Here’s the full press release we have sent out to raise awareness for the petition;

In a recent survey just 11 per cent of pet owners said that they found buying pet insurance easy and straightforward, with over 65 per cent saying that variations in phrases and policy specific terms were the source of confusion.

www.ComparePetCare.co.uk is a website that aims to enable pet owner’s quick and easy comparison of the pet insurance policies available in the UK.

The site was created by web designer Greg Findley who experienced the confusing policy sales tactics when searching for pet insurance for his family’s pets.

Greg Findley commented, “Each insurer seems to have their own catalogue of sales phrases and buzzwords to sell their policies, trying to compare policies alongside each other becomes a headache as it’s hard to truly understand what is and isn’t included.”

“Our recent survey of pet owners just confirmed what we had suspected, finding and buying pet insurance is not an easy process. We found that 44 per cent of the people we asked simply started their policy based on recommendation from a friend. With just eight per cent referring to the Defaqto rating system when researching policies”.

Compare Pet Care is encouraging pet owners who have found buying pet insurance to be a confusing process to sign the petition at: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/petinsurance/. It’s hoped that with enough support we can pressure the leading insurance companies to agree on some common policy phrases to make buying pet insurance an easier process.

We’ve already updated our Twitter account with the survey link and had 20 responses in, it’s fair to say the results make interesting reading! Once we’ve had a good number of completed surveys in, we’ll collate all the data and make a post about our findings.

Hopefully it will enable us to help you compare pet insurance more easily and efficiently in the future, thanks for reading.

1. At this time of year it’s likely that you’ll have a bottle of anti-freeze around the house or garage, make sure the bottle cap is tightly screwed on and the bottle is away in a cupboard and off ground level. Unfortunately propylene glycol, which is very palatable to animals, is also toxic and highly poisonous, causing diarrhoea, sickness, fits and even fatal kidney failure.

2. Wash your dog’s paws after walks on roads that have been de-iced with salt. The salt can dry your dog’s paws out, making them sore and likely to crack which will irritate your dog leaving them to chew them once home. Washing with warm water and drying after will remove any salt they’ve picked up on the walk.

3. If you’re dog is a fan of eating snow & ice, try to prevent them as best you can, excessive amounts will upset their stomach.

4. Keep your dog’s claws short and the hair between the pads short to stop snow sticking to their paws; this will also help prevent balls of ice forming on their paws which can be uncomfortable. Short claws will also help increase their stability as longer claws are more likely to slip on the ice.

5. If you have a small or skinny dog, consider buying them a winter coat, this will prevent them from any shivers in what has become the UK’s coldest winter for 30 years.

6. Some dog’s hate the snow altogether, which can be a problem in just getting them to go to the toilet in the garden, let alone a walk. In these cases make sure you take your dog out into the garden, if you don’t its likely there will be an accident at home. Clear them a snow free space in the garden if necessary so they can go, and buy them a coat if it’s the temperature not the snow! If they really want to go for a walk, but hate the snow, try keeping them active with a ball and games inside for a few days, a much better alternative than trying to drag them around on the ice, dangerous for both you and your best friend.

7. It may seem obvious, but another point worth a mention, make sure your walk doesn’t go too close to any frozen ponds, lakes or rivers, if you do need to go past them keep your dog on the lead so they can’t run onto the frozen water and injure themselves.

8. Don’t leave your dog outside in the cold for long periods of time and try to limit their time in the cold temperatures, especially important if your dog is ill in anyway.

9. Towel or blow-dry your dog if they get wet from the rain or snow, especially important for thick coated breeds as this will help prevent colds or even worse, frostbite.

Whilst a lot of these tips may seem obvious, it’s sad to see how many pets can become ill in this climate and weather, please let your friends know about these tips, if this post helps just one pet then it’s been worth mentioning.

Sam’s owner, Mary Stadelbacher, explains where the inspiration for giving Sam his own canvas came from “I saw dolphins painting and elephants painting, so I thought why not a dog?”.

You can read more about this amazing story on the following news story links;

The Sun Article

Telegraph Article

• Close the curtains/blinds so the bright flashes don’t startle your pet.
• If your dog is of a nervous disposition, try to minimize time spent in the garden, ensure you let them out just before it gets dark to avoid them needing to go out when fireworks will be at their busiest!
• Put on a radio or TV louder than usual to help cover the loud noises.
• Lock your cat flap so they don’t get caught outside, if they are outside when fireworks start it’s more than likely they will find somewhere to hide and not return until a lot later. Giving both you and your cat a restless night!
• Try and remain calm yourself,  if you keep checking on them and fussing they will sense that there is something to fear.
• If your dog gets stressed and begins to claw at the carper or furniture in attempt to dig a hole, don’t raise your voice as this will only make the situation ten times worse.
• Cats tend to find a hiding spot behind a sofa or under a bed, leave them here as bringing them out for cuddles won’t help them feel any safer.

If you know your cat is going to react badly to fireworks and become stressed you may wish to help ease this with a product called Feliway, which is available as a spray and plug-in diffuser.

From high-street chain stores to small companies, restaurants to publicans the RSPCA Awards reflect good animal welfare from the companies against a strict list of criteria set out by the  independent panel of industry experts.

The Award winners for 2009 were;

• The Co-operative (RSPCA People’s Choice award)
• George at Asda (Large Fashion company)
• Neon Collective (Small Fashion company)
• Lush (Large Cosmetics Company)
• The Gamrie Goat (Small Cosmetics Company)
• Restaurant Alimentum (Independent Restaurant)
• The Duke of Cambridge (Pub)
• Edge & Son (Independent Food Retailer)

In addition, McDonald’s, Abel & Cole, Sainsbury’s, The Feathers Inn, Bulldog, Marks and Spencer, New Look and Finisterre were also recognised for an ongoing commitment to animal welfare.

Congratulations to the winners, it’s great to see a mix of large companies and independents picking up the recognition for their efforts, let’s hope they all continue to raise the profile and awareness of animal welfare in the UK!

Most pet insurers give you a discount for applying online which usually varies from 5%-20%. Other pet insurance deals include prize draws, four weeks free insurance, 50% off prescription diet foods, multi pet discounts and recommend a friend bonuses.

One of the most beneficial offers, for pet owners who use prescription diets, would be the 50% off these diets as they can be expensive in comparison to normal foods. Pet Protect are the only insurers currently running this offer.

Regardless of the excellent offers available the most important thing to consider is that the policy matches your requirements, it’s too easy to be enticed by an offer for the short term benefit and then find a few years down the line that a particular condition isn’t covered. Read all the policy terms and conditions before proceeding with a new policy, this is the most important thing to remember when comparing pet insurance, no matter how good the offer is!

Check out their policy offerings for dog insurance and cat insurance here at Compare Pet Care!

It’s good to see pets getting a more humane travelling service on planes, rather than being kept in the cargo storage hold. Pet Airways is currently trialling the service in 5 US Cities, with prices starting at $150/£92, if the trial continues to be a success the airline will roll the sevice out to other areas of the United States.

For more information view the BBC News Video and the Pet Airways website.