Walking Paws Ipswich

23/06/2026

☀️🐶 Hot Weather & Dogs – Please Take Care! 🐶☀️

With temperatures rising this week, it's important to remember that heatstroke can be fatal for dogs, especially puppies, senior dogs, and brachycephalic (flat faced) breeds.

🚨 Signs of heatstroke include:
🐾 Excessive panting or drooling
🐾 A racing heart
🐾 Red, blue, or purple gums
🐾 Lethargy
🐾 Collapse

If you suspect your dog is suffering from heatstroke:
❄️ Move them to a cool area immediately
💧 Offer small sips of cold water
🧊 Place them on a cool, damp towel
💦 Wet them with cold water as much as you can
🐾 Cool their paws and legs
☎️ Contact your vet straight away

✋️ Remember 'WET THEN VET'

Keeping Your Dog Cool:
✅ Provide plenty of shade
✅ Ensure fresh water is always available
✅ Use cooling mats, cooling vests, or cooling bandanas
✅ Wet a towel for your dog to lie on
✅ Use fans or air conditioning where possible
✅ Set up a paddling pool with cool (not warm) water
✅ Feed frozen treats or meals
✅ Avoid strenuous exercise and walks during the hottest parts of the day

⚠️ Remember: if it's too hot for you, it's probably too hot for your dog.

Swap Walks for Enrichment

Mental stimulation can be just as tiring as physical exercise!

Try:
🧠 Short training sessions
🧠 Free work activities
🧠 Puzzle toys
🧠 Scent games

Easy homemade enrichment ideas:
🐶 Put food inside a toilet roll tube and fold the ends
🐶 Hide food in a kitchen roll tube with paper stuffed at each end
🐶 Place food inside an egg box and close it
🐶 Wrap food in newspaper and scrunch it up
🐶 Roll treats up inside a tea towel

Stay safe, stay cool, and give your dogs an extra cuddle from us! 💛

17/09/2025

‼️UPDATE: We have been inundated with and incredible amount of beautiful blankets, so thank you so much to each and every one of you for sharing and donating! 🤩 We are now beyond fully stocked and are actually unable to take anymore due to storage ❗️Please consider donating to other charities that may be in need of these instead 😊

We’ve run out of large and warm blankets! 😫

Our kennel team are making an appeal for large blankets that help to keep our dogs warm and snuggly, especially as the weather is getting colder.

We’re usually fully stocked but have recently run out, and with our shelves looking empty we really need your help!

If you have large blankets sitting in your cupboards that you never use please consider donating them to our dogs ❤️‍🩹

You can drop them off at our rehoming centre in Martlesham (2 Mill Lane, IP12 4PD).

Please note: we do not need towels, only blankets - thank you so much! 🐾💙

16/09/2025

We wanted to make our clients aware we’ve had a case of seasonal canine illness
(SCI)🌳

For those who aren’t familiar with SCI, it is rare condition, characterised by rapid onset vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy. Signs usually start within 24-48 hours of being walked in a woodland area. With prompt treatment most dogs recover but without supportive care dogs can rapidly become dehydrated which in severe cases may be life threatening. Cases are seen most commonly through the autumn months. Puppies and older dogs are often more severely affected. Whilst not every woodland area in the UK is affected, unfortunately Rendlesham and Tunstall Forests are known hotspots. Frustratingly the definitive cause of SCI is unknown, but research suggests harvest mites may play a role.

To the naked eye harvest mites look like very tiny orange dots. They are most often
found right up between your dog’s toes and in a small pocket in their ear flap. Whilst not every dog who has harvest mites will get SCI we recommend checking your dog regularly for harvest mites, especially if walking in woodland areas. Harvest mites may be prevented/treated with a Fipronil spray. If you would like further information on this please call your local branch for further advice.
However it’s important to note, whilst harvest mites may be involved the research is inconclusive, so during the autumn months we would still advise owners exercise caution when considering walking in Rendlesham or Tunstall forests, especially if your dog is under a year old, elderly, or suffering with other health issues. If possible, it is recommended to avoid the forests altogether until after the first frost.

If you have any further questions on seasonal canine illness please call your local branch on the numbers below:

Woodbridge: 01394 380083
Ipswich: 01473 274040
Felixstowe: 01394 284554
Rendlesham: 01394 420964

09/09/2025

I’m now taking bookings for autumn pet portrait commissions - so if you're thinking of a special Christmas gift, now’s the time to get in touch.

Each portrait is painted in oils from your photographs, capturing the little things that make your pet so recognisable and loved.

Drop me a message if you'd like more information - I'd love to paint your dog, cat or horse.

👉 Find out more here: https://laurabeardsellmoore.com/pages/pet-portraits

04/09/2025