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) SHOULD you keep rabbits in or outside the house?
My friend has one that is an indoors rabbit and he even has his own litter tray.
But I thought an outside hutch with a run was best?
Sharon Eves, Bournemouth
Sean says: Best of both is also an option.
House rabbits are possible but they need some careful considerations for safety, such as hiding wires and getting rid of dangerous houseplants.
You also need to allow them to express natural behaviours including digging, tunnelling, hiding and grazing.
They can also be litter-trained.
But the most important thing, whether you house your rabbits indoors, outdoors or both, is that they are a sociable species.
Keeping a rabbit alone is actually a really sad situation.
They need rabbit company as well as space to run, jump and stand up on their hind legs.
The days of a tiny hutch at the end of the garden for a single lonely rabbit are gone.
To my mind, that should be banned.
Q) MY 12-year-old husky Indigo howls in her sleep.
It’s weird, as she’s as quiet as a mouse during the daytime.
Her paws go and she twitches.
I think she must be dreaming. Or should I be worried?
Michelle Trent, Middlesbrough
Sean says: Nothing to worry about. Just as we talk in our sleep sometimes, dogs do too.
She is dreaming of pulling sleds with her husky mates, I reckon.
I would only start to worry if things became much more intense and frequent, or if there were any seizure-type limb tremors or rigidity with it.
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Q) OUR cat Clawdia is getting fat. I think one of my neighbours could be feeding her, or else she is pinching food from someone else’s puss.
I don’t want to stop providing her with food at home in case she runs away.
She still wants her breakfast and dinner but I’m worried about her as she’s getting bigger and bigger.
At this rate, I’m going to have to rename her Miss Piggy.
Jason Young, Exeter
Sean says: Clawdia, eh? I see what you did there!
Try putting a note on her collar, or write on a paper collar that she has a medical condition and should not be fed elsewhere as she’s on a special diet.
Hopefully that will stop any well-meaning neighbours feeding her intentionally.
But she may just be scavenging food or hunting. In that case, try encouraging her to exercise more with games and toys indoors.
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Q) MY tortoise Fred has woken up from hibernation but seems a bit off his food.
I’ve been bathing him, keeping him warm, giving him his usual food and offering cucumber and dandelion leaves.
Please can you advise.
Mike Evans, Swansea
Sean says: Take him to a reptile-savvy vet for a check-up.
We have a whole generation of elderly tortoises nowadays that might have been hardy outside in the garden for decades.
But with climate change and odd weather, they are not getting the same type of hibernation they used to.
Many emerge unwell with very little energy stores left.
You don’t want to lose Fred now, so a vet visit is well worth it.
Look at tortoisetrust.org for more information on safe hibernation or overwintering.
You may need to change some habits to help keep him happy and healthy.
Star of the week
CARING cockapoo Lola has helped her Army-veteran owner learn to live with post-traumatic stress disorder, which was crippling his life.
Martyn Compton, 37, of Battle, East Sussex, suffered 75 per cent burns to his body in a Taliban rocket-propelled grenade attack in Afghanistan 15 years ago.
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He has faced more than 1,000 operations.
The former Lance Corporal said: “I have had to live with the physical scars. But the real challenge was overcoming the mental impact of my injuries.
“Having Lola helped me find a renewed focus and has helped me cope with PTSD – having a reason to get up in the morning.
“That led me to launch a racing enterprise, Stand2 Motorsport, which will help other veterans conquer mental health issues. Lola is now our mascot.”
WIN: Dog safety seat
GOING on a doggie day trip?
We have teamed up with the PetSafe brand to give four lucky readers the chance to win a Happy Ride quilted dog safety seat and Happy Ride seat belt tether – which secures your dog’s harness to the seatbelt – worth £81.99.
For a chance to win, send an email with the heading PETSAFE SEAT to sunday [email protected] by April 10.
See petsafe.com/UK.
Revealed: Naughtiest cats in UK
THE fire brigade has been called out to save more than 2,000 cats in London since 2015 – making it the moggy rescue capital of the UK.
Meanwhile, Essex is revealed as the place where felines stick to the straight and narrow most often.
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There were 2,061 callouts recorded over the past seven years in London but its neighbouring county had just nine.
Freedom of Information requests have shown the second naughtiest cats live in the West Midlands, with more than 100 fire brigade callouts made.
Birmingham cats were saved 52 times.
Kent and Hertfordshire moggies also ranked highly, with 40 and 39 incidents.
Cardiff, Humberside and Nottingham were mid-league with 36, 32 and 28 callouts respectively.
And Liverpool accounted for 11 callouts.
The most common reasons for rescue were cats being stuck in trees, chimneys and on roofs.
Eve Davies, director at ProtectaPet, which makes fence barriers to keep pets safe, said: “Cats love exploring. Sadly, they can sometimes find themselves in tricky situations.
“We recommend owners ensure their homes and gardens are safe and secure, whether that’s with cat fencing, enclosures or catios – or simply creating a good routine so owners can closely monitor their comings and goings.”
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