From dressing up dogs to a hibernating tortoise – 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 husband hates it when I dress up our pug, Mike.
I think Mike loves his snazzy wardrobe but my husband refuses to walk him and says he looks ridiculous.
Do you think dogs mind being dressed up?
Rachel Alan, Bexley, South East London
Sean says: I am tending to side with your husband on this.
Although some dogs may not seem to mind being dressed up, they mostly don’t need it and it can cause them issues with comfortably getting around.
Or they may overheat.
This morning, I saw a golden retriever in a full-on onesie and she did not look comfy.
In an extreme brachycephalic (flat-faced) breed like a pug, heat stress is even more serious as their breathing is affected by their squashed face.
Dogs lose heat by panting and Mike already has his fur coat to keep him warm.
Unless it’s absolutely freezing out and you feel he would benefit from an extra layer, let him be a dog and not, dare I say, a fashion accessory.
Got a question for Sean?
SEND your queries to vet@the-sun.co.uk
Q) I’M preparing my 25-year-old tortoise to come out of hibernation but I worry with climate change and him getting older, whether it’s the right time.
I’ll be keeping him inside overnight for a while.
Are you an advocate of shallow baths for rehydration?
Bob seems to like it, but there’s mixed thoughts online.
Pete Brown, Liskeard, Cornwall
Sean says: You’re spot on in that climate change is becoming a challenge for pet tortoises, and what we did decades ago doesn’t really apply for what we should do now.
With milder winters and changeable weather in spring, the timing of things is all out of kilter.
So my recommendation is to wake up tortoises and provide them with artificial heating and full-spectrum UV lighting on a timer indoors to kickstart them into thinking it’s spring again.
The reality is we should have these facilities available to our tortoises all year round.
Think of the garden as somewhere for them to explore on sunny days.
Shallow baths can help rehydrate post hibernation, too.
The Tortoise Trust website is a great asset to check out.
Q) WHY does my one-year-old Pomeranian/Yorkie Ouzo keep itching and scratching?
He had about eight fleas a month ago. I comb and check him five times a day and I also clean his bed every day.
There’s definitely no fleas! So why else could he be itchy?
Nikki Neophytou, North West London
Sean says: If you saw eight fleas, you had 80 in your house I’m afraid.
They will have laid eggs (500 per female flea in her lifetime), and there may now be an emergence of fleas hatching from the eggs, larvae and pupae hidden away in dark corners, crevices and soft furnishings.
The adult fleas we see on our pets are just the tip of the iceberg.
To tackle this you need to eliminate both the adult fleas on the pet and the juvenile stages in the environment.
Treat Ouzo with a monthly prescription flea treatment and treat the environment after a big spring clean, moving furniture, vacuuming everywhere, disposing of the vacuum bag or container immediately.
It can be a mission, but you need to stick at it.
Q) MY cat Mitch tries to scratch the postman through the letterbox – I’ve put up a letter cage, but he gets angry and still tries to claw through it.
Any advice?
Brian Mitchell, Scarborough
Sean says: You could install an external post box on the wall by your front door.
Or limit Mitch’s access to the hallway in the mornings or whenever your postie tends to do their rounds.
Star of the week
MILLIE the rabbit is a therapy pet and “cuddle monster” who helps children and adults with special educational and emotional needs.
Hannah Dixon, community manager of Hugglepetsinthe community.co.uk, based in Wolverhampton, said everyone loves her – from kids to royalty.
She added: “Millie helps people feel more comfortable in a therapy setting when they are talking about their emotions or difficulties.
“Cuddling her is a distraction technique, so people feel more at ease. Millie is a cuddle monster.
“She met Kate, the Princess of Wales – and she loved her too.”
WIN: Doggy break
YOU could bag an online voucher for a dog-friendly break for two people worth £99.
We have three to give away, thanks to pressie firm Buyagift.
They have 4,850 other experiences to choose from, too, and many are pet-friendly.
For a chance to be one of our three lucky winners, send an email headed BUYAGIFT to sundaypets@the-sun. co.uk by February 19.
See buyagift.co.uk
- T&Cs apply.
SNOUT BETTER THAN PUPPY FOSTERING
PAWS and Claws readers are being asked to become puppy foster parents – and change someone’s life.
Head of volunteering at Guide Dogs UK Tracey Berridge revealed that during the pandemic the charity lost a third of their experienced puppy raisers.
She said: “We are having to rebuild our volunteer community, which is so vital to the delivery of the guide dogs service.
“This year we are looking to recruit over 5,000 volunteers from across the country into rewarding roles supporting puppies and dogs in training.
“In particular, we’d love Paws and Claws readers to consider becoming volunteer dog fosterers.
“You’d care for a trainee guide dog in your home in the evenings and at weekends.”
Blind braille artist Clarke Reynolds, 41, has been on the waiting list for a guide dog for three years. He currently has his first solo exhibition, The Power Of Touch at Quantus Gallery in London’s Spitalfields.
Clarke said: “I’m able to reach a global audience and am asked to travel to many schools across the UK to teach children braille.
“Having a guide dog would mean I can be more independent with my work.”
- For opportunities, go to guidedogs.org.uk/volunteer