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 hamster, Hamilton, seems to be addicted to his running wheel. He won’t stop using it through the night.
Is he an exercise addict? What can I do to entertain him in other ways?
LIZZIE BARNES, Reading
SEAN SAYS: This is pretty common and, while it can seem amusing, it’s actually a symptom of frustration and confinement.
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We’ve somehow collectively agreed that a good pet for children is a highly active, nocturnal mammal that roams over large areas in the wild.
And that it’s perfectly fine to put them in tiny cages, where the only outlet for that wanderlust is to run on a wheel and chew the bars.
My recommendation is always to provide the biggest and most complex enclosure you can. Modular ones you connect with tubes are good options.
Enriching Hamilton’s environment doesn’t have to be expensive. Add cardboard boxes and tubes, branches and sticks from non-toxic trees, and other natural materials.
Having a hamster-proof run or room he can explore under supervision is also a great idea.
Q: WILLOW, my cat, is always clawing the furniture. She has a scratching post but ignores it.
How can I stop her?
TANYA SMITH, Chichester, West Sussex
SEAN SAYS: This can be a tough behaviour to tackle, but all is not lost. There are ways to redirect it.
Perhaps Willow’s scratching post is in the wrong location or isn’t appealing. Ideally, provide several around the house, and mark them with calming cat pheromone sprays or catnip to encourage their use.
They need to be sturdy and tall enough to allow a full body stretch.
Meanwhile, make the furniture less attractive by wrapping chair legs or draping sofa sides with cling film, bubble wrap, sheet plastic or tinfoil.
It need only be short-term until Willow starts using the posts instead.
Q: ETHAN, my son wants a pet lizard. He’s 12. What do you recommend for a starter reptile?
MARK BULLEN, Leeds
SEAN SAYS: I’d probably say no reptile is a good starter pet for a child as they have complex needs and can live a long time.
While they might not be expensive to buy, the correct living environment for their health can be very costly. Heating, UV lighting, vivarium, decor, food, supplements — it all adds up.
Skimping on this will usually result in ill health or poor welfare.
If Ethan is serious, he should be doing lots of reading and watching content from responsible reptile keepers online who provide enriched, naturalistic and spacious enclosures.
The species most likely to thrive with a novice reptile owner are probably bearded dragons, corn snakes, leopard geckos and crested geckos.
Q: MY dog Max has a lot of ear wax. How can I get rid of it and how often should I clean his ears?
PETER KERWIN, Godstone, Surrey
SEAN SAYS: Some dogs naturally produce more wax, especially floppy-eared breeds. I’m going to take a punt on him being a spaniel.
Cleaning once every one to two weeks is usually sufficient, unless advised otherwise by your vet.
Always use a dog-specific ear cleaner, never cotton buds, which can push debris deeper.
If the ears smell bad, look red or your dog is shaking his head, stop cleaning and seek vet advice, as this may indicate infection.
Regular checks after walks and baths help prevent problems.
RICKY: SAVE PET OWNERS FROM STREET
TV star Ricky Gervais is backing calls to axe policies that can leave people homeless because they have a pet.
Street Paws’ No One Left Outside campaign highlights how people are routinely turned away from accommodation for refusing to abandon their companion animals.
It was unveiled last month during a speech to the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG).
Street Paws, which supports homeless people and their pets across the north of England, is calling for an urgent change to government housing policy.
It is asking social landlords not to unreasonably refuse pets.
After Life stars Ricky and Peter Egan are backing the drive, alongside German Shepherd Antilly, who played Brandy in the Netflix series – the loyal dog of Ricky’s character Tony.
The actor said: “Antilly showed that dogs aren’t accessories, they’re family. No one should ever be forced to choose between a home and the animal they love.”
Street Paws’ founder Michelle Southern added: “When accommodation providers refuse pets, they are issuing an impossible ultimatum.”
Sign the petition at streetpaws.org.uk/campaign
STAR OF THE WEEK
WILMA the micropig thinks she’s a dog as she loves to go for a walk on a lead.
Farm hand Amelia Johns has been working with the adorable six-month-old piglet. She has taught her to go for “walkies” on a harness and lead but how to follow commands ‘sit’ and ‘stay’.
This is because she’s being prepared to go out into the local community to visit residents at care homes and schools for sensory enrichment lessons and teaching children about caring for animals.
Owner Olivia Mikhail of Kew Little Pigs in Amersham, Bucks said: “Wilma is the smartest pig on our farm. Watching that lightbulb moment when they understand something new is just wonderful.”
Follow her training at kewlittlepigs.com
WIN: MellowPet calming supplement
WE’VE teamed up with Nature’s Pet to offer TEN lucky Sun readers the chance to try MellowPet for Dogs or Cats, a vet-strength calming supplement.
MellowPet, worth £37.99 is packed with calming ingredients and is perfect for excitable dogs, nervous cats, separation anxiety, travel woes, or changes in routine.
To enter, send an email headed CALM to sundaypets @the-sun.co.uk by March 22.
T&Cs apply.