Animals news

Flea treatments for pets that are fatal for birds | Letters

04-02-2025 18:37

Karoline Kuprat was disappointed by her vet’s response when she asked for alternatives to deadly pesticides, and Roy Smith says all vets must start to educate pet owners about responsible use of pesticidesI was upset about the findings in your article that pet fur found in songbird nests contains a high level of pesticides that get there because pet owners like me try to keep our dogs and cats free of fleas and ticks (Songbirds being killed by pesticides found in pet fur flea treatmen

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Dogs exposed to household chemicals more likely to get cancer, study finds

04-02-2025 14:00

Markers of bladder cancer found in canines with higher levels of exposure to chemicals such as flame retardantsDogs with higher levels of exposure to chemicals in common household products are more likely to have bladder cancer, new research suggests, and that may also have implications for humans who live in the same homes and have genetic similarities to their pets.Duke University researchers affixed silicone devices that collected chemicals for five days on more than 100 dogs’ collars.

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Norway rules out fish farm ban despite ‘existential threat’ to wild salmon

04-02-2025 09:43

Open-net farms to continue despite numbers of wild fish halving as minister looks for ‘acceptable’ pollution levels Norway’s environment minister has ruled out a ban on open-net fish farming at sea despite acknowledging that the wild North Atlantic salmon is under “existential threat”.With yearly exports of 1.2m tonnes, Norway is the largest producer of farmed salmon in the world. But its wild salmon population has fallen from more than a million in the early 1980s

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A year into the XL bully ban, one thing is clear: it is not the solution to dog attacks | Elle Hunt

04-02-2025 09:00

The legislation is confusing and may actually increase the risks. There is an answer, but it involves improving human behaviourCall it a tale of two puppies. You can tell a lot about 2020s Britain by looking at its two defining “designer” dogs: the cavapoo (or spoodle, or any of the other poodle-crosses), and the American XL bully.Both took off in popularity with a surge in dog ownership during the pandemic, prompting unscrupulous breeders to cash in on the demand; and both have been

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Country diary: Foxes are seeking mates. And the evidence is everywhere | Nicola Chester

04-02-2025 06:30

Newbury, Berkshire: From tracks in the snow to musky scent markings to vixens screaming in the night, it is hard to ignore fox mating seasonThe sensory presence of foxes is woven through my days and nights lately – sightings, sound, smells, evidence. It is the mating season and, being largely solitary creatures, they are advertising their presence to one another in a manner hard to ignore; in a way that carries across dark, silent miles or cuts through the fumes of urban traffic. Foxy scen

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