From old tortoises to a pony-sized labradoodle — 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) I HAVE owned two tortoises, Henry and Rommelina, for more than 60 years.
Our house has a good-sized walled garden and so my pets have lived a fairly natural and wild life.
During the spring, summer and early autumn, they roam freely with few restrictions.
For hibernation, we put extra bedding in their insulated, sturdy hut and secure them inside with a door for the winter.
I am now 65 and am concerned for their welfare if, as seems likely, they outlive me.
Having seen how other tortoises are looked after (in small pens and even indoors) I worry that mine may be rehomed to live like this and might even be separated. This would be cruel after the lives they have led.
I would like to have some plan in place for their future and wonder if you might have any suggestions.
John Edwards, Essex
Sean says: It’s great that you’re thinking ahead responsibly.
The many tortoises that have lived successfully in UK gardens all year round are usually hardy Greek ones that were bought as well-established adults decades ago and acclimatised well to our climate.
Henry and Rommelina are just middle-aged, but it sounds like they live a nice life outdoors.
They still might need more careful hibernation conditions and the opportunity to get inside for heat and light during bad weather periods as they get older and become more prone to illness.
There are dedicated tortoise rescue/rehoming organisations out there including the Tortoise Protection Group, which I know personally, and whose staff are knowledgeable, experienced and will be able to help you ensure their safe future together.
Got a question for Sean?
SEND your queries to sundaypets@the-sun.co.uk.
Q) MY labradoodle Boris has grown so large he is almost the size of a small Shetland pony.
We thought he would be quite a little dog so it has been a shock.
But he still thinks he’s a lap dog and wants to be picked up for cuddles. Any advice?
Jill Dougherty, Edinburgh
Sean says: These ’doodle mixes often turn out to be a little different than anticipated. It’s a bit of a genetic lottery.
I love a big, huggable lapdog but if you’re being crushed or smothered by Boris that’s obviously not ideal. Some reward-based training to learn an “off” command is all that’s needed. Enlist the help of a trainer if you are struggling.
Q) BUDDY, my Staffordshire Bull Terrier, won’t let anyone near me when he’s on his lead.
He growls and sounds scary but I know he’s not. Off the lead, he is soft as a brush.
He only started getting like this when the dark nights came in.
I can’t walk down the street as I can’t have him off the lead by the side of a road.
I don’t know why he is doing it in the dark because he’s a beautiful, soft, daft, intelligent dog who is brilliant with kids. Please help.
How do I stop him doing it? I have booked to see a dog behaviourist but would appreciate your opinion too.
Kevin Barry, Shrewsbury
Sean says: Reactivity on the lead normally comes from a place of fear or anxiety.
He is likely nervous of strange people or other dogs, especially in the dark when he can’t see them as well or read their body language.
So by growling he’s saying “Keep back, I’m not comfortable with you getting any nearer”.
It happens on the lead more so than off with anxious dogs because they feel they don’t have an escape route to get away should anything happen.
Star of the week
BRAVE guinea pig Clover was on the brink of death before she was saved, found love and became the face of a fund-raising campaign.
The nine-month-old was born with a severe tooth deformity that left her unable to eat properly.
She was given to guinea pig sanctuary owner Debbie Postles, 63, of Northampton, who was able to fund specialist dental treatment to stop her starving to death.
Debbie, founder of The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary, said: “Clover faced a death sentence but she had a will to live, and after six months of treatment, she is cured.
“She has also found love with another of our neutered, rescued male guinea pigs Coco and they will live out their days as our pets rather than be rehomed.
“She’s now the face of our latest fund-raising campaign so we can save more guinea pigs.”
WIN: Water fountain
TEN readers can each win a PetSafe Streamside drinking fountain, worth £56.99.
Holding up to 1.8 litres of recirculating water, the ceramic fountain is perfect for cats and small dogs.
To enter, send an email with the heading PETSAFE to sundaypets@the-sun.co.uk by March 20.
You can help to save our snakes
ANIMAL welfare charities are calling on Paws & Claws readers to help change the law to improve living standards for Britain’s 400,000 pet and captive snakes.
Latest figures by charity Peta show that, shockingly, up to 75 per cent of the reptiles do not survive a full year in UK homes.
Snakes are the only animal not given a minimum tank size under Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) rules, meaning many do not get the chance to stretch out.
A Peta spokesman said: “We are calling for Defra to update animal welfare regulations so that captive snakes can, at the very least, straighten their bodies.”
The RSPCA and Born Free are also fighting for a change in legislation.
In the past year the RSPCA has rescued royal pythons abandoned in freezing conditions in Cambridgeshire, London and East Sussex, as well as 16 abandoned corn snakes.
An RSPCA spokesman said: “Exotic animals are widely being sold in pet shops and online, and it is sadly often the case that they are handed over to buyers who may be new to keeping that species, with little to no information about how to care for them.”
See bit.ly/3HCCMJ0.