HE is on a mission to help our pets. . . and is here to answer YOUR questions.
Sean, chief veterinarian at tails.com, a bespoke pet food company, has been helping with owner questions for ten years. He says, “If your pet is behaving strangely, or is bad, or if you want to know about diet or exercise, just ask. I can help keep pets happy and healthy. ”If you’d like him to answer a question, just email him at vet@the-sun.co.uk
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Sean helps a reader with a cat in need of his boosterPhoto credit: Getty
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Sean McCormack, chief vet at tails.com, promises he can help keep pets happy and healthy.Photo credit: Doug Seeburg – The Sun
Q) MY 10 year old Barney was due to have a booster vaccination in October but the vet postponed it. I am anxious.
The problem appears to be due to additional pets purchased during lockdown.
Puppies and kittens have priority. I can understand as they are probably more prone to disease.
The vet told me it was safe to postpone it for three months and moved to January.
But what if next year there’s still a shortage and Barney is fine if he’s not vaccinated?
Jean Linda, Wigan
A) It is true that many, even most of the veterinary practices I know are overburdened.
They are understaffed and have lagged behind routine vaccination appointments for the past year and a half due to the pandemic, more pets, and the physical limitations of clients in practice.
Fortunately, the backlog is now decreasing. It is really important that young puppies and kittens who do not have disease immunity are vaccinated in a timely and timely manner.
For a cat like Barney, who is ten years old and has been vaccinated her entire life, a three month delay shouldn’t hurt as she has much higher immunity than a younger cat.
Try not to worry. Your vets will not endanger it and will adjust it asap.
Do you have a question for Sean?
SEND your inquiries to vet@the-sun.co.uk.
Q) After being an indoor cat for years, my pet Beefcake has started venturing outside again.
He is seven years old, neutered and chipped. I lived in an apartment on the ninth floor so he was inside.
I moved into a two story apartment and started letting him out for 15 to 30 minutes under my supervision.
He refuses to get into a carrier so he hasn’t been to the vet for six years.
Should I hire a mobile vet to examine them when they go outside?
Peter Lowe, Stourbridge, West Mids
A) Now Beefcake is going outside, it is important that he keep his vaccinations up to date.
There are several diseases that he could ingest from other cats even if they don’t come in direct contact.
Most veterinarians offer a home visit service. So yeah, if he’s too stressed out in transportation, maybe a better option to have the visit is.
It’s also a good opportunity for a general health check-up, since he’s middle aged now and can spot some problems early on to make sure he stays healthy.
Q) I HAVE a 1 year old Border Collie named Merrin who was born deaf.
We learned some hand signals for “no” and “wait”. If I let her off the leash I can raise my hand to call her back, which works.
But she won’t get close enough to pick up her trail again. I tried different goodies that worked initially.
She always seems to get worse when she comes straight to me. Sometimes it took 20 minutes to wait.
I stopped letting go of her in case she runs away or is frightened. She’s the same at home – almost as if she doesn’t trust me.
It is difficult not to give her a gentle voice of encouragement when she cannot hear.
Sharon Emery, Pelynt, Cornwall
A) This is outside of my comfort zone and quite a challenge.
In any workout, consistency and clarity of commands are key and the timing of the reward is crucial.
But with a deaf dog who relies on hand signals, this all becomes even more important.
It would be best to book a few sessions with a qualified canine behaviorist who has experience with deaf dogs and their owners.
They can watch you in action together and maybe point out subtle things that go wrong when communicating with Merrin.
Much luck.
Star of the week
MIA the micro pig is juggling a modeling career with a busy mother after giving birth to 22 piglets in one year.
She is the sniffing face of a campaign for Old Amersham Gin and was part of a television commercial for Hendrick’s.
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Mia the Micro Pig is juggling a modeling career with a busy mother after giving birth to 22 piglets in one yearCredit: June 2021 Essex, all rights reserved.
Mia also loves living at the Kew Little Pigs attraction in Amersham, Bucks, where owner Olivia Mikhail hosts pig breeding and petting days.
Olivia, 40, said: “It was a really good year for Mia when her piglets were born. She loves being a mom and taking care of her babies.
“She’s a diva and likes to pose, which is brilliant for her media work and gets so much fuss from our visitors.
“She’s a really lucky pig and an all-time star. We are so proud of her.”
Win: Walk Bundle
DOGS need their running shoes even in wet and wintry weather.
You can keep them dry and warm – and the house clean when you return – with a Treat Your Dog winter hiking package.
Five lucky readers can win a Walksters All Seasons Waterproof Dog Coat and Walksters Drying Towel (pictured) for a £ 55 package.
Find your pet’s size and learn more at Treatyourdog.co.uk.
To participate, email sundaypets@the-sun.co.uk by December 5th marked TREATYOURDOG.
Terms and conditions apply.
Rescue center against intrusive owners
Rescue centers are being pushed to their limits, both by the number of sick animals that cannot be accommodated and by potential new owners who become abusive if they fail to get their “perfect pet”.
A whopping 3.2 million dogs and cats were purchased during the pandemic, creating irresponsible breeding, behavior and health problems.
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A whopping 3.2 million dogs and cats were shopped at rescue centers during the pandemic
At Hope Rescue in Rhondda, Wales, more than a third of all their dogs were raised on puppy farms.
Owner Vanessa Waddon said of Paws and Claws, “Only about one in 500 of our dogs is suitable as a family pet, but potential owners don’t understand this.
“People are used to getting what they want at the push of a button, but it’s our job to look after animals in need and not to find a dog for everyone who wants one.
“We have been molested online and labeled a ‘fake charity’ and ‘dog thieves’.”
She said health problems prevented many dogs of desirable breeds from being able to be re-housed, adding, “A couple came in asking for a dog but when we explained that he was not good enough to be a family pet to be, they stomped off and shouted: ‘It’s your’ fault we’re going to have to go to a puppy farm. “
Support Vanessa at hoperescue.org.uk.
Holly Willoughby yawns at her cat Bluebell to see if she loves her back
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