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) I WOULD like to keep a bird as a pet and I’m considering a rescue. Is there such a thing as a good starter bird that is easy to look after as I’ve not done it before?
I work from home so I can keep them company and I know there’s a lot of animals needing rescue.
Ben Thornton, Newport
Sean says: Birds can be very rewarding pets but many of them, especially from the parrot family, are highly intelligent and social.
So they either need their own company or a human companion that has lots of time to commit to them.
In the larger parrots, you’re also sometimes dealing with a pet that will live nearly as long as a human. So it’s not a light undertaking.
Parrots are not for beginner bird keepers anyway. If you’re just interested in a pet bird to admire and enjoy keeping, then canaries or zebra finches are small, easy to look after and entertaining to watch.
I’d advise you to get as large a cage, or preferably aviary, as possible to really give them a good life.
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Some of the pet shop cages are really too small. So stretch your budget as far as it can go to give them space.
If you really are keen on the more intelligent and interactive idea of pet parrots, start with the easier option of a budgie or cockatiel or, better, a pair of either as keeping them alone isn’t great for them.
Got a question for Sean?
Q) MY cat Bob and Labrador Milo have a love-hate relationship. Bob is really mean to Milo at times, scratching him one minute and then cuddling up to him and cleaning him the next.
How can I make Bob be kinder to him? It’s so frustrating as typically for a Lab, Milo never retaliates but you can tell at times he’s cheesed off.
Liz Blackwood, Exeter, Devon
Sean says: Simple answer, you can’t really. My guess is that Bob is just the boss, as it is with most dog and cat combos.
I’m also guessing Milo is potentially a young, excitable dog?
When he oversteps the mark, Bob is swiping to tell him where his boundaries are.
This is a healthy behaviour, and a way for Bob not to feel crowded or overwhelmed.
Milo will learn and harmony will be restored. You just have to let them work it out for themselves.
Cats always set the rules of when they want interaction and when you are no longer welcome, whether you’re a human or a dog living in their home.
Q) MAXIMUS, my dog, has glaucoma and I’ve been told that if the pressure keeps rising he may need his eyes removed.
Is it fair to keep a blind dog? I’ve been told he will adapt but I want to prepare myself if the worst happens.
He is on drops to reduce pressure which I use diligently.
Jeanie Smith, Lancaster
Sean says: Dogs are amazing at adapting to use all their other senses, and we have to remember their hearing and sense of smell is far better than ours.
They also have whiskers that are sensory organs so they are way ahead of us in terms of getting around without vision.
As long as you keep their environment fairly predictable, a glaucoma patient that becomes too severe for medical treatment will have a much better quality of life having their eyes removed than being in constant pain.
Dogs are stoic and just get on with life but chronic pain is a real welfare issue.
So just like I’d say, don’t worry too much about a dog’s leg amputation because we only have two legs but they have four, dogs have a lot more ability to lose an eye, or both eyes, and still be very happy without them.
Star of the week
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NESQUIK the collie has faced more than most pups during her life.
The 18-month-old suffered severe leg weakness, needing surgery after the limb stopped growing, says owner Catriona Lecornu, 36, a massage therapist.
The pup also has elbow dysplasia which can cause lameness and pain.
As well as using her skills to massage her pet, Catriona uses a collagen product Colargen and it’s transformed her dog’s life.
Catriona, from Byfleet, Surrey, said: “Many people think of collagen as a beauty booster, but it’s helped Nesquik achieve a happy life.
“She’s been incredibly brave and now she’s got her wag back.”
WIN: Dog voucher
WE’VE joined forces with Tog24, which has launched a new range of dog coats, toys and accessories, to offer one reader a £250 voucher to spend online.
You might choose the brand’s Mutt Dog fleece for cold weather or Hound Dog coat for rainy walks.
For a chance to win, send an email headed TOG24 to [email protected] by March 26, 2023. See tog24.com.
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FAMILIES JOINED BY UKRAINIAN PETS
UKRAINIAN pets are being reunited with their families who have reached safety in the UK.
Cats, dogs and other animals arriving from the war-torn country needed a spell in quarantine first, and many stayed at The Blue Cross charity’s Hertfordshire animal rehoming centre.
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Dmytro Kubov and his wife Iryna fled from Mariupol on foot with cats Mars and Tor, who quarantined at Blue Cross, and dog Bulochka.
They have now been reunited at their home in Northampton.
Dmytro said: “Tor and Mars were so well cared for.
“We were constantly sent reports on their condition, mood, photos and videos.
“When we came for them they recognised us. We can’t imagine our life without them”.
In addition, the Blue Cross Ukraine Pet Welfare Fund has raised over £350,000 to provide 500 tons of pet food, 450 dog houses and thousands of dog jackets and blankets for homeless pets in Ukraine through a brutal winter.
Anna Wade, from the charity, said: “We immediately stepped in to help wherever we could, both in providing quarantine for those who managed to flee and for those who have stayed with their pets and rely on support from charities.”
Find out more at bluecross.org.uk/ukraine.
