Welcome to AgriPet UK: Practical Animal Health Advice, From People Who Understand

We thought the best place to start our new Advice section was simply by introducing ourselves, explaining a little bit about why we started AgriPet UK and, most importantly, what we want the business to become. AgriPet UK was founded by us, Erin and Stephen, with a simple idea: to create an animal health business that combines practical experience, knowledge and genuinely personal customer service.

We supply veterinary medicines, wormers and animal health products for pets, farm animals and horses. However, we don't want AgriPet UK to simply be another website where you add a product to your basket and never speak to a real person.

We want you to be able to pick up the phone, give us a ring and have a conversation.

Whether you're struggling with worms in a group of cattle, thinking about a parasite control programme for your sheep, looking for the right wormer for your dog or simply aren't quite sure which product is best suited to your situation, we want you to feel comfortable asking us.

Sometimes solving an animal health problem isn't about finding the most expensive product. It's about asking the right questions, understanding the animals, looking at the wider situation and finding a practical solution. That's the side of the job we really enjoy.

A little bit about Erin

My background has always centred around animal health and science.

I completed a BSc (Hons) in Veterinary Bioscience at Harper Adams University, where my dissertation research looked at the influence of colostrum quality and the subsequent effects on calf growth rates, health and productivity. Youngstock health is something I am particularly passionate about. Good management during the first hours, days and weeks of an animal's life can have a huge influence on its future performance.

My dissertation research was recognised with the Morrisons Sustainability Prize, something I was incredibly proud to receive. I am also a qualified SQP/RAMA, allowing me to advise on and supply the relevant categories of veterinary medicines, and I am currently completing my Master's degree in Veterinary Physiotherapy.

Alongside the academic side of things, I have plenty of hands-on experience too. Calving, lambing and dealing with the everyday challenges that come with keeping animals are very much part of our lives.

I particularly enjoy looking at youngstock, colostrum management, health, growth and trying to understand why an animal or group of animals might not be performing as expected.

A little bit about Stephen

Stephen completed a BSc (Hons) in Rural Enterprise and Land Management and has grown up around beef and sheep farming.

He has first-hand experience of the realities of livestock farming, from calving and lambing through to grassland management, livestock performance and ration formulation.

He's always the one looking at a ration, working through the figures and asking whether we can improve performance, make better use of home-grown feeds or find a more practical way of achieving the same result.

Between the two of us, we genuinely enjoy being presented with a problem and working through it. Why aren't these calves growing as well as expected? Why are we repeatedly having parasite problems? Are we using the right product at the right time?

We won't pretend to have every answer immediately. Nobody does. But we will ask questions, look at the information available and do our best to point you in the right direction. And, where something needs veterinary involvement, we will always be honest about that too.

We keep animals ourselves

We aren't simply selling products from behind a desk. Between us, our lives involve cattle, sheep, dogs, horses, chickens, pigs and ducks. We understand the frustration of an animal not doing quite right. We understand that sometimes you need a straightforward answer rather than pages of technical information. We also understand farming. Advice has to be practical. There is very little benefit in recommending a theoretically perfect solution if it is impossible to implement on a working farm, within your existing system or with the facilities and labour available.

Our aim is to combine the science with the practical realities of actually keeping animals.

So, what makes AgriPet UK different?

For us, it's personal service. We want to get to know our customers. We want farmers to ring us and say, “Erin, I've got a problem with these calves…” We want dog owners to feel comfortable asking us whether they're using the right worming or flea treatment. We want customers to come back to us because they trust the advice they've received, not simply because we were the cheapest result on a search engine that day.

Of course, we want to offer competitive prices and a great range of products, but we also want to build relationships. That is something we believe is becoming increasingly difficult to find when purchasing animal health products online. At AgriPet UK, there are real people behind the website. You can pick up the phone. You can send us a message. You can explain your problem and we'll talk it through with you.

What will you find in the AgriPet UK Advice section?

This blog is just the beginning. We want the AgriPet UK Advice section to become a genuinely useful source of practical animal health information. We'll be covering topics including parasite control, worming, youngstock health, colostrum management, calf and lamb rearing, livestock nutrition, seasonal animal health problems and practical advice for dog and horse owners. We'll also answer some of the questions that customers ask us most frequently.

Welcome to AgriPet UK.

We're Erin and Stephen, and we look forward to getting to know you and your animals.

Need some advice? Give us a call or send us a message. We're always happy to have a chat.

Please remember that the information provided in the AgriPet UK Advice section is general guidance. Veterinary medicines should always be used responsibly and in accordance with the product information and professional advice. Where an animal is unwell or requires diagnosis or veterinary treatment, please contact your veterinary surgeon.