Member Advice > Member Advice on Pets

Advantages: Self Adjusting Gullett, Saddle with adjustable gullet, very comfortable for horse and rider
Disadvantages: Cut Back Pommel, girth straps slightly to far back, not sure about the knee rolls

I have spent about 6 weeks trying to find a saddle to fit my rather large 14.2 Arab. Normally she would take a medium fit, but even wide saddles i have tried still dont fit. So the basics of trying to measure up for a saddle: First of all, you need to establish the size seat that you need. Sit on a chair - quite close to the end of the chair, place your foot on the floor, so your leg is at a right angle (so foot is in line with your knee). now measure ...
...bottom. Most adults will come out at a 17 - 19 " inch. This is the size of the saddle you need to fit you. Now the horse. You can either ask a saddle fitter to draw you a template, or you can try to do the best you can. Work out if you need a high withered saddle or not. Normally its very easy to see if your horse is high withered, The withers are the area at the front part of where the saddle will sit, around the pommel area. Now the size of the ... Read review

Advantages: it worked but not needed
Disadvantages: better understanding

My dog is 14 years old and although I have heard of the saying "you cannot teach old dogs new tricks" I knew we had to do something when he suddenly started barking a lot. My daughter had just had a baby and they are living with us and although my dog can be trusted, as far as any dog can be, with the baby he started barking a lot around her. My husband and son would say sternly stop barking which didnt do so good as my putting up my index finger ...
...and found just the thing. The Bark Collar Trainer is an ultrasonic training device that can help to reduce nuisance barking in your dog. It costs £19.99 plus postage and packaging but I thought that it would be worth it if it works. What it is is a collar which you attach a small black box to about the length of your thumb and about 1" thick. It runs by battery which comes supplied with it. The aim is that you put it on the dog and when he barks ... Read review

Advantages: in my case, stopped growth spreading further into the body, therfore prolonging the life of Moby
Disadvantages: emotionally draining for the owner, expensive operation, a lot of after care involved

Hi, I wanted to tell you my story about my amazing beautiful Border Collie Moby who is now 4 yrs old and lives with 2 other Border Collies. I have had Moby since he was 11 weeks old and is the most handsome loving slate Merle with bright blue eyes that makes him look a bit like a wolf! He was attacked when he was about 3 months old. Moby was walking in a wood with us. Unbeknown to us, a back gate had been left open on a neighbour's house and a ...
...came out towards Moby. Moby, being terrified tried to escape from the large dog who was biting him and he tried to get away into a garden where another 3 dogs also had a go at him. He was dragged by one of his legs underneath the gate of the house next door by the three dogs. There was much barking, growling and screaming. We were terrified and thought Moby was going to be killed. Moby had various superficial bites and an injured, mauled left leg ... Read review

Advantages: Some can't live in pairs.
Disadvantages: Shorter life spans (3 years), fast, chew through things!!

In the years of my life, i've had many of the little critters!! Whether it be Russian Dwarf hamsters (the very tiny, little cunning ones), Teddy Bear hamsters (long life span, and extremely fluffy) or Syrian hamsters (agressive around others but tame). In my experience I've found that if you want more that one hamster, up to three, then basically get the Russian Dwarf ones, they are fast, but they can be put together in a cage. They will not fight, ...
...they wont fight and aggravate each other, unlike Syrians which don't appreciate each others company. Also to keep them entertained you should buy some toys for their cage, stuff to chew on because it keeps their teeth filed down and heatlhy. And usually cages can be quite cramped so you sould buy a hamster ball to take them out on the living room floor for a run, without escaping. However I have three, beautiful coloured Syrians right now, but you ... Read review

Advantages: a friend for life
Disadvantages: maybe an huge expense

I own at the present time 6 cats (well they own me) I love them too bits and even share my bed with them! Cats can be expensive. On a weekly basis they cost me food wise about £8.00 as they get through 24 cans of cat food. They cost on adverage £50 a month for flea treatment and vet check ups. They also have to be clipped (most of the cats are long furred) I have this done at my local vet and can cost anything up to £75 per cat (I have this done ...
...I would recommend having cat insurance due to accidents can happen. (My cat got run over, had to have an operation but unfortuantely she passed away. If I didn't have insurance this would have cost anything up £500. Cats also need alot of love and affection, they need to be with someone, so if your never at home, I wouldn't recommend having a cat or kitten. If you do decide to get a kitten the standard injections alone can cost up to £65! Although ... Read review