There are a number of topics about pet care here that may help you navigate choices, for any repeats please accept my apologies and be aware that some topics are a bit dated but the information they contain may be still very relevant.
Has anyone noticed a sizeable shift in the way insurance companies are selecting against customers who may make a claim.
I recently asked my pet insurer why the premiums have gone up almost 35% in one year. I have an indoor only Brown Burmese cat. She is now 6 years old. I have made NO claims on the policy. I was tld it was because of the added risk. I argued that I had made NO claims, she was always vaccinated, mixed with NO other animals and was highly unlikely to be any added risk.
I asked …
Researchers at the University of Helsinki have released a study regarding arsenic exposure to dogs consuming a food containing rice (high on the ingredient list).
The Study shows and I quote,
“ Hair arsenic level in rice-based diet-fed Staffordshire bull terriers ” compared the arsenic levels in hair analysis of dogs fed a diet high in rice (rice listed as the first or second ingredient) to dogs fed a diet with no rice. The hair arsenic analysis “ was significantly higher in dogs fed a rice-…
Here’s some advice and tips for looking after your pets this holiday season.
Do you have a pet boarding or pet sitting experience to share? Please add it in the comments below.
We are trying to fly our cats back to the UK.
Firstly the price for a one way ticket in the boot of the plane is shocking enough, trying to get insurance for them is practically impossible. To add insult to injury the travel agents want us to sing T & C’s as below. The airline won’t let us check them in. If only I was Johnny Depp.
The quote provided is based on the breed description and stated weight of your pet(s) or dimensions of your own travel crate(s) and charges are based on this informa…
‘Humanisation of pets’: Inside the $4b-a-year pet vitamins boom
“There is a big change in how people value their dogs,” Andrew says. “For the people I deal with, a dog is a member of the family. And dogs are under so much more stress than they used to be.”
All the pet owners that I know feel their dogs (and often other animals) are members of the family. They live with us and share our lives. Mostly they share our houses. This is not something that happened due to COVID.
Analysts descri…
We are choice magazine subscribers and feel we are being gouged on our pet insurance annual increases by Bupa Pet Insurance over the 5 years we have insured our 10 year old Spoodle with them on their Ultimate cover option.
It started off at around $1000 and we expected increases to be in-line with CPI and cover our pet as he got older and developed any conditions.
He has only had mild gingivitis teeth cleaned whilst under and now they have jammed up our annual premium to $2004 as of Jan 2021.
…
Why is Choice not cautioning consumers in product reviews that many household cleaners contain ingredients that can indeed have serious hazards and may be dangerous to pets, surely this could be incorporated as a part of household cleaner testing as manufacturers provide ZERO information about these dangers.
It is simply NOT a case of read the label and follow the instructions and be aware of the warnings given on the label.
I am a cautious person and have read all the warnings on products, N…
Knowing how important pets are to Australians (we are one of the highest pet owning people per capita in the world), CHOICE naturally wanted to play a role in safer pet food . We also run important threads on pet food and many pet-related articles on our website.
While it’s not always a black and white consumer issue, we know people love talking about their pets. Therefore we decided to open this general thread where you can talk all things pets, including products, stories about your pets and s…
Hi everyone,
We now have our new puppy and want to get pet insurance for him and would like your recommendations. He is 75% Poodle, 25% Shiatzu and 110% adorable.
I have looked at the Choice Pet Insurance Reviews without really getting a clear picture of who to choose, especially as those companies with Choice member reviews are less than inspiring.
On the Product Review website, the only companies to receive a 4-star rating are Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance based on some 1,438 reviews and Pet I…
I half heard an ad on the TV the other day for RSPCA Pet Insurance which I was certain stated that a portion of the first year’s premium goes to the RSPCA in stark contrast to the previous ads which clearly stated that a portion of your premium goes to help the RSPCA so I just checked their website.
Sure enough it now states “A portion of first-year premiums help support the RSPCA”.
I suspect that they have been caught out unless they actually only recently changed it to the first year only. …
We recently heard about HomeoPet , the homepathic medicine for your dog or cat. The Shonkys submission noted problems with:
Putting the ingredients on the box in Latin so most people will have no idea what’s in it
Putting pictures of multiple animals on the front of the box, then saying ‘Dog Use Only’ in small print on the back
Suggesting essential oils are a suitable treatment for arthritis
For putting their only reference as ‘Published in the HPUS’, a publication funded by companies that make…
I’ve been with Woolworths pet insurance a number of years now and I have, on occasion, read their PDS, and I’ve never seen this before. Privacy…pages 10-12
This has snuck in at some stage, and seems they are giving my information to businesses and call centres in the Philippines and they specifically say they can’t ensure they won’t breach the Privacy Act. Isn’t the Privacy Act there to protect us? I expect more from Woolworths…an Australian company that is endorsing this.
I guarantee most pe…
Just wondering what the general consensus is regarding Pet Hospitals. Are they worth the thousands spent, or do they take advantage when your pet needs urgent care? (Similar to VetPay) What are your experiences?
I won’t go into specifics as that’s already covered on Facebook, google reviews and product review.
My cat (Missy) has had lymphocyte cancer for 4 1/2 years. She’s on daily medication. About 6 weeks ago she became seriously unwell and was taken to Casey Pet Emergency overnight and t…
We should be able to trust the food we buy for our pets is safe and won’t hurt them, but a number of pet food products have been linked to death and life-threatening illnesses.
There’s currently a Senate Inquiry into the safety of pet food underway, and we want to make sure the Government fixes this industry for good.
Can you support our fight for safer pet food standards?
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Putting clothes on an animal is not something every pet owner would do,
except for keeping them warm or dry.
But recently pet fashion has progressed from practical to amusing: the sunglasses, and the football jersey, the little tiara, and the glitter studded collar.
Might be fun to do, and amusing to watch, but extra cover over their fur could get them overheated, or cause skin irritation, or make them uncomfortable and stressed.
I would really love to see standardisation & requirements of full disclosure of pet food nutritional analysis.
It appears very sloppy at present. So many only have 2 or 3 points & often as fed & without moisture that is next to useless. At the very least “require” full disclosure of essentials including dry matter or per 1000 k/cal on a manufacturer’s website.
For cats it is so important as the 2017 Choice wet cat food review shows. Though I imagine it is just as essential for Dog health.
Th…
I’m writing a story for Choice on pet healthcare, looking at advanced vet services. What was traditionally used by humans such as acupuncture, oncology treatments, endoscopies etc is now available for our pets, but can easily cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Pet insurance means that some people are now willing to spend higher amounts on their pets, but how much is too much to spend? One man paid $25,000 to remove a fungal infection from his cat, which prolonged it’s life by two or three …
Hi all,
Any one bought a cat door that lasted a long time? I’m after one for a 900mm external insulated wall in an the laundry extension currently being built and one for a solid wood door into said laundry. So we can shut the laundry and pet can still get out.
And thinking of a medium dog door that can be used by current little cat and also future dog.
I tried ideal pet doors but the doggie ones cannot be used by cat. The cat ones are just the plastic ones that are available everywhere else…
Pets are an important part of many Australian homes, and we’d like to know more about what you feed to your furry companion.
The range of pet food on offer has grown, from organic and raw to specialist science diets along with plenty of well-known brands from supermarkets. You might also use treats or even a DIY diet. Whatever it is, we’d like to hear about your experiences.
Leave a comment below and tell us what is on your pet’s menu. Feel free to share a pic of your pet too
I buy 2 x 15 kilo bags of Black Hawk Grain Free Kangaroo dry food for my dog at a time. A purchase a couple of months ago, ordered online, was delivered free to my door - Total for the 2 bags was under $200.
We are regional dwellers - live half an hour from Geelong, 90 minutes or so from Melbourne. We have a PETstock store 20 minutes away. I get PETstock emails offering specials on this dog food - I’ve tried to order, but it comes up as not available in Ocean Grove. I hunted down the address o…
I found a comparison of wet cat food but nothing for dogs. Am I missing it somewhere? I don’t want general information - I want actual comparisons of brands. I have checked out dust busters, fridges, computers etc etc but I only buy them once in a long while. Dog food is eaten by my dogs each day. I need a comparison please - can be awfully pricey stuff!! Many thanks.
Choice had a campaign about pet food ingredients. However, when my cat developed Diabetes, I realized that it is still very difficult to come up with a suitable low-carb diet by looking at the labels. Under the circumstances I had to turn to a Veterinary Diet. However, I am still unsure, whether it is really beneficial for the cat. I think there should be an independent body that approves such diets, so that consumers can be sure that they are doing the best for their pets.
Have you recently been the victim of a puppy scam? The CHOICE Editorial & Investigations team is working on an investigation into puppy scams, focusing in particular on the damage they have caused over the past few years.
The ACCC has reported these sorts of schemes, where aspiring dog owners pay up-front for puppies advertised online that never arrive, spiked at the beginning of the pandemic.
We want to see how much of a problem these scams are and hear the experiences of those affected, so w…
@Peterchu is one forum member who has pet industry expertise and they may be able to further add to any guidance you need.
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