How do I tell when a pet needs a vet today?
The signs that mean phone now rather than wait until morning, and what to have ready when you call — with no attempt to tell you what is wrong.
beginner10 min3 min read
Pets
Everyday care questions with practical answers.
74 guides in Lifestyle
What foods are poisonous to dogs and cats?
The everyday human foods that are genuinely dangerous to dogs and cats, what each one does, and why the response is always a phone call to a vet rather than anything at home.
beginner10 min5 min readDoes my cat or dog have to be microchipped?
Both are now compulsory in England, and the part that catches people out is not the chip — it is keeping the database entry current, which is a separate legal duty.
beginner15 min3 min readWhat should I do if my pet has eaten something dangerous?
The short ordered sequence when a pet has swallowed something it should not have, and the things that make it worse.
beginner5 min3 min readWhy is my cat weeing outside the litter tray?
The first question is always medical, not behavioural. Once that is excluded, the answer is nearly always the tray, its location, or something the cat is afraid of.
intermediate30 min4 min readHow do I teach a dog to come back when I call?
Recall is not obedience, it is a conditioned response built by making coming back the best available outcome — and it is destroyed by the two things owners do instinctively.
intermediate30 min4 min readWhat do I do in the first hours if my dog goes missing?
The first two hours matter more than everything afterwards. What to do, in order, and the counter-intuitive advice about not chasing.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I keep pets comfortable in heat?
The species differences that matter, why some animals cannot cool themselves well, and the practical measures that work.
beginner20 min4 min readHow often does my pet need worming and flea treatment?
There is no single correct interval. What decides it is lifestyle and local risk, and the choice between shop and prescription products is a real one.
beginner15 min4 min readWhat are my legal responsibilities as a dog owner?
Five separate legal duties that most owners have never seen listed together: welfare, control, identification, fouling, and livestock.
intermediate25 min3 min readHow do I toilet train a puppy?
The schedule that gets a puppy clean fastest, the reward timing that does the actual teaching, and the honest timescale including night-times and regressions.
beginner30 min5 min readHow much should I feed my dog, and how often?
Why the number on the bag is a starting point rather than an answer, how to split it across the day, and the body condition check that tells you whether it is right.
beginner20 min5 min readWhat do I do if my cat has not come home?
Cats are usually much closer than owners assume — commonly trapped or hiding within a few gardens. The search that works is quiet, at night, and repeated.
beginner1 hr3 min readWhat do I need before bringing a puppy home?
The equipment, the paperwork, the socialisation window that closes early, and how to plan the first fortnight so the puppy sleeps and you do too.
beginner2 hr6 min readWhat does a dog actually cost to keep?
The four separate cost pots a dog creates, how to fill in real figures for your own dog rather than using someone else's total, and the ones people leave out.
beginner30 min6 min readHow do I choose a dog breed that suits my life?
Choosing from your actual week rather than from how a dog looks, the health problems worth checking before you fall for a breed, and where the honest information is.
beginner1 hr6 min readHow do I puppy-proof or kitten-proof a house?
A room-by-room sweep at animal height, the hazards that actually cause emergency admissions, and the differences between puppy-proofing and kitten-proofing.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I set up a first fish tank?
The tank has to be running for weeks before any fish go in. Understanding why is the difference between a first tank that works and the usual outcome.
intermediate2 hr4 min readHow much should I feed my cat and how often?
Working the daily amount out from the calorie figure on the tin rather than the vague chart, why several small meals suit cats, and the multi-cat problem.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy is my cat spraying indoors, and how do I stop it?
Spraying is territorial marking, not a toileting failure. It is driven by insecurity, so the fix is removing the threat rather than correcting the cat.
intermediate30 min3 min readHow do I travel with a dog in the car safely?
What counts as suitable restraint under the Highway Code, how the options actually compare, and the hot-car rule that overrides everything else.
beginner30 min6 min readHow do I choose a dog trainer or a puppy class?
The title means nothing because the industry is unregulated. What means something is the accrediting body, the method, and whether they will let you watch a class first.
beginner25 min3 min readHow do I choose and set up a litter tray, and stop it smelling?
Choosing the tray and litter that a cat will actually use, the depth and cleaning routine, and why scented litter makes smell worse rather than better.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I crate train a dog?
Done properly it gives a dog a place it chooses to go. Done as a containment device it produces distress, and the difference is entirely in the introduction.
intermediate30 min3 min read