From a hamster with skin problems to a pooch with wind – your pet queries answered
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.
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) MY hamster Fluffy has flaky patches on his underside.
He doesn’t seem worried, but should I take him to the vet?
Emma Price, Wolverhampton
A) It’s definitely worth a check-up as there are parasites that can resemble flaky skin but, under the microscope, reveal themselves to be very much alive.
I’m talking about Cheyletiella specifically, also referred to as walking dandruff.
I’m getting itchy just thinking about it!
If Fluffy has dry, scaly patches, it could also be a bacterial or fungal skin infection — or dermatitis.
In any case, best to get checked and have peace of mind that Fluffy isn’t suffering from infection or infestation.
Q) OUR two-year-old Staffie Dave gets really bad wind.
He can clear a room.
Any advice on what could help?
Cerys Black, Swansea
A) Staffies and Frenchies came out tops in our tails.com flatulence survey a few years ago, so I feel your pain.
For dogs that can clear a room in one emission, we can look to add fibre, plus pre and probiotics, to the diet to encourage a more healthy gut flora or microbiome.
While it may just be a genetic Staffie predisposition, there’s also a chance it could be a food allergy or intolerance causing this issue.
So it might be worth trying a hypoallergenic dog food, preferably one that also has digestive support.
Why not try our tails.com welcome offer of 50 per cent off your first box of food.
If you’re already a customer, drop our team a line on hello@tails.com and we can tweak Dave’s recipe to suit.
Q) WE have recently bought two guinea pigs for our daughters and they are thriving.
The only thing I worry about is their teeth.
I have gnawing blocks and good quality feeding hay.
Is there anything else I can do to keep them in tip-top condition?
Beth Cooke, Durham
A) You’re pretty much already doing all you can.
Like rabbits, guinea pigs need good roughage and hay to chew on to keep their teeth trim and healthy.
Gnawing blocks of pet safe wood are also a great idea.
You no doubt know this, but guinea pigs require abundant vitamin C.
That’s because they cannot make it for themselves, just like humans.
So make sure you are also feeding them a complete and balanced, ideally pellet, food.
This will ensure all their vitamin and mineral needs are met.
Avoiding muesli mixes will prevent selective feeding and potential deficiencies, obesity or dental problems.
Q) MY cat keeps climbing the curtains.
Meg has climbing posts and scratch posts, yet still clambers up my lovely furnishings.
I’m so frustrated. What can I do?
May Smith, Croydon, South London
A) Sounds like a fun game for a cat when you think about it.
So the solution is to offer alternatives that meet that behavioural need, that also work for you and don’t lead to damage in your home.
Lots of people are getting inventive with cat shelves on walls, indoor climbing frames or “catios” for those that were always house cats.
You can, at the same time, discourage Meg from climbing the curtains by draping different material over them that cats don’t like.
I’m thinking sheets of plastic or long tin foil strips.
This might discourage Meg in the short term — and hopefully break the habit.
Star of the Week
DARWIN may only have three legs but that hasn’t stopped this top cat.
His previous owners treated him like a rag doll and when their boisterous children slammed a door on his leg they refused to pay for an amputation.
Luckily, PR executive Sam Carlisle, 44, her partner and two children swooped to the rescue after seeing an online appeal.
Sonny, Sam’s Liverpool-mad 17-year-old son, named him after striker Darwin Núñez.
Sam from Wimbledon, South London, said: “He’s adapted amazingly to having three legs and was quickly going up and down the stairs.
“And he’s always happy despite the pain he’s had. We all love him and so do the vets – whenever we take him in they make a huge fuss of him. And he loves it!”
WIN: £250 voucher
ONLINE Home Shop is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a £250 voucher.
Its wide range of pet products includes beds, and pet sofas.
Or you can even treat you and your four-legged friend to matching pet and human hoodie blankets.
For a chance to win, send an email headed HOME to sundaypets@ the-sun.co.uk by July 14.
See onlinehomeshop. com.
Take part – you know it makes census
A WHOPPING 95 per cent of owners consider their pets to be part of the family.
And now Blue Cross is reaching out to the nation’s animal lovers to find out just how obsessed we are with them.
The charity’s Big Pet Census asks owners questions such as how they celebrate their pet’s birthday and what they wish their dog would say to them if they could talk.
It says the results, which will be revealed later in the year, will be used to help improve the welfare of Britain’s 36 million pets.
The information from the survey will give an insight into just how important our beloved pets are and the trends in the types of animals we keep.
Chris Burghes, CEO at Blue Cross said: “Paws and Claws readers can share their knowledge to help make this an even better world for pets and the people who love them by taking part in our Big Pet Census.
“Your responses to the census will help us learn as much as possible about pet ownership to inform our work and improve pet welfare and support people.”
The survey is open until Sunday, July 7.
To take part, see bluecross.org.uk/census-press.