From cats with a cough to a pooch with an abscess — 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.”

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Q) WE recently got two indoor rabbits and already have a Shitzhu/Bichon-cross dog.

He looks through the cage and whines at them constantly.

He wags his tail and seems like he wants to play.

Is that a good idea?

Obviously we are being very cautious. Any tips for a smooth introduction?

Jay Smith, Gravesend, Kent

A) Slow and steady wins here.

Reward calm inquisitive behaviour but remove the rabbits’ cage or your dog if the excitement gets too much.

Practise a technique called response substitution when he’s around the rabbits to distract him, so they lose their novelty value.

There are training videos online.

Or, better yet, have a qualified animal behaviourist come to teach you what is happening, why and how best to manage it.

With time, rabbits and dogs can become friends.

But keeping him on a lead and as calm as possible for the first out-of- cage interactions is key.

Q) MY beautiful black cat Bibs has become prone to recurrent chest infections in the past two years.

She is 18 and we adopted her and her sister when they were five.

Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs usually clear the infection but it returns a month or so later.

It starts with a slight cough, then coughing fits and vomiting, then turns into a full-blown chest infection with white discharge from her nose.

What is the best treatment?

Seenash Leksing, Duston, Northants

A) This could be a bacteria infection, a virus infection or both.

Maybe even underlying asthma, allergies or fungal infection. Has your vet ever tested the discharge or run blood tests to find out?

Sometimes expensive or invasive tests might not be worth pursuing for an elderly pet if we can treat them when they are symptomatic and maintain a good quality of life.

But some testing will be required if you want to break the pattern and find out if there is any permanent cure option.

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Q) ALFIE, my tomcat, is 18 and takes steroid tablets because of tummy issues and a fast heartbeat.

Lately he has been wobbly on his back legs too.

Sometimes he goes over but otherwise he seems OK for an old boy.

The vet gave me anti-inflammatory pills but he just sicked them up and became disoriented and constipated.

Is there anything else I can give him? It’s awful trying to get tablets down him.

Virginia Pullen, Frinton, Essex

A) At Alfie’s age, various things could be wrong — including blood pressure, arthritis, hyper-thyroidism and heart disease.

A few months in an elderly cat’s life can be similar to several years in an older person’s life.

So if he has not had a thorough checkup recently, it is worth another visit to the vet.

Without physically examining Alfie, I’d just be guessing or throwing a list of potential diagnoses at you.

Q) MY Marley, a Staffie and Jack Russell cross, had an abscess on his anal gland in 2019.

He’s six and now has trouble going to the toilet. X-rays have shown he had a blockage, possibly scar tissue.

I’ve paid out £3,200 for treatment but nothing worked.

I want him to be comfortable. He is on steroids and has antibiotics and diazepam.

Janet Best, Isle of Sheppey, Kent

A) Cases like this have a higher failure or complication rate than surgeries elsewhere on the body.

It’s a difficult area to operate on.

I would look at getting referred to a specialist soft-tissue surgeon.

It won’t be cheap but this problem will really impact Marley unless there’s a fix.

Star of the week

SINCE retiring from the glamorous world of showjumping and dressage because of a leg injury, 16-year-old Pogo has become something of a tourist attraction.

His popularity soared after his owner Sue Allen, 56, started sharing videos of their rides.

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Now guests staying at her holiday cottages in Norfolk book in because they want to meet him.

Sue says: “We have meet-and-greets at the cottages. People pose for photos with him.

“When I’m out riding on the beach, families come over and say hello, as they recognise him.

“He is such a goofy character – everyone loves him.

“Pogo thrives on all the fuss and attention. He is loving every second of his retirement.”

WIN: Canine brain box

DOGS need to keep their minds active, just like their bodies.

And the Canine Brain Box by the Cognitive Canine Co (cognitivecanineco.co.uk) lets them do just that.

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The monthly box of games and activities will keep them amused and alert. It contains tasty treats too.

And three lucky readers can win a three-month subscription, worth £79.50.

To enter, send an email marked BRAIN BOX to sundaypets @the-sun.co.uk.

 T&Cs apply. Entries close June 6.

Shell out on a top turtle tank

LOCKDOWN has led to hundreds of turtles and terrapins being released into ponds and lakes by owners feeling guilty for keeping in tanks at home.

But that puts them at risk from the cold, traffic and going hungry.

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Survivors are coming out of hibernation now.

Today, on International Turtle Day, reptile expert Andy Ferguson is calling for owners to contact animal welfare organisations instead of freeing them.

Andy, from the National Turtle Sanctuary at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park, says anyone considering a turtle or terrapin as a pet should remember they can live for up to 50 years and need potentially costly tanks and cleaning kit.

He says: “Turtles usually grow to be about 12in long and people at home have been watching them swim back and forth in tanks usually only about 4ft long.

“Last summer we had a spike in people saying they were handing their pets over because they ‘wanted to give them a better life’.

“Go with a small species, a large tank and pay that bit more on equipment that’s not too difficult to maintain.

“If you are looking for somewhere to rehome your turtle or terrapin, the local pond is NOT that place.”

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk