The Magazine
Care guides, rescue stories and training tips — written and reviewed by the people and pros of NetForPet.
Five signs your cat is in pain
Cats hide pain extremely well, so the sign is almost never a noise. It is a small change in habit. Five things to look at, and what to bring to the appointment.
By NetForPet Editorial
My guinea pig has been sneezing for a few days and her breathing sounds crackly
Get her to an exotics or small-mammal vet within the day.
By NetForPet Editorial
My bearded dragon hasn't eaten for two weeks and just sits at the cool end
With a reptile that has stopped eating, the first suspect is almost always the enclosure, not the animal.
By NetForPet Editorial
Crate training without the guilt: a gentle 7-day plan
A crate isn't a cage — done right, it becomes your dog's favorite safe den. Here's a calm week-long plan.
By NetForPet Editorial
Reading Your Cat: Tail, Ears, Eyes and the Bite You Can See Coming
Cats are not subtle, only quiet. Learn the tail, the ears, the slow blink, the belly that is not an invitation, and the exact sequence that comes before a bite.
By NetForPet Editorial
My African grey has plucked her chest bare but her head is untouched — is she just bored?
Plucking is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and starting from boredom is exactly how the medical causes get missed for a year.
By NetForPet Editorial
Leash Reactivity: It Is Fear, Not a Fight
The lunging dog usually wants the other dog to go away, not to fight it. Distance is the medicine and the dose. Here is the threshold work, and why forcing a greeting backfires.
By NetForPet Editorial
My rabbit hasn't eaten since yesterday and there are no droppings in his tray — should I wait until morning?
Take him to a rabbit-experienced or exotics vet now — today, tonight, not in the morning.
By NetForPet Editorial
Senior pets: what changes, and what should not be ignored
Most of what we write off as old age is a specific, treatable problem. The four signs that deserve a vet visit this week, and the home changes that give a senior animal its life back.
By NetForPet Editorial
Adopting a Senior Pet: The Honest Case
Why an older animal is often the better match, what the medical and financial picture really looks like, and how to make a home work for stiff joints and old eyes.
By NetForPet Editorial
Crate and safe-space training that actually works
Build a den the animal chooses. A day-by-day ramp, the punishment mistake that ruins it, and the cat equivalent — a covered perch, high up.
By NetForPet Editorial
Do I really have to brush my pets' teeth, or are dental chews and a water additive enough?
Yes — brushing is the only home measure that reliably slows the plaque that turns into gum disease, and nothing on a shelf replaces it.
By NetForPet Editorial
How often should you really deworm your pet?
Puppies and kittens need worming often; adults, it depends on lifestyle. Here's a simple schedule you can actually keep.
By NetForPet Editorial
Should I neuter my Labrador at six months, or is it true that early neutering harms big breeds?
The flat rule of six months for every dog is out of date, so pausing was reasonable — but not because neutering is harmful.
By NetForPet Editorial
Do I really need flea, tick and worm treatment all year round — and can I split the dog's tube for the cat?
Take the cat out of that plan first, because this part is genuinely life and death: never put a dog's flea product on a cat, not even half of it.
By NetForPet Editorial
Why does my 8-week-old puppy need a whole series of shots, and can he go outside before they're finished?
The series exists because of his mother, not because one vaccine is weak.
By NetForPet Editorial
Heatstroke Kills Fast: What to Do in the First Ten Minutes
Heatstroke can kill in under an hour. The early signs owners miss, how to cool a pet safely on the way to the vet, and the two rules that are never worth breaking.
By NetForPet Editorial
Bringing home a rescue dog: the first 72 hours
The first three days set the tone for years. A calm, predictable start helps a rescue dog decompress and trust you.
By NetForPet Editorial
My budgie is puffed up with his eyes closed on the floor of the cage — what's wrong?
Take him to an avian or exotics vet today — now, wherever the nearest one is, even if it means a drive.
By NetForPet Editorial
My pet's gums look white and he seems weak — is that serious?
Go to an emergency vet now.
By NetForPet Editorial
Jumping Up and Barking at You: The Fix
Both are bids for attention, and you have been paying without noticing. Teach the opposite behaviour, survive the extinction burst, and know which barks are not about you at all.
By NetForPet Editorial
The pet sitter handover: what they actually need to know
A good sitter doesn't need your life story. They need amounts, timings, the medication written down, and a vet who will treat your animal without you standing there.
By NetForPet Editorial
Introducing Cats: The Slow Way Is the Only Way
Two cats put nose to nose on day one can hold a grudge for years. The proper introduction takes weeks — scent first, then food through a door, then sight, then contact.
By NetForPet Editorial
My pet is breathing fast with his mouth open and won't lie down — what do I do?
Go to an emergency vet now — put the phone down and drive.
By NetForPet Editorial
My cat was hit by a car but she's walking and grooming — do I really need to take her in?
Go tonight, not tomorrow morning — she needs to be seen now.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog overheated on a walk — he's cooling down and seems better, do I still need a vet?
Take him to a vet now, even though he seems to be improving.
By NetForPet Editorial
How to read a pet food label
The front of the bag is advertising. The back is regulated. Here is how to read it in two minutes — and why grain-free is not automatically better.
By NetForPet Editorial
Introducing a New Pet to the One You Already Have
Neutral ground, parallel walks, gates and resource management — plus the signs that mean slow down, and the ones that mean call a professional.
By NetForPet Editorial
Is my pet overweight? Do this with your hands
Body condition scoring takes thirty seconds and beats the scale. Then: why the feeding guide on the bag over-feeds, and how to cut calories without a hungry, miserable animal.
By NetForPet Editorial
I found a chewed-open packet and my pet seems totally fine — do I wait for symptoms?
Call your vet or your nearest emergency clinic now and go in.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog is having a seizure right now — what do I do?
If he is seizing right now, if he has had more than one seizure today, or if a seizure has run longer than about five minutes, this is an emergency: get to a vet or an emergency clinic now.
By NetForPet Editorial
The Pet First Aid Kit That Actually Gets Used
What to stock and why, how to read gums and capillary refill, how to move an injured animal — and the honest limits of what first aid can do.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog's belly is swollen and rock hard and he keeps trying to vomit but nothing comes out
Go to a vet or an emergency clinic now, tonight, and have someone phone the clinic from the car while another person drives, so the team is ready the moment you arrive.
By NetForPet Editorial
Travelling with your pet: the car, the plane, and when to leave them home
Some animals travel well and some should never fly. Here's how to condition a dog to the car, what flying really involves, and how to decide honestly.
By NetForPet Editorial
Your Indoor Cat Is Safe. Is She Bored?
Indoor cats live longer and do less. Here is the daily routine — two hunts, no food bowl, and vertical space — that turns a bored cat back into a busy one.
By NetForPet Editorial
Loose Leash Walking, Without the Arm Wrestling
Pulling works — that is the whole problem. Two drills, the right equipment, an honest timeline, and what to do about the walk you still have to take tonight.
By NetForPet Editorial
My vet says my Labrador is "a bit heavy", but I don't overfeed him and I'm not going to starve him
Start by finding out what he actually eats — not what you think he eats.
By NetForPet Editorial
My cat has suddenly started drinking loads of water — is it just the hot weather?
Go in, and ask for a blood and urine test.
By NetForPet Editorial
My 11-year-old cat is eating more than ever but she's getting bony — should I just be pleased?
Eating more while losing weight, in a middle-aged or older cat, is one of the clearest "get bloods this week" signs in the whole of feline medicine.
By NetForPet Editorial
My long-haired cat brings up a hairball almost every week — is that really normal?
Once a week is not normal, and your friend is right to push back.
By NetForPet Editorial
My cat has started peeing on the bath mat and on my bed — is he angry with me?
No — cats do not urinate out of spite, and house-soiling is a medical problem until a vet has said otherwise.
By NetForPet Editorial
Choosing the Right Shelter Dog, Not the One You Wish You Could Handle
Match the dog to the life you actually live this year. What kennel behaviour predicts, what it does not, and the questions that produce facts instead of adjectives.
By NetForPet Editorial
Puppy-proofing your home, room by room
The hazards owners genuinely miss — cables, handbags, string, houseplants, balcony gaps — and exactly what to do if something gets swallowed.
By NetForPet Editorial
My cat is licking her belly and inner thighs bald — everyone says it is stress. Is it?
Take her in.
By NetForPet Editorial
My normally sociable cat has been under the bed for two days and is barely eating — is she just sulking?
Two days of hiding plus two days of barely eating earns a vet appointment in the next day or so, not a wait-and-see.
By NetForPet Editorial
My cat keeps going in and out of the litter box, crying and straining, and nothing comes out — is he constipated?
Stop reading and take him to a vet or an emergency clinic right now, tonight — a male cat who is straining and producing no urine is very likely blocked, and a blockage kills.
By NetForPet Editorial
Foods That Poison Pets — and What to Do If Yours Just Ate One
Chocolate, xylitol, grapes, onion, macadamia, alcohol, cooked bones. Why a little bit is not automatically safe, and exactly what to tell your vet when you call.
By NetForPet Editorial
Moving house with a pet: the boxes, the day, and the first nights
Your pet doesn't move house — they watch theirs disappear. Here's how to make the boxes boring, the moving day safe, and the new place feel like home.
By NetForPet Editorial
Litter Box Problems, Solved
A cat straining in the box and producing nothing is an emergency. Once that is ruled out, house-soiling is usually a setup problem — and setup problems are fixable.
By NetForPet Editorial
My 13-year-old dog paces and stares at walls at 3am — is this just old age?
It might be canine cognitive decline, but just old age is the answer that gets treatable things missed.
By NetForPet Editorial
Teaching a Recall That Actually Holds
Your dog knows what “come” means. He also knows what it predicts — and that is why he ignores it. Here is how to make the word worth more than the squirrel.
By NetForPet Editorial
The vaccination schedule, explained
Core versus non-core, why puppies need a spaced series rather than one shot, and what a titre test can and cannot answer.
By NetForPet Editorial
Our gentle 8-year-old dog growled and snapped at my son for the first time — do we have to rehome him?
A sudden change in behaviour in a previously stable adult dog is a medical problem until proven otherwise.
By NetForPet Editorial
My 6-year-old dog hasn't eaten anything for two days — should I try a different food?
A dog who normally inhales his dinner and has eaten nothing for two days needs to be examined — not offered a different food.
By NetForPet Editorial
Saying goodbye: quality of life, and what the day actually involves
Most of the fear is fear of the unknown. Here's how quality-of-life scales work, what "more good days than bad" really means, and what happens on the day.
By NetForPet Editorial
Your Pet Just Went Missing: The First Hour
Most lost pets are still close by. What to do in the first sixty minutes — search patterns for cats and dogs, the scent trick, and the mistakes that push them further away.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog keeps shaking and trembling this evening — the house is warm and he doesn't seem scared
Trembling together with any of these — vomiting, wobbliness, twitching or jerking, a dazed look, a racing heart, or any chance at all that he got into something (a dropped pill, a mushroom in the g…
By NetForPet Editorial
Dental care that actually works
Periodontal disease is the most common diagnosis in adult pets. Here is the brushing ramp that works, what chews can and cannot do, and when to book a vet dental.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog keeps dragging his bottom across the carpet — does he really need his glands emptied every month?
Scooting means something is irritating that end of him, and the anal sacs are only one of the possibilities — a monthly squeeze is treating a suspect nobody has actually identified.
By NetForPet Editorial
Your first week with a new puppy
Sleep, toileting and what to actually worry about — an honest picture of the first seven days, and the mistakes that make week two harder.
By NetForPet Editorial
Fostering 101: What It Actually Asks of You
Fostering is not a lighter version of adopting. Here is the setup, the hard weeks, the foster-fail question, and why the goodbye is supposed to hurt.
By NetForPet Editorial
I found a small soft lump under my 7-year-old lab's skin — can I just keep an eye on it?
No — and the reason is simple: nobody can tell a benign lump from a malignant one by feel.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog has a dry honking cough, worse at night and when he pulls on the lead — is something stuck in his throat?
First, the line that overrides everything else: if his gums go blue, grey or purple, if he is working to breathe while resting, if he coughs up white froth, if he collapses, or if the cough started…
By NetForPet Editorial
My 5-year-old dog's breath is awful — I always thought dog breath was just normal?
It isn't normal.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog keeps shaking his head, his ear smells and there's brown gunk — can I just buy ear drops?
No — please don't put anything in that ear until a vet has looked inside it, and here is the honest reason why.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog scratches and chews his paws all night — is it a food allergy?
Probably not food — or rather, food is the last thing to test, not the first, and jumping straight to it is the most common wrong turn owners take.
By NetForPet Editorial
My 4-year-old suddenly held up a back leg after playing — can I just wait a few days?
Don't wait a few days — but you probably don't need to panic tonight either.
By NetForPet Editorial
My dog has been vomiting with watery diarrhoea for two days — could it be parvo or poisoning?
Most acute vomiting and diarrhoea in an otherwise healthy adult dog settles within a day or two, and the fact that he is still drinking and still himself is genuinely reassuring.
By NetForPet Editorial