A Dog's Life with Anna Webb

We’re joined by Artist and Author, Barry Stebbing, who is talking about his first novel, Cedric - Footprints in the Sand. Based on a true story and inspired by Sir Edwin Landseer’s iconic paining of a black and white Newfoundland dog housed in the Tate in London, Barry brings the unknown back story of a Newfoundland named Bob - renamed as Cedric in this captivating book, which fuses fact and fiction to bring the painting to life. Capturing the life in the Victorian era as so different from ours, yet with similarities highlighting the human condition, with the constant of dogs as featuring in our lives as man’s best friend. Cedric - Footprints in the Sand is a tribute to a very brave dog that saved 23 people from drowning in an age when traveling by sea inevitably caused ship wrecks and huge loss of life. Barry lets his imagination flow with fictitious almost Dickensian characters that become real, with their lives shaped by this unsung hero, Cedric and his immense bravery until the very end.

We’re joined by Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor for Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC and co-founding ICECDogs member. We’re chatting about the ICECDogs - the International Collaborative on Extreme Conformations in Dogs. Particularly discussing the recently published position paper, the aim of which is to help owners to recognise good innate health in dogs. The paper was heavily informed by research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). The first of its kind, it provides a guide for animal caregivers, and the wider public, to identify healthy natural physical characteristics in dogs and to predict and assess potential health and welfare based on body shape. This will help anyone who cares about dogs to understand how likely a dog is to suffer from negative impacts resulting from an extreme conformation. Dr Dan explains that no dog owner ever wants an unhealthy dog, but the huge popularity of dogs with extreme conformations suggests that many owners have not fully grasped the link between body shape and quality of life for dogs.  The aim to raise awareness at all levels  - owners, prospective owners, breeders,  and underline that dogs should be dogs,  and not click bait on social media.

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We’re joined by Dr Lise Hansen who returns to chat about her award winning book: “The Complete Book of Cat & Dog Health” and why this book provides clear accessible advice for owners to understand the four main areas of pet care: Diet, Vaccinations, Parasite control, and Neutering. We’re also chatting about the new Vaccination guidelines just announced by the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association). As a step forward in further highlighting the role of Titre Tests as a tool to manage your dog’s immunity, rather than simply over vaccinating. And deciding when is the right time to give puppy shots for a lifetime of immunity. 

Where do you go to find out more about health and longevity for your dog?

I’m chatting to Pet Industry Nutrition consultant, Caroline Griffiths, who is the  founder of the Natural Dog Expo.

Discussing why Caroline’s track record of delivering events that helps empower pet owners / guardians to help transfer their human health values to their dogs.

And why I’m excited to host this year’s event with an impressive line -up of world class speakers!

Whether owners/guardians have been ‘burnt’ in the past perhaps by over medication, the long-terms effects of an overly processed sterile diet, or by discovering too late that dogs’ do not need annual booster vaccinations. 

Ultimately the Natural Dog Expo offers a community of like-minded people, driven by their passion for health, overall wellness and longevity.

Its aim is to help people navigate the sector highlighting why natural solutions work, where to look, what their dog needs and who to trust. 

The conference delegates attend in real life including Dr Brendan Clarke, Dr Carol Hughes, Dr Adele Fitzpatrick BSc MRCVS and internationally acclaimed clinical canine Herbalist, Rita Hogan.

Plus 10 online sessions are also included in the delegate package with leaders in their field,  including: 

Vince the Vet
Dr Pat White
Dr Tom Lonsdale BVetMed, MRCVS, 
Dr Sue Armstrong, MA VetMB VetMFHom CertIAVH MRCVS RsHom
 

Anna and Mr Binks visit Hackney Barkers, a grooming and wellness experience in Hackney, London. Chatting to the founder Jade Georgiou we talk about qualifications in grooming, how diet affects the skin and coat, along with behaviour. The vibe of the salon is very zen supported by natural products Jade has selected as well as some supplements from The Herbal Dog Co. Emphasising the need to offer a calm environment, the salon is boutique with only two dogs being groomed at a time, keep the noise and hustle and bustle to a minimum. We chat about how Jade competed at international grooming events, with Poodles, Kerry Blue’s, Welsh Terriers and many more, combining  her knowledge of nutrition and behaviour and years of experience having grown up with German Shepherds. We discuss the hot topic of Poodle versus Doodle, and why its a shame we rarely see a Poodle anymore!