HE is on a mission to help our pets . . . and is here to answer YOUR questions.
Sean, who is the head vet at tailored pet food firm tails.com, has helped with owners’ queries for ten years.
4
He says: “If your pet is acting funny or is under the weather, or you want to know about nutrition or exercise, just ask. I can help keep pets happy and healthy.”
Q) I THINK my little lady Jack Russell, Pudding, has Cushing’s Disease. She is six and cute.
For the last two months she has been drinking a standard bowl of water overnight, which needs mopping up in the morning.
She has a big appetite, too, and appears to gulp all her food which I now place in a lick dish to slow down her eating.
She appears pot-bellied and her stomach area is very hard to touch. Although she is not distressed, in fact quite happy, these symptoms do give me cause for concern.
Ian Holliday, Redditch, Worcs
A) Pudding does sound like she has something hormonal going on.
Cushing’s disease is an overproduction of cortisol and can lead to increased thirst and urination, a pot bellied appearance, skin thinning and other changes.
But there are other disorders that could also be responsible. The first step is a blood test at your vet clinic.
Left untreated, potential issues will lead to bigger problems. So best to diagnose as early as possible.
4
Q) MY daughter Emma’s Guinea pig, Martha, is really squeaky but her friend, Katie, is quiet.
Can they have different personalities like people?
Keith Campbell, Glasgow
A) Yes, absolutely. I am always surprised with this question when it comes to animals having emotions or personalities.
Just like we say at tails.com that dogs are “never average” it applies to all kinds of animal species.
Each is an individual. Sounds like Martha and Katie are well-matched, the chatterbox and the quiet one.
Q) I’VE just got two rescue cats, one about three years old and one about six months old. Is it good to mix biscuits into their food?
I’m keen that they don’t get tooth decay like the last two cats I had.
They are still at the rescue stage of eating everything with enthusiasm, so if I’m going to add biscuits it has to be now. They get spoiled!
Cathy Davidson, East London
A) I always advocate for a mixture of food types for cats, otherwise they can become fussy eaters.
Wet food provides important moisture in their diet, as most cats are not great drinkers and dehydration can exacerbate kidney issues in later life.
But dry kibble can be more abrasive on teeth and gums. While dry food doesn’t clean teeth as some marketing claims suggest, it can reduce the rate of plaque build-up. So a balanced feeding approach is beneficial.
Q) MY Staffie, Bronson, has bouts of eczema inside his legs and under his body. He is constantly scratching at the itches.
I have taken him to the vets but the symptoms always return. Any idea of medication?
Jodie Young, Fife
A) I cannot prescribe or suggest actual medications for patients that are not in my care, simply because I can’t tell what is wrong with them from a description alone.
Poor Bronson. Skin issues are one of the most common problems presented to the vet clinic, and come in many forms. They can be challenging to diagnose and to treat.
Staffies are right up there in breeds prone to skin problems, with allergic dermatitis high on the likelihood list.
My advice is to discuss your frustrations with the vet, and ask them to give you a flowchart of what can be done short-term to alleviate itchiness.
But also ask whether there’s a longer term affordable strategy to try and prevent this happening again.
Star of the week
4
BRAVE Archie the Great Dane survived great pain when he swallowed a six-inch bbq skewer.
Owner Neil McKinlay, 55, realised something was wrong when his newly adopted three-month-old went quiet.
Neil, from Glasgow, turned investigator when he found a lump in Archie’s side, but was told by the vet that it could be a rib.
But a CT scan showed his stomach had been pierced.
Neil says: “After surgery, Archie came home in April.”
Luckily he avoided a big bill since he’d come from the breeder with five weeks’ free insurance from Agria (agriapet.co.uk).
“He’s transformed now” Neil added.
WIN: Smart pet feeder
THE Sun on Sunday has teamed up with PetSafe® to give two readers the chance to win a Smart Feed Automatic Pet Feeder – worth over £200.
This nifty piece of tech can schedule, monitor, and adjust your pet’s feeding schedule remotely with an app – with alerts to when they’ve been fed, when food levels are low, or if the feeder is empty.
To win, send an email headed FEEDER to sundaypets@the-sun. co.uk by Nov 17. See uk.petsafe. net T&Cs apply.
Keep pets from going sparking mad
4
NEED to take the fear out of Bonfire Night for your furry friend? Experts at the RSPCA have figured out a formula to ensure fireworks don’t frighten pets this year.
“Research shows nearly half of UK dogs show signs of fear when they hear fireworks, but there are lots of things you can do to help your pets cope,” an RSPCA spokesman says.
“Cats should be kept indoors with somewhere to hide. Don’t try to tempt them out, it may add more stress, and always ignore the fireworks yourself.”
Take dogs for a long walk during daylight and get them home before the banging begins. And play with cats or other animals to expend energy.
Secondly, create a cosy safe space with curtains closed and comforting white noise to drown out the racket. A bed or crate with a cover is a haven for nervous dogs, with you nearby for comfort.
Remember to wear clothes that really smell of you to make your pet as relaxed as possible.
Use calming sprays, chews, toys and tasty treats to help take the stress out of firework time.
Be prepared! Find out when the noisiest displays happen to reduce the surprise, see rspca.org.uk.
