Day: September 6, 2019

Otway comes to ScOTland

JOHN OTWAY, one of music’s best loved entertainers, a true maverick and the self-styled Greatest Rock ’n ’Roll failure, has been to most places.

Of course he’s played Scotland himself many times being a regular at the Edinburgh Festival not least. Remarkably, however, he has never ventured across the border with his band … but that is all about to change. Continue reading Otway comes to ScOTland

iPhones set to lose 30% of their value in the next week!

With the 2019 Apple Keynote just days away, consumers are eagerly awaiting the latest range of iPhones. So, if you’ve got an old iPhone, now is the time to sell, as new research reveals older handsets could be set to lose up 30% of their value in the coming days! Continue reading iPhones set to lose 30% of their value in the next week!

Warmer homes? Send for the Q-Bots!

Q-Bot technology has recently been added to the range of energy efficiency measures offered under Warmer Homes Scotland – the Scottish Government’s national scheme for improving energy efficiency in homes who are in or at risk of fuel poverty.

The scheme’s Managing Agent, Warmworks Scotland, has now confirmed that the technology, a unique robot that is controlled via remote control, will be used to insulate the area underneath suspended timber floors, thus creating a warmer, more comfortable home, with fewer draughts, more even temperatures, and a reduced risk of damp or mould. Continue reading Warmer homes? Send for the Q-Bots!

Last chance to enter national Pet Survivor competition

PDSA wants to know if your pet has beaten death by a whisker

Time is running out for owners to enter their furry companions into vet charity PDSA’s Pet Survivor awards, which celebrate those family pets who have survived serious injury or illness against all the odds. Entries close at midnight on Sunday (8 September). Continue reading Last chance to enter national Pet Survivor competition

Hazel takes ‘a wee wander’ in aid of Talking Books for the blind

Hazel Kelly from Corstorphine went on a ‘wee wander’ on Monday. Hazel walked a six-mile circuit of Inverleith Park and the Botanic Gardens to raise funds for a local charity drive very close to her heart, Corstorphine Community Talking Books. Continue reading Hazel takes ‘a wee wander’ in aid of Talking Books for the blind

Waiting time figures highlight need for urgent action to tackle child mental health crisis

  • The NHS in Scotland failed to meet a maximum 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from mental health services
  • More than 3 in 10 are waiting more than 18-weeks for treatment.
  • 12 out of 14 health boards failed to meet the 18-week waiting time target:
    • NHS Fife, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian, NHS Tayside, NHS Borders, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Orkney, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley, NHS Shetland and NHS Forth Valley
  • 151 children and young people waited more than a year prior to being seen for treatment, three times that for the same quarter of last year.
  • More than one in five referrals for treatment are rejected.
  • Figures show only 0.53 per cent of NHS expenditure is spent on CAMHS, less than 7 per cent of the mental health budget.
  • Coalition calls for fundamental rethink and renewed focus on prevention and early intervention, including embedding mental health within education.

Continue reading Waiting time figures highlight need for urgent action to tackle child mental health crisis

Social social media messaging can lead to significant health benefits for young people, research finds

A new study led by a research team from Queen’s University Belfast, in partnership with University of Southern California, has found social media messaging, such as Facebook posts and sponsored ads, have a significant positive effect on a range of teenage health behaviors. Continue reading Social social media messaging can lead to significant health benefits for young people, research finds

Plunge in vaccination numbers is a ticking time bomb for pets, vet charity warns

Over 7 million UK pets at risk of suffering and disease through lack of vaccination, PDSA’s latest PAW Report finds

Latest findings from leading vet charity PDSA reveal a record decline in the number of young pets receiving their vaccinations, leaving many of Scotland’s pet population unprotected and exposed to potentially fatal diseases.

The 2019 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report, the largest report of its kind, found the number of UK pets receiving their primary vaccinations when young – which protect pets from deadly diseases and viruses – has dropped dramatically from 84% in 2016 to 66% in 2019, an 18 percentage point decrease in just three years. This could leave over 7 million pets unprotected. 

Findings from the 2019 PAW Report also show that one third (32%) of UK pets aren’t receiving regular booster vaccines, which keep them protected from potentially fatal diseases.

Of those UK pet owners who hadn’t vaccinated their pet, 17% said that they deemed it ‘too expensive’, an additional 17% said their pet didn’t come into contact with other animals. Other explanations included 16% who felt it was ‘unnecessary’, while other pet owners (13%) said that their ‘pet found going to the vets very stressful’.

The worrying findings coincide with growing hesitancy towards vaccinations in children, renewing One Health concerns that an “anti-vax” phenomenon – scepticism towards the safety and efficacy of vaccines – could be directed towards pets as well as children.

Falling vaccination rates have been cited by the World Health Organisation as one of the top ten threats to global health**. In 2019, the UK lost its measles-free status, three years after the virus was eliminated in the country.

Commenting on the findings, PDSA Senior Vet, Sean Wensley, said: “It’s extremely worrying to see such a decline in the number of young pets receiving their primary vaccinations.

“Vaccinations have helped to protect millions of pets from serious diseases such as parvovirus, cat flu and Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease. If people don’t vaccinate we risk seeing a rise in extremely unpleasant, preventable, diseases that can cause considerable animal suffering and death.”

Sean adds: “In addition to the vaccination findings, the PAW Report found there has been a decline in owners who feel informed about all of their pets’ 5 Welfare Needs – the five things that all pets need to be healthy and happy – contributing to  millions of our much-loved pets  not  having their basic needs met.

“For example, 1.9 million dogs (19%) are left alone for five or more hours every day and 1.3 million dogs (13%) aren’t walked every day, increasing the risks of obesity and poor mental wellbeing linked to isolation and boredom.

The PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report has monitored pet welfare issues across the UK for the last nine years, surveying over 73,500 people in this time. Produced in conjunction with YouGov, the PAW Report provides a robust insight into the lives of pet dogs, cats and rabbits across the UK.

Key findings from the 2019 PDSA PAW Report:

  • More Scottish owners (80%) had heard of the Animal Welfare Acts than the UK average (74%)
  • Scottish dogs get more daily walks – just 5% have one walk or less daily, compared to the UK average (12%)
  • 18 percentage point drop in proportion of UK pets who’ve received a primary vaccination course when young over the last three years
  • 3 in 4 UK pet owners don’t realise the true cost of keeping a pet (75% of pet owners guessed lower than the estimated minimum monthly cost for their pet)
  • 2 in 10 UK dogs left home alone for too long (19% of dogs left alone for five or more hours every day)
  • Half of all UK rabbits live in ‘solitary confinement’ (49% of rabbits live alone with no other rabbit for company)
  • 99,000 UK dogs (1%) never get walked.

PDSA is calling for owners to complete their online quiz to share their thoughts on the health and happiness of their own much-loved pets. There’s also a chance to win a hamper worth £200! https://bit.ly/2luGzE7

Other concerning findings from PDSA’s latest PAW Report, which the charity believes is leading to unnecessary misery for the UK’s pets, include:

  • 31% of dog owners, 56% of cat owners respectively aren’t aware of their pet’s current weight or body condition score, meaning millions don’t know if their pet is overweight and suffering in silence
  • 43% of cats live in a multi-cat household, when cats generally prefer to live alone.
  • Bunnies are highly misunderstood pets and 25% are homed in inappropriate, small hutches where they are unable to exercise and show natural behaviours.
  • 26% of owners fail to feed their rabbits hay as part of their main diet, and 21% are fed inappropriate ‘muesli-style’ food, both of which can cause serious dental and weight problems in the UK’s bunnies.

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