Brain: Omega 3 fatty acids exert important functions related to emotional well-being and brain development. Inclusion of omega 3 during puppyhood may even support trainability.

Heart: Omega 3 works in a number of ways in the cardiovascular system to help keep heart and circulation healthy.

Skin: Omega 3 helps build healthy skin cell membranes. Omega oils are the key componenets of the skin’s moisture barriers helping to waterproof and protect the hair from outside bacteria. It also helps to stop the skin drying out enabling it to hold onto hairs and reduce moulting.

Coat:  Pet hair is grown and shed in cycles controlled by many factors including temperature, increasing and decreasing daylight hours, hormones, stress and genetics.  Hair that doesn’t receive a balanced supply of nutrients can become dull, loose and eventually fall out so it’s important to support regular grooming with omega 3 supplementation for healthy hair from within.

Joints: Omega 3 has well documented benefits for joint health (especially when taken in combination with glucosamine).

So with a tail wagging £1 off Glossy Coat and Skin Conditioner for dogs or cats in our sale (£2 on Repeat Order) there’s no better time to try or stock up on this essential omega supplement to help keep your cats cuddly and your hounds huggable!

Once again its time to announce the winners and this month we ran a special festive themed Pet and Horse of the Month competition. A big thank you to all the fantastically festive piccies and stories we received, but only two lucky ones could win so we’re delighted to announce Chester as Pet of the Month and Rocky as Horse of the Month who have both now happily received £25 credited to their accounts to spend on all their favourite VetVits treats.

Pet of the Month winner: Chester

Chester is our first ever cat winner and how could we resist this adorable picture of him frolicking in  the snow sent in by proud owner Laura. Laura says she uses VetVits on her other cat Willow and has seen a great improvement in his mobility.  We wish Chester, Willow and Laura a very happy and healthy 2012. Read Chester and Willow’s story in full…

Horse of the Month winner: Rocky

If Santa’s ever looking for a new reindeer we vote Rocky as the perfect fit! Lisa sent us this wonderful picture of Rocky in his festive antlers which made us all smile. An ex-racehorse, aged 13, Rocky had a hard life before meeting owner Lisa as he was broken in early and had both legs hot fired at the age of 2 but Lisa says EquiFlex has helped make his movement more fluid and his stumbling has reduced. We’re glad to have helped and wish Rocky and Lisa a super 2012. Read Rocky’s story in full…

Happy New Year to all our customers and everyone who entered this month’s competition.

To be in with your chance of winning £25 credited to your account - upload your stories and photos of your prized pooches, cute cats and model mares here.

In this second installment we find out how Laura and Winnie are getting on after Winnie’s gruelling operations…  

For the first few weeks after the operation, Winnie and I were able to enjoy our walking in hand in lovely Autumn sunshine. Winnie was quiet and relaxed and the injured leg was doing well. But then the clocks changed, the days got darker and the gritty reality of having a horse recovering from surgery going into winter kicked in - walking in-hand in lashing rain and howling gales with my head-torch on. Horses really don’t get any less glamorous than this!

But it all became too much for Winnie one day (week 4 post-op)…she kicked me then went whizzing off around the arena bucking, twisting, galloping-everything she shouldn’t be doing on an injured tendon!  I was so worried all of our patient hard work being undone in seconds so Winnie but thankfully, no further damage was done and the leg settled down again after a few days of anti-inflammatories. Phew!

She is now making good progress again and is responding remarkably well to her ultrasound treatment. She had her 6 weeks post-op re-examination and this was the first time I’ve trotted her up. She was sound (and remained so after flexion) so I may well be back in the saddle for a few minutes a day in the near future!

I view her recovery as a team effort - me, Winnie, my vet, my physio and VetVits supplements.  We’re all striving for the same outcome. And if all this walking in the dark and rain in some small part makes the difference then long may it continue.

If you’ve got a feline friend, canine companion or equine acquaintance who has benefited with a little help from VetVits, we’d love to hear from you! Just email your story to info@vetvits.co.uk with a photo of your cat, dog or horse. All stories will feature on our ‘My pet online’ section of the website and we’ll choose one special ‘Friend of VetVits’ each month to feature on our blog.

Owners of dangerous dogs could be facing much stiffer sentences if new guidelines come into place as proposed.

Judges have published the first ever set of proposed guidelines for sentencing people convicted of dangerous dog offences since the Dangerous Dogs Act came into effect in the UK 20 years ago.

If the guidelines are approved they should help ensure irresponsible owners are held more accountable for their dog’s actions. Owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control or those who are found to be breeding or selling banned dogs could face up to two years in jail but the Sentencing Council states this should be reserved for only the most extreme cases. People convicted of lesser offences are more likely to face fines or bans from owning dogs.

It is hoped the new proposed guidelines would help ensure irresponsible owners who are putting the public at risk can be sentenced appropriately with more consistent sentencing that takes into account the level of offence . This then hopefully means dogs will not automatically be destroyed for minor offences. According to the new guidelines, destruction of dangerous animals would only be used where the court feels the dog is out of control and poses a significant risk to the public.

Last year over 1,700 people were prosecuted for dangerous dog offences and it is estimated treatment of dog injuries costs the NHS more than £3 million a year.

The guidelines are under consultation until 8^th  March 2012 when hopefully a decision will be made.

You can read the full story at the BBC here

With joint mobility such an obvious factor affecting your dog’s quality of life no matter what their age, we’re absolutely delighted to announce the arrival of NEW Joint Treat Bones to help maintain your precious dog’s  bounce!

These tasty  bone shaped treats are packed full of high strength green-lipped mussel, salmon oil and calcium which work together to help maintain healthy joints. Green-lipped mussel provides a rich source of glycoproteins, chondroitin, amino acids and other micronutrients which are claimed to have many beneficial properties. Salmon oil is packed full of omega 3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA which have traditionally been used to help maintain healthy joints and calcium helps maintain healthy joints.

When used alongside the glucosamine and chondroitin found in Flexi-Joints, Joint Treat Bones are the nutritious and delicious way to treat your dog,  So why not give them a go and start treating your dog’s joints today?

Hello! I’m Laura, I’ve been riding since I was 6 – on horses and ponies of all different shapes and sizes that I‘ve begged for and borrowed. Earlier this year, at the age 30, it was a lifetime dream come true for me to finally have a horse to call my own – Winnie.

Winnie is a 5 year old Thoroughbred. bought from a racing yard, where she was essentially a spare part, having never raced nor even gone into training.  At 15.1, she is a neat and compact mare with natural big, careful jumps and an amazing positive can-do attitude to work, and to life in general!  She had a few outings to local shows and didn’t come home without a rosette but then injury struck (an accident in the field involving wire) and it’s been bad news and set-backs ever since.

After 2 operations under general anaesthetic, the first an emergency to flush out an infection as a result of the puncture wound inflicted by the wire, the second routine key-hole surgery to tidy up fraying of the DDFT (also a result of the original wire injury) she has been on box-rest full time since mid-June. 

The prognosis for full recovery is good and over the coming months I’ll be keeping you up to date with her progress as she returns (we hope) to full health and work, along with hopefully a little helping hand from EquiFlex and EquiMSM.  I will endeavour to make box-rest and in-hand walking as entertaining as possible and share mine and Winnie’s bad days as well as good as we progress to ridden work and learn how unrealistic vets advice of ‘ gentle quiet walking’ for 20 minutes a day on a fresh, box-rested 5 year old really is….!

If you’ve got a feline friend, canine companion or equine acquaintance who has benefited with a little help from VetVits, we’d love to hear from you! Just email your story to info@vetvits.co.uk with a photo of your cat, dog or horse. All stories will feature on our ‘My pet online’ section of the website and we’ll choose one special ‘Friend of VetVits’ each month to feature on our blog.

...the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and pets!

Firework season is nearly upon us but be careful not to forget your pets this year as what seems a lot of fun for us can be very traumatic for them. Our pets have a very accute hearing and with over 15% of dogs suffering from fear of loud noises, the fun of Bonfire night can actually become very traumatic for even the most placid of pets. Here are our top tips to help keep your pets safe and happy during the firework season.

1. Draw the curtains and put the tv or radio on a little louder than usual for noise distraction

2. Choose safe times for exercise and avoid walking your dog after dusk during the firework season.Try to exercise them during the day so they are more likely to relax in the evening.

3. Cats should be locked inside and do not leave your dog alone. As pack animals dogs need the security and confidence provided by the pack.

4. Its unlikely that a dog who is enjoying food will experience much fear so try to occupy him with some healthy treats!

5. Your pet can feel a great comfort in retiring to a familiar place with minimum access to the noise and light. Cover this area with extra comfortable blankets and bedding.

6. Try not to reinforce their fear by petting more than normal in an attempt to soothe them, as this rewards adverse behaviour.

7. Do not tell your pet off should they have an extreme response to the fireworks as they are experiencing a normal reaction.

8. Always consult your vet for further advice.

It’s that time of year again and at VetVits HQ we’re carving pumpkins, dusting off our witches’ hats and are very excited about Halloween. In the spirit of all things spooky why not treat your dog to our tasty new bone shaped Joint Treat Bones. There’s no tricks here – only treats - and nothing scary about the ingredients which have all been carefully selected to support optimum joint health.

Take a look inside to see for yourself…

To find out more about Joint Treat Bones, click here.

If you haven’t already heard, we wanted to let you know of some minor changes to our EquiFlex and EquiHoof prices and sizes coming over the next few months.

With continually rising raw material and postage costs (boo, hiss!) we’ve been forced to decrease the weights of these two products in order to continue to be able to provide free delivery direct to your stable door on all your products (and stop you having to pay any hidden extras). Don’t worry though, the formulations remain the same and we’ll continue to provide you and your horse with the best quality and value possible.

Therefore from November 1^st, EquiFlex will no longer be available in 2 months’ supplies (496g tubs) anymore. You will be able to purchase EquiFlex in a 1.5month supply (372g tub) at a reduced price of £14.95 (£13.95 on Repeat Order).

EquiHoof will continue to be sold in a 2 months’ supply (496g) for a few months but at the new lower price of £14.95 (£13.95 on Repeat Order) so enjoy! Come January EquiHoof will also be moved to a 1.5 months’ supply (372g tub) for £13.45 (£12.45 on Repeat Order).

Repeat Order Customers: All EquiFlex Repeat Order customers should have heard from us by now with details of your amended Repeat Order on EquiFlex. All customers on Repeat Order with EquiHoof will be contacted later this year with the changes.If you wish to discuss these changes further please do not hesitate to contact us on Freephone 0808 100 40 80.