A valued part of the family

New research released last month has shown Australians are pet obsessed.

A survey of over 1000 pet owners across Australia has uncovered some of the often extravagant lengths that owners will go to for their pets.

• More than one in three pets feature on social media, with 395,000 pets having their own social media channel
• Over half of pet owners buy their pet a Christmas present
• A third speak to their pet in baby talk
• 26% have bought clothing or accessories for their pet
• 22% of pet owners have considered or used specialist treatments, such as massage, dietitian, naturopathy, psychologists and/or yoga
• Nearly half of pet owners let their pet sleep on the bed

Australia has one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world. 63% of Australian households own a pet and it seems they are a valued member of the family with 48% of pet owners treating their pet like a child.

Mr Jingles

We got Mr Jingles, a lovely little puppy last year. Recently we had to move (rather quickly) and unfortunately Mr Jingles couldn’t come with us 🙁 We have him in foster care (at Nanna’s) till we can sort something out. He’s loving it there because she has such a big backyard for him to run around in. The whole situation has been very, very hard for us because Mr Jingles is one of the family.

The research from Frontline Plus certainly highlights the devotion Australians have for their pets but unfortunately it has also highlighted that many pet owners aren’t getting the basics of pet care right when it comes to flea and tick prevention. Although many Aussie pet owners spoil their cats and dogs only 48% of dog owners treat their pets regularly enough to prevent a flea infestation on their pet or in their home.

What I find most disturbing is that many owners just aren’t aware that they live in a tick zone (see the map below).

 

Paralysis Tick Zone in Australia

 

A third of dog owners who live in a tick zone have had a dog (or a dog owned by someone they know) die from a paralysis tick. Frontline Plus is the leading brand for protecting cats and dogs  against fleas when applied monthly and it’s effective at preventing paralysis ticks on dogs when applied fortnightly. Dog owners who live near the coast in New South Wales, Queensland and some parts of Victoria need to treat every two weeks to protect against paralysis ticks. Cat owners in these areas should used Frontline Spray every 3 weeks to protect against paralysis ticks. Pet owners not living in paralysis tick zones should treat monthly to manage fleas and other types of ticks. If in doubt, check with your veterinarian.

According to this research only 1 in 8 dogs get fortnightly tick protection. 23% do not use a tick protection product and 65% are using a tick product but are using it incorrectly.

If you want more information on how to protect your dog or cat from ticks and fleas visit www.frontlineplus.com.au. You can download the FREE PET CHECK app to keep track of all your pet’s important information, reminders and vet appointments.

 

 Competition is now closed.

Congrats to Instagram user @jbmarigold who is the winner with an entry and pic of her cute pooch Dex!

To help protect your furry friend I have a 6 Pack of Frontline Plus (for large dogs, as pictured below) valued at $92 to giveaway!

 

I’ve just joined Instagram (follow me at @mummahh.com.au) so you can enter two ways:

• leave a comment below telling me your best (funniest, cutest etc) ‘pet moment’

or

• instagram your favourite pic of your pet with the following: This my fave pic because…….. #protectmypet @mummahh.com.au

If you enter via Instagram, be sure to include both the the hashtag and tag (@mummahh.com.au) and a caption telling me why it’s your favourite pet pic.

Feel free to enter both ways if you like!

Competition closes Sunday 28 September. Full T&C’s can be found here.

 

Good luck

Disclaimer and research details: This is a not a sponsored post. However I did receive 2 x 6 Packs of Frontline Plus.I chose to try one pack on Mr Jingles and the other I have offered as a prize to my readers. Regardless of the sample received the opinions expressed are completely my own. In regards to the research on pet obsession, it was conducted by Galaxy Research via an online survey of 1,005 pet owners aged 18-64 years. The sample was drawn in proportion to the population by age and gender within state from an online panel of over 300,000 Australians. The data has been weighted to latest ABS population estimates. Research on Tick Treatment (how cat and dog owners are treating their pets and if they are doing it correctly) was conducted in February 2014 (by IPSOS ASI) among 746 Australians aged 25-70 years who own a dog or a cat, which they have treated for fleas or ticks in the last 12 months.