From a lab needing dental treatment to a grass-eating cat – 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.
Q: I RESCUED my golden Lab, Luna, from Romania when she was two.
She is now eight.
Three years ago, she had to have 22 teeth out and we have just been told she needs another two removed.
The quote for the dental work was £850, which isn’t covered by our insurance, and we are pensioners.
She doesn’t have any problems eating and shows no signs of discomfort, although I do recognise that dogs put up with pain.
Should we have this done now or monitor it?
I know as she’s getting older, the matter could get worse.
We are so conflicted. Please help.
Julia Fallowfield, Lincoln
Sean says: I appreciate it is a lot of money, and also frustrating that most pet insurance won’t cover dental care.
However, I would say that it’s much better to tackle dental and gum disease earlier rather than leaving things to fester, quite literally.
As dental disease progresses, it can cause inflammation, bone loss, even bacteria entering the bloodstream and causing problems elsewhere in the body, such as the kidneys.
So I would advise taking your vet’s advice and trying to get the procedure done now.
Once the teeth are removed, I recommend regular brushing and perhaps using an enzymatic plaque preventative product in her drinking water.
Also, consider a dry or dental diet which is abrasive and slows the rate of plaque build-up compared to a wet or fresh-food-only diet.
Q: MY cat Pebbles is always eating grass.
Does she have a bad tummy? Her poop is normal.
Do you think she just enjoys it? She is eight and very healthy.
Kate Adams, Peterborough
Sean says: She may just enjoy it, or be self medicating if she feels nauseous from time to time.
She might also be seeking fibre in her diet.
You don’t mention if she is wormed regularly, but I would recommend it, especially if Pebbles hunts rodents, as they can pass on various parasites.
Having ruled out all of those causes, sometimes grass eating in dogs and cats just belongs in the “my pet is a bit of a weirdo” category.
Q: WHEN should I start to consider hibernating my tortoise?
I inherited Fred after my sister Ann passed away.
He has everything a tortoise could ask for — I hand-feed him lettuce, he has a specialist light to bask under, a beautiful run and home with shade for sunny days.
Someone told me that, rather than put him in a cool place in a box, I should consider a fridge.
Is that really right? I would welcome your advice and if there is anything I should be doing before he goes to sleep.
Helen Maitland, Bexley, Kent
Sean says: This is a complex topic, and depends a lot on species of tortoise.
The Russian Horsefield and Mediterranean types such as Greek, Hermann’s and spur-thighed, do benefit from hibernation as they would in the wild.
Tropical species, like red or yellow footed, must never be hibernated.
There are many ways to do it, but a dedicated fridge is indeed an option, as it maintains a very controlled temperature and humidity.
It’s vital that only healthy, robust tortoises are hibernated, so it would be wise for Fred to get a health check with a reptile-savvy vet before making that decision.
If you decide not to hibernate him, then you can overwinter him in climate-controlled indoor accommodation.
I highly recommend having a look on the Tortoise Trust website, or my old blog from my exotics vet days at exoticpetvetblog.wordpress.com.
WIN: Interactive training tool worth £77
HAVE you ever wanted to teach your dog a new trick – by getting them to TALK?
Now you can.
Interactive pet training tool firm Brightkins are offering four readers the chance to win a Hunger for Words range of pet communication buttons and resources worth £77.
To enter, send an email headed TALK to sundaypets@ the-sun.co.uk by Dec 22.
See brightkins.co.uk.
T&Cs apply.
Star of the week
BASIL the musical moggy has succeeded where teachers have failed – to persuade his teenage owner to practise piano.
At the sound of tinkling ivories, he jumps up on to Benny Moorhead’s knee and follows the notes.
Benny, 19, from Hammersmith, West London, says: “At the sound of chords, Basil has been zooming to the piano since he was a kitten.
“He’s hypnotised by the music and he makes playing – even badly – much more fun.”
The 12-year-old rescue cat has his limits. History student Benny, adds: “He’s purely a classical cat and a bit of a snob. Rock and grunge do not go down well and he leaves the room with his nose in the air.”
MAKE MEMORIES WITH PET BUCKET LIST
ANIMAL-lovers are being urged to make a bucket list with their furry friends.
The advice comes from the Blue Cross Pet Loss Support Service, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary and has helped 22,000 grieving owners this year.
Diane James, head of the charity’s people services, says: “For those with ageing pets, I would say that making memories helps.
“I’ve just had my 14-year-old Cavalier cross, Chester’s, paw prints done. And a bucket list for pets often helps owners.”
She adds: “The loss of a pet impacts everyone differently.
“Despair and loneliness can be overwhelming, and sometimes there is guilt and self-doubt when a decision has been taken to euthanise or rehome a pet.
“But it’s important, especially as we come up to Christmas, for those owners to know they’re not alone.”
Diane, 57, from Newport, South Wales, has worked on the charity’s confidential helpline, webchat and email services for a decade.
She says: “Grieving can be a very lonely experience.
“Sometimes it helps to share these feelings with someone who knows, from experience, how distressing a pet loss can be, and who will listen with compassion and without judgment.”
See bluecross.org.uk.