Racing events.

We are now well into the racing season, the races have been fast and furious (well some of them anyway) and the Challenge Cup is still wide open. The weather has presented some problems which have caused a few changes to plan. On one occasion a particularly warm forecast demanded a cancellation and the probability of rain forced another event to be moved indoors, we have also been known to grab the last remaining vacant shade on one site.

All of this has seen a welcome swelling of Club funds which, in due course, will be made available to our selected beneficiary rescues. None of this could have been achieved without  the splendid and most welcome attendance of our regular race supporters, but we seriously need to see further assistance (see Swallowfield Show below) from our other members, particularly from anyone who has not yet tried the racing scene. It would also be good to see some more competion for the Challenge Cup. We do have spare show cages which can be loaned and so not having one of your own need not be a problem, just let us know beforehand.

Foods to avoid.

A big thank you to the North Hampshire Ferret Club who have allowed me to quote from their recently circulated list of foods NOT to be fed to ferrets. Some are well known, but having made a mistake in the past, some of the list does bare repetition:

Cooked Bones: ‘the cooking process makes bones hard and indigestible and prone to forming sharp fragments’.

Fruit and Vegetables: ‘avoid hard raw vegetables such as carrots which can form intestinal obstructions’.

Sugar Free Things Which Contain XYLITOL: ‘Anything that contains xylitol and is sugar free is toxic to dogs, cats and ferrets’. Look for it in chewable vitamins, gum or tooth paste.

Grapes: ‘also toxic to dogs, cats and ferrets, excess consumption will cause kidney failure’. As I know to my cost this item also includes the grape derivatives such as currants and sultanas.

These four are just some of the, perhaps, less obvious foods to be avoided. Please advise if you would like to see the full list of nine such items.

Swallowfield Show (27-28 August)

This delightful local show is in need of your support. Although open to the public from 09.00 any support during either day would be most welcome. Please contact Nick Walklet, Derek Harding or David Jones.

Compiled by David Jones