at them! You may also notice your cat blinking a lot when others cats are around; this is to let them know that they are not a threat and there’s no need for any hostility.

Kneading

This goes all the way back to kittenhood. A kitten will instinctively knead their mother when nursing in order to stimulate the milk flow. As an adult, they will often carry on kneading when presented with a soft surface (e.g. your lap) because they associate kneading with the comforting motion of nursing. It shows that they have a lot of affection for you – you’re seen as a surrogate mother!

Bringing you ‘gifts’

Cats are natural-born hunters and have retained their hunting instincts from their wild ancestors. In the wild, mothers teach their kittens how to survive, which includes how to catch prey. They will bring back dead animals for them to eat and also live ones for them to kill. Translated into the modern day; you are your cat’s surrogate family, so when they bring back a “gift”, they are either giving it to you as a sweet gesture, or because they think you’re seriouslylacking in hunting skills and need some help.

Sitting in boxes

There are a few theories as to why cats sit in boxes. Firstly, boxes offer a safe and secure place for a cat to sleep as they are enclosed and serve to hide your cat well – which would help them survive in the wild. There’s also the theory that a box is a stress-relieving tool; in new house, a box will often calm/get them accustomed to their surroundings sooner. They could also be trying to conserve body heat and a small place, such as a shoebox, is an ideal insulator.

Drawing back their lips when smelling something

Sometimes, you may notice your cat sniffing something, making a bit of a funny face and opening its mouth. This is known as the Flehmen Response – Flehmen meaning “curl the upper lip” in German. When your cat is smelling something that is unusual or of interest to them, they will open their mouth to allow the scent to reach the roof of it, where a second scent organ is located. This organ is called the Jacobson organ and it amplifies your cat’s sense of smell. It’s mainly used to analyse pheromones and other scents.

Places to Take Your Dog in Sydney

Sometimes it’s difficult to know where your dog can go with you, so here is a list of places to take your dog in Sydney. From cafe’s to cinemas and nature reserves.

Café Bones

Claiming to be the world’s first dog friendly café, Café Bones is truly a dog owner’s delight and one of the top places to take your dog in Sydney. It’s a fantastic place to relax, have a coffee and something to eat, and even get something for your pooch too. In the midst of them having a good run-around with the other dogs there, they can take a break, have a Pupaccino and some gourmet doggy biscuit treats. After you’ve had your lunch, you can spend a while in the Hawthorne Canal Reserve, a popular off-leash dog park that Café Bones is found in.

Click here for more information

Moonlight Cinema

An outdoor cinema showing new film releases, advance screenings and classic films on the grass of the Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park – and you can bring your dog too! Instead of leaving them at home, you’re welcome to bring them with you, there are just a few house rules:

You dog must be kept on a leash that is 2m or under at all times.
Pick up after your dog and try to keep them quiet during the film.
Bring a drinking container and lots of water for your dog (these supplies aren’t readily available within the venue).
Aggressive dogs will be denied entry and if a dog becomes aggressive, you will be told to remove your dog from the venue.
Dogs classified as “dangerous” or “restricted”, and dogs needing to be muzzled, will be denied entry.

For the owners, it is advised you bring some blankets and pillows to relax on as you watch the movie, or you can hire a beanbag when you get there. You’re allowed to bring your own refreshments with you (including alcohol), but there is plenty of food and drink available at the venue also, including New Yorker Chilli Cheese Dogs, Nachos and Nutella Donuts… Yum. Adult Tickets start from $19, and the cinema nights will be running until the 27th March.

Click here for more information

Centennial Parklands / Lake Parramatta / Sirius Cove

Centennial Parklands – This is the perfect place for your dog to burn up some energy, with its huge amount of space and plenty of on and off-leash areas – in fact, about 154 hectares of its open space is off-leash which makes this one of the perfect places to take your dog in Sydney! Sandstone Ridge and Federation Valley are popular locations to walk your dog off the leash. If you’re feeling like your pooch might need a freshening up after the walk, there is a dog grooming service available from Friday to Monday, offering services such as a shampoo and coat conditioning. There are also plenty of activities for humans (perhaps when you’re not with your pup) such as cycle hire, horse-riding and rollerblading.

Click here for more information

Lake Parramatta Reserve – A 75-hectare bushland reserve (the largest bushland remnant surviving in the Parramatta Local Government Area) located within 2km of the Parramatta Central Business District. Dogs are very much welcome here as long as they are on a leash. There are 3 tracks available to explore with your dog; the She-Oak Track (1550m), the Banksia Track (2450m) and the Lake Circuit (4200m).

Click here for more information

Sirius Cove – A dog-friendly beach, hurrah! Sirius Cove is a 250m wide, 550m deep bay that faces south into the harbour. It is a protected beach with a grass area behind it which offers plenty of shade for your pup to cool down (or they can have a splash around in the cool waters). It is located at the end of Sirius Cove Road and can be accessed on foot from the zoo and Bradley’s Head via the harbour walking track. You can take your dog there off the leash all day on weekdays, and before 9am/after 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.

Click here for more information

Chew Chew Pet Restaurant

Now, we understand a lot of people might find this silly, but if you’re a displeased dog owner who has been denied entry to a café with your dog, or perhaps you just want to give them a nice treat, Chew Chew welcomes you with open arms! They only serve dogs here. All of the meals are made with organic meats and fresh, nutritious ingredients, with the menu including gourmet dishes such as lamb omelettes, salmon, chicken risotto and grilled fish. You can even order a birthday cake for your pooch on the big day, and either collect it or eat in. Chew Chew really have it covered when it comes to pampering your dog, and they deserve a good pamper every so often, don’t they?

Click here for more information

Australia

PetAir UK – Using your own crates or not?

Own crates or not – that is the question!

Many clients call us to arrange the movement of their pets and advise us that they have their own crates, which is perfectly fine. Using your own crate saves our clients the cost of buying a new crate, but most importantly means that your pets are going to be travelling in something which is familiar to them, so all in all if the pet travel crate can be used then fine.

Quite often a pet has flown in to UK in the crate and now wants to fly out again. The problem with this is that the airline check in staff in UK seem to be much more strict on deciding if a crate is adequate of not. So even though your pet has flown perfectly well into UK, we may get to check in and then be refused travel out of UK. Then there are all sorts of last minute dramas trying to get things arranged and planned, which is not good for the pets or the owners.

We know it seems like we are being overly pedantic in checking that crates are adequate, but the main reason behind it is to try as hard as we can that there are no last minute dramas. PetAir UK team are just the messengers in this and we are trying to predict and solve a problem before it becomes unsolvable, so please don’t get cross with us – we are trying to help. Many other pet shippers don’t bother to check this and put in their terms and conditions that if the crate is not adequate then you will need to pay for a whole new flight. Which adds to stress and cost at a time when you really don’t need any more stress or extra costs. PetaAir UK takes the pro active stance that we investigate and check the potential problem before ti happens rather than react to it once it has happened.

The rules regarding if a crate is adequate or not tells us that the pets must be able to turn around in the crate, lie down on their fronts with their legs stretched out (in the “sphynx” pose) and stand up in a “natural” position without their heads touching the roof. The easiest and simplest way to check if a crate is going to be adequate is to measure your pets head height from the floor to the top of the head and then measure the internal crate height. If your pet is taller than the size of the crate then it is not going to be adequate.

The team at PetAir UK help with around 2500 pet moves each and every year and we will do all we can to help and advise on what is going to keep your pets safest and most comfortable. But also we want to give the very best advice to try to reduce the chance of any last minute hiccups in the very difficult and complicated process of flying your pets abroad.

Upgrade to Complete Care for unlimited vet-led wellness support with real vets, 24/7. With included cabin training and nutrition advice, it’s perfect for keeping your pet happy and healthy.

Places to Take Your Dog in Melbourne

Sometime it can be difficult knowing where you can take your dog so we’ve created a list of places to take your dog in Melbourne. From trail walking, to dog-friendly parks and cafes.

Dog Walks

Merri Creek Trail

One of the places to take your dog in Melbourne is very popular among cyclists and walkers alike, Merri Creek Trail is the perfect place to give your dog a good runaround. You’ll never have to cross a road while travelling across the 21km stretch (of course, you don’t have to walk the whole 21km!) and the trail follows the creek, so most of the time you’ll be right next to some lovely cold water for your pooch to splash around in. The path goes through parks, Coburg Lake, Brunswick Velodrome and the CERES environmental park which has a great coffee shop, so you can take a well-needed break. You can start the Merri Creek Trail anywhere you like along the way.

Princes Park

Located in the Inner-Melbourne suburb of Carlton North, Victoria, Princes Park has two designated off-leash areas for your dog to make use of. The park has many features, including Carlton’s football club training ground, sports clubs, children’s playgrounds and barbecue/picnic facilities. The more popular of the two off-leash areas is Bowen Crescent; you and your pooch can get involved in a bit of socialising before setting off for a jog on the circuit.

Princes Park, Royal Parade, Carlton North VIC, Australia

Dog-Friendly Pubs & Cafés

The Flying Duck Hotel

On Monday nights, The Flying Duck offers dog owners a night to bring their furry best friends along with them. While owners tuck into delicious food and drinks in the outdoor dining area and have a catch up with friends, the dogs socialise among each other, share bowls of water and get complimentary doggy treats. If your pooch, like many others, is very energetic and finds it hard to settle down, you could take them to the park (only a few minutes away) before heading over to the Flying Duck.

The Flying Duck Hotel, Bendigo Street, Prahran VIC, Australia

Argos Loves Company

Named after Ulysses and his dog Argos, this café is great for any owners looking to chill out and have a bite to eat. There are water bowls set out for your pooch by the tables in the street, and they can even indulge in some lovely, chewy snacks. The walls are covered in dog photos, too. We get the impression this café loves dogs, just a little.

Argos Loves Company, Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC, Australia

Dog Exercise & Training

Fitdog Training

It’s often hard to fit in your own exercise between taking your dog out for walks. The Fitdog program combines a workout for you and your dog and is run by a fully qualified person trainer and dog trainer. This means that while you’re exercising to reach your fitness goals, your dog is also getting their own workout. Fitdog caters for dogs of all sizes, ages and obedience levels. The sessions run in 6 week blocks (one session per week) and start at 6:30am on Wednesday mornings in Gasworks Park, so you can fit in a great workout for you and your dog before starting your day. The training program total for the 6 weeks is $150.

More Information: underdogtraining.com

Flyball

Now, this is fun. Flyball is a relay race between two teams of four dogs. It involves the dogs racing side by side, jumping over four hurdles, triggering a ball launcher, retrieving the ball and going back over the hurdles to the start/finish line, all while the owners are going crazy with encouragement at the sidelines. The first team to have all of their dogs complete their run and get back to the start line, wins the heat. It’s the perfect team sport, allowing your dog to do what it loves: run, jump, and fetch. All dogs are welcome.

To learn more about how to get started, click here: flyball.org.au

Australia

The history of Downing Street pets

Pets have long been associated with our country’s leaders, with Henry VIII said to have had a menagerie of animals to his name, including ferrets, falcons and monkeys as well as dogs. And now, when important political announcements stream live from Downing Street, many of us are keeping our eyes peeled for appearances of the famous furry friends, like Larry the Cat, the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, who even has his own parody Twitter account.

Larry was first adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2011 by then-Prime Minister, David Cameron to keep on top of the rodent issues at Number 10. Like something out of a cartoon, he even has a bit of a nemesis in the ‘house’ next door. In 2016, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office decided that they also needed some form of pest control and so they adopted Palmerston, again from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and the two are said to have had several scuffles with each other. At one point, it reportedly got so bad between the two of them that the police had to get involved and Larry even required medical treatment.

Having survived the run-ins with Palmerston, and stayed put throughout both David Cameron and Theresa May’s time in office, it appears that Larry is here for the long haul. Current Prime Minister Boris Johnson has now introduced a dog to the street yet has said that it’s unlikely that the two will ever cross paths. Dilyn is another rescue, this time from Friends of Animals Wales. Puppy farmers abandoned the Jack Russell-cross due to his misaligned jaw, which made him ‘unsellable’. Boris Johnson and his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, were keen to promote Lucy’s Law, which comes into effect in England next year and aims to crack down on puppy farms.

The first cat to appear on the government payroll was Frilly, who resided at the British War Office some time around 1909. When he passed away, the staff raised the money necessary to have him stuffed and he still makes occasional appearances at special exhibitions. In 1924, Prime Minister Ramsay McDonald had a ginger cat named Rufus of England who sometimes went by the nickname Treasury Bill. Another famous feline to grace the halls of the country’s leaders is Munich Mouser who served under two of the most well-known names in British history, Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill.

Wilberforce is another well-known historical feline resident of Downing Street, arriving from the RSPCA in 1973 while Edward Heath was Prime Minister. After 13 years of loyal service, Wilberforce retired and went to live a quiet life in the country. Humphrey, who arrived in 1989, succeeded Wilberforce and was resident through both Margaret Thatcher and John Major’s Prime Minstership but is said to have been ‘reshuffled’ out of the cabinet when Tony Blair took charge.

These days there are several cats residing at Number 10 and while Larry and Palmerston are perhaps the most well-known thanks to their bitter feud, it appears that the only female feline resident, Evie, has been hitting the headlines more recently due to her ‘promotion’ to the Government Equalities Office in the Cabinet Office. Evie arrived in 2016 with her son Ossie from the Celia Hammond Animal Trust.

All you need to know about emotional support animals

Service animals and emotional support animals are not the same thing, despite their titles sounding sort of similar. A service animal is one that has been professionally trained to perform a specific task, like a guide dog helping a blind person to navigate or a mobility assistance dog that helps people with physical injuries perform daily tasks.

An emotional support animal is usually recommended by a therapist or GP to help with mental heath issues. The animals receive no formal training and aren’t required to assist with any specific jobs or tasks in order to help their owner go about their daily lives. Instead, an emotional support animal is there to provide comfort, affection and constant companionship to a person with a physiological or emotional disability, such as anxiety or post traumatic stress disorder.

While a service animal is more than likely to be a dog, an emotional support animal can be any domesticated animal of any age, ranging from a young puppy or kitten to an older rescue animal. The only recommendation is that you find an animal that can behave in public spaces and interact well with others. This is due to the fact that they do not need to carry out any tasks for their owner, they are simply providing companionship and comfort by being present.

In the UK there is no official register for emotional support animals, although there are several websites offering this service. The only certification you currently need is an ESA letter written by a licensed mental health professional. It’s important to note that in the UK, emotional support animals do not have the same legal rights as service animals so you’ll need to check with each business separately if you plan to take your emotional support animal out to the shops or to a restaurant with you. Businesses are legally allowed to deny access based on health and safety concerns.

When it comes to travelling, the rules will vary depending on your destination and your chosen airline carrier. It is always best to check before you book as it will depend on your airline’s company policy and individual discretion. Taking an emotional support animal on board a plane is much more common in the US where they are recognised and have more legal rights than in the UK. In 2018, American Airlines reported a 75% increase in requests to travel with “support pets”.

Do you let your pet share your bed with you?

Co-sleeping, whether with your children or with your pets, can be a divisive topic. However, a new study has revealed that two thirds of pet owners will snuggle up with their four-legged friends at night. The survey, completed for itchpet.com, spoke to 2,000 pet owners and asked them about their sleeping habits.

Many of the reasons that pet owners gave for allowing their pets to share their beds revolved around companionship and safety, with 30% saying that they felt more secure having their pet sleeping with them and 27% said that cuddling up to their furry friends helped them to feel less lonely.

Professor Peter Neville, author and professor at The Ohio State University, told The Independent:

“What’s clear is that sharing the bed with our pets is a normal part of our lives together and testament to the strength of the increasingly co-dependent bond between us and our cats and dogs.”

Of the pet owners that were polled, 37% said they enjoyed being able to feel the warmth of their pets’ bodies and a large number of respondents even said that they found it easier to share their bed with their pet than with their partners.

Neville said: “For us, the main element of that bedroom relationship is based on comfort, enjoyment, touch, shared warmth and increased feelings of security for many dog owners especially.”

The study also found that the most common sleeping position for pets was at the foot of the bed, but one in five said that their pet likes to curl up in the crook at the back of their knees.

Professor Peter Neville says, “When choosing their sleeping positions, our pets are broadly seeking to maintain and enhance their close protecting bond with us, rather than any desire to control us or monopolise territory.”

If you do decide to let your cat or dog sleep in your bed, make sure you follow preventative flea treatment measures as recommended by veterinarians to ensure that you don’t end up sharing your bed with unwanted visitors!

Head butting

Blinking

Kneading

Bringing you ‘gifts’

Sitting in boxes

Drawing back their lips when smelling something

Café Bones

Moonlight Cinema

Centennial Parklands / Lake Parramatta / Sirius Cove

Chew Chew Pet Restaurant

Dog Walks

Merri Creek Trail

Princes Park

Dog-Friendly Pubs & Cafés

The Flying Duck Hotel

Argos Loves Company

Dog Exercise & Training

Fitdog Training

Flyball

Give us a call! Monday to Saturday – 8am to 5pm (UK) Lines are closed on Sunday

Prefer to chat? Message us on WhatsApp

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Monday to Saturday – 8am to 5pm (UK)
Lines are closed on Sunday

Prefer to chat?
Message us on WhatsApp