Five Valentine’s Pet Safety Tips

Five Valentine's pet Safety Tips

It’s the month of love and we’re in full celebration mode at Pets in a Pickle HQ. We love celebrating with our furry friends, who give us reasons to smile all year round, and who love us just the way we are! 

Whilst we’re all for sharing the love, we do recommend you don’t share the chocolate…read our tips below to help keep your pets safe this Valentine’s month.

1. Beware of confectionery

A delicious selection of chocolates or a heart-shaped lolly might sound tasty to us, but they pose a big health risk to both dogs and cats! Methylxanthines in chocolate can affect their gastrointestinal and cardiac functioning making them potentially life-threatening and Xylitol in sweets can cause Hypoglycemia.

If you’re spoilt with something sweet this month, make sure to keep them in a secure place/container out of reach of curious pets! 

2. Watch out for flowers

Another Valentine’s Day staple…flowers! Gorgeous to look at but harmful to our pets. 

If you can give the sender a heads up to look for pet-friendly flowers or if they come to you by surprise check through them and remove harmful flowers such as Tulips, Lilies, some Roses (de thorn those that are safe) and Chrysanthemums.

Don’t forget our Pickle fam get 10% off pet-friendly bouquets at Zing Flowers! Get a quote today to access our range of Pickle Perk offers . 

3. Blow out your Candles

Candles are great for adding ambience for a romantic dinner but also pose a hazard for pets and their owners.

Open flames are dangerous around pets as they could accidentally knock them over or burn themselves if they get too close.

Never leave a burning candle unattended and if possible opt for fake candles.

4. Wrapping, bows and Packaging

Ribbons from chocolate boxes, confetti, balloons, tape the list goes on. These trimmings of Valentine’s celebrations are very interesting to our ever wondering cats and dogs but can get trapped in their airways and digestive tracts.

Remove and dispose of all packaging and decorations as soon as possible in a secure bin.

5. Alcohol

Last but not least – Alcohol. Before you pop that cork on the bottle of fizz you’ve been saving for tonight, make sure your pets are safely out of the room.

Avoid leaving half full glasses or bottles around on easy-to-reach surfaces and mop up any spills as soon as possible.

Alcohol is harmful to our furry pals, causing vomiting, tremors and lack of coordination and in extreme cases respiratory failure and comas.

Those are just a few watch outs  for this February (and all year round too).

We know things don’t always go as planned no matter how hard we try, but with a policy from us you can rest assured that your pets are protected. Bonus, as a policy holder you can access unlimited video consultations with trained vets via FirstVet.

If you haven’t already why not take out a free quote today!

We hope you and your pets have a wonderful, safe month this February, full of love and special moments.

Contact Pets in a Pickle

For more pet information and facts, check out the other news on Pets in a Pickle. To find out more about the range of policies, get in touch with the team today. Call them now on 0800 044 1111, or contact the team online here.

Follow Pets in a Pickle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

30 Name Ideas For Your New Kitten

30 Name Ideas For Your New Kitten

Are you welcoming a new curious kitten or laidback cat into your family soon?

Everything is in order on your checklist, not forgetting insurance of course – get a free quote today and join our Pickle pack! So, everything is ready… but you just can’t think of a name?

Worry not, we’ve picked out 30 purrfect popular kitty names for your feline friends, check them out below!

Our Female Cat Name Picks

Luna
Cleo
Lily
Willow
Chloe
 Tilly
Matilda
Olive
Heidi
Pickle
Freya
Tabitha
Suki
Mia
Elsa

Our Male Cat Name Picks

Milo
Alfie
Oscar
Merlin
Charlie
George
Marley
Gus
Jasper
Gizmo
Felix
Angus
Oreo
Ralph
Teddy

Luna was the name of the year for both Cats and Dogs, so if you’re looking for even more inspiration why not cross species and check out our top dog names too.

If these don’t quite fit why not think about your favourite food or flower? Colour or childhood tv show character? Let us know all your wonderful names over on our socials @petsinapickle!

Don’t forget, when getting a new cat you need to protect them like you would any member of the family. Check out our simple and easy to understand pet insurance policies and get a free quote today!

Contact Pets in a Pickle

For more pet information and facts, check out the other news on Pets in a Pickle. To find out more about the range of policies, get in touch with the team today. Call them now on 0800 044 1111, or contact the team online here.

Follow Pets in a Pickle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

5 Activities For You And Your Pet To Enjoy This Christmas

activities for you and your pet to enjoy this Christmas

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

One of the best things about Christmas is being able to take part in festive activities with our loved ones, and it’s even better when we can get our fur family involved too! 

Here are our top 5 activities for you and your pet to share in the run-up to Christmas 🎄: 

1. Winter Walk

As the weather gets colder and we move closer to the big day, all of us at Pets in a Pickle are hoping for a White Christmas! Even if we don’t get snow this year, taking a wintery walk with your best fur friend in the crisp air and winter sun can still be a great way to feel festive. 

Make sure both you and your pet wrap up warm as you take a walk through your local park or across country fields and take in the great scenery!  

Check out our top Winter Tips to help keep your pet safe during the colder months. 

2.  Pet friendly treats

A tasty Christmas tradition for many families is baking lots of Christmas cookies and treats that can be devoured on cosy winter evenings. Usually known for stealing food, why not get your pets involved this time with the prep!

Battersea has shared this great recipe on how to make some festive Peanut Butter and Banana treats for your dog to eat this year!  

It’s a great way to get your pooch involved with the festive fun while also keeping them safe from any harmful food they shouldn’t eat.  

For more information, make sure to read our article on keeping your pets healthy at Christmas which outlines our top food dos and don’ts for your pet. Want extra protection? Take out a policy with us and get access to unlimited video consultations with FirstVet 🐾 

3. Christmas carols

Having a singsong at Christmas is an old tradition but it’s one we love, so why not get your pets involved?

If your dog is one to howl at the radio or sing along with Happy Birthday, we think having them take part in some carolling is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.  

From ‘Jingle Bells’ to ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’, we can guarantee that when we are hitting those high notes our dogs are quick to join in! 

4.  Christmas presents

Christmas is the season of giving and when it comes to that joy of finding and wrapping the perfect gift or the exciting moment when the recipient opens their special present – we couldn’t deny our pets the fun! 

Our furry family members can get involved by helping to wrap gifts but we’re not sure how useful they’ll be!  

They may be better at unwrapping a gift…so why not treat them to something too. Check out our gift guide for dogs and cats. 

5. Festive movie nights

With so many great festive movies to watch over the holiday season, we couldn’t miss an opportunity to cuddle up in the evening with our fur-babies to watch a Christmas film.  

Our festive favourites include:  

  • The Grinch of course our most-loved character is Max the dog.  
  • A Gift From Bob which stars the gorgeous, ginger tabby, Bob. 
  • Gremlins, although we’re sorry to say we won’t be extending our insurance policies to include Mogwai. 
     

What did you think of our top 5 activities for you and your pet this Christmas? Let us know on our socials which ones you will be part-taking in.  

Or why not share any other activity suggestions you have? We’d love to hear them!  

Contact Pets in a Pickle

For more pet information and facts, check out the other news on Pets in a Pickle. To find out more about the range of policies, get in touch with the team today. Call them now on 0800 044 1111, or contact the team online here.

Follow Pets in a Pickle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Does The Age Of My Cat Or Dog Affect Insurance Premiums?

Does the age of my cat or dog affect insurance premiums?

Your pet is full of unconditional love for you, no matter how old they are. It is important that you care for your cat or dog by protecting them against any mishaps or illnesses that they might suffer from. 

Pets in a Pickle offer comprehensive, quality insurance for your four-legged friend. Some cat and dog owners think that because their pet is entering their golden years it will leave them out of pocket when it comes to taking out a policy. Whatever the age of the animal, it is important that they are covered in case they get themselves into a pickle!

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Lifetime pet insurance

If you’ve adopted or bought a kitten or puppy at a young age then one of the first things you should do is choose an insurance policy that works for you, and for them. Lifetime Insurance from Pets in a Pickle offers cover for your feline friend and canine companion over the course of their life.

New accidents and illnesses (conditions) are covered up to the specified financial limit in each policy term. If the limit is reached during the policy term, the cover stops until the policy is renewed. At the renewal date, the limit is fully reinstated, and the condition(s) will continue to be covered. 

🐾 This is subject to the insurer inviting the policy renewal and payment of premiums by the due date. No further cover will be provided beyond the cancellation or expiry date of the policy. Please be aware that you need to renew your policy each year for cover to remain in force. 

Naturally, over the years your furry friend is going to visit the vet more often. They may require treatments and medication as they are more likely to develop a health condition. 

The premium may increase each year due to rating factors such as age and claims made. If your pet suffers an illness during the policy term you may find it difficult obtaining cover for these conditions from other providers.

When you start your free quote with Pets in a Pickle, they ask for different information so that the team can provide you with the best insurance possible for you and your pet. 

This includes: 

  • the age of your cat or dog
  • the breed
  • whether it has been neutered/spayed 
  • if it has been chipped. 

Many factors go into calculating the cost of insurance, so don’t let your pet’s age put you off!

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Contact Pets in a Pickle

For more pet information and facts, check out the other news on Pets in a Pickle. To find out more about the range of policies, get in touch with the team today. Call them now on 0800 044 1111, or contact the team online here.

Follow Pets in a Pickle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.