We’ve now seen vets, charities and celebrities come together as part of the campaign to warn of the dangers of buying puppies, kittens, cats and dogs from unscrupulous sellers, following a rise in demand for pets since lockdown. #Petfostering has also flourished during Covid-19, however shelters and rescue centres are preparing themselves for a time when pets are returned or given up due to the financial hardships of the current crisis.

 With such a high demand for pets, it is more important than ever that those looking to buy or adopt a pet take the right steps to ensure they are getting their pet from the right place. Measures can include researching the sellers name to ensure they are credible, asking to see the mother of your puppy or kitten as well as the animal’s health records to date. Sadly, pets reared and sold through third-party sellers are often mistreated from a very young age and raised in low-welfare conditions – this means that the pets are more likely to suffer from long-term illnesses or even may need to be put down.

 Visit getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk to find out what we can all do to make sure our pets come from a happy and healthy environment. 

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This article was originally published on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-make-sure-our-pets-come-from-happy-healthy-tracey-massey/ 

Tracey Massey is the Global President of Mars Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars Petcare.