A PET food company backed by investors on Dragon’s Den has appointed a new canine behaviourist to help support dog owners and their anxious pets. Nico Joiner has joined the team at Omni Pet, which produces allergy-friendly, healthy food. He now leads the firm’s free behaviour consultation service, which offers tailored, one-to-one guidance to help overcome challenges such as separation anxiety, noise reactivity, travel stress, and fear of fireworks.

Hannah Godfrey, BVetMed, MRCVS, looks at the need to stay safe when walking dogs during winter.

PARK LiFE, the family-run creators of naturally guilt-free dog treats, has launched a new line called Dog-Friendly Noses. The grain-free, chocolate-inspired treats which are shaped like dog noses, come with a ‘Happy Belly Promise’ and are made with 100% natural, human-grade ingredients. PARKLiFE, which has released the treats in time for Christmas, wanted to create a safe alternative to real chocolate, which is toxic to dogs.

A NEW digital welfare tool which aims to transform breeding transparency and support healthier dogs across the UK has been launched by PetProov.com The Innate Health Assessment (IHA), is a free, 10-point welfare framework developed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW) in collaboration with Dr Dan O’Neill of the Royal Veterinary College (RVC).

THREE in four couples do not have a pre-nuptial agreement in place to determine who keeps a pet if their relationship ends, research from digital bank Monzo has revealed. The study says this can lead to people being left to meet the financial cost of caring for their pet by themselves, which can cost up to £1,455 a year.

PET owners are being urged to think of their companion’s health before dishing out festive treats or scraps of food from the Christmas dinner table. Shelves across supermarkets and pet stores are already stacked with advent calendars, rawhide candy canes and ‘turkey dinner’ biscuits for cats and dogs. Whilst these may look fun and festive, Paws and Co Veterinary Centre, in Yorkshire, is warning that many of these Christmas products could be doing pets more harm than good.