ST HELENS pet owners are being offered free expert advice by leading pet charity PDSA Nurses on Wednesday, September 5.

Owners can go along to Pets at Home on Ravenhead Retail Park between 10am and 5pm to ask any health questions they may about their pet.

A nurse will be on hand to offer tips and guidance to local owners on how to keep pets happy and healthy.

This comes following a PDSA Animal Welfare (PAW) Report which showed more than 10 million pets are missing out on key health and welfare requirements.

The report highlighted that the two main issues are obesity and behavioural problems, most of which are caused unintentionally.

In the North West, 67% of owners admitted to feeding pets fat-filled treats such a crisps, cake and takeaways and in most cases, on a daily basis.

Overall these feeding habits are fuelling an obesity epidemic and are being linked to potentially causing fatal illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.

More than half of the dog owners (55per cent) never took their pet to training classes in the first six months, which is now being linked with behaviour issues later in life.

PDSA Pet Wellbeing Nurse, Nathan Booth, said: “The findings from the PAW Report highlight the fact that there is a real need to provide advice and support to owners to help them have a deeper understanding of their pet’s needs and how to meet them.

“I hope plenty of people take advantage of this new service and come along to visit us – it would be lovely to see as many pet owners as possible.”

Dog owners can also take their pooch down to have a dog ‘MOT’ by the nurse. Micro-chipping and nail-clipping will also be on offer for a small fee.