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.”
This week Sean helps the owner of a parrot who keeps mimicking the doorbell
Sean McCormack, head vet at tails.com, promises he can ‘help keep pets happy and healthy’
Q) MY parrot Percy makes the sound of my doorbell all the time.
I’m up and down like a yo-yo. How can I make it stop?
Julie Mitchell, Penzance, Cornwall
Sean says: This is a tricky problem and quite common.
Why do they do it? Well, they are mimics, copying sounds around them.
And it probably makes life more interesting for Percy.
When he does it, you get up (that’s interesting in itself).
There’s nobody there so when you come back you probably have a little chat with him about how he tricked you.
He doesn’t care what you’re saying, but he’s happy you’re interacting with him.
Many parrots are bored so anything he can do to make things happen is fun. You need to try to ignore it.
You could disable the doorbell and ask visitors to knock.
You could also redirect the response to the doorbell, rewarding Percy to announce a visitor when it rings, but ignoring him when he “rings it” in his own voice.
Q) SHOULD I clip my rabbit’s nails?
They are getting long and I think they might need a manicure.
Ben Jones, Newport
Sean says: Short answer, yes. Long nails can alter how rabbits move and cause discomfort or mobility issues in the long term.
I’m guessing this may be a house rabbit.
Rabbits with access to hard surfaces and soil for digging should usually wear down their nails quite well.
But you do need to know what you are doing as there is a slight risk you could cut the nails too short.
Your best bet is to get your vet or vet nurse to show you how to safely clip them.
Bear in mind their spines are delicate too and safe handling is important.
Or just leave it to the experts and take your rabbit to have it done at the vet clinic on a regular basis.
Q) WHEN it rains, my eight-year-old border collie Jesse gets so scared he hides under the table or goes onto the landing.
I can only presume that once, while he was left alone, there was a thunderstorm and now every time he hears the rain he thinks he will hear loud bangs.
I’ve tried plug-in calming aids but they didn’t work.
Phil Shaw, Torbay, Devon
Sean says: Plug-in calming devices like Adaptil are an aid to anxiety issues, not a solution.
Once fear or anxiety is that ingrained, you really need to work on a programme of habituation (getting Jesse used to the triggering sounds) and desensitisation or response substitution (changing how he reacts to them by gradually increasing exposure or training him to do something else).
It would be best tackled by booking a session with an animal behaviourist.
For accredited ones in your area, look up the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors or the Animal Behaviour and Training Council.
Q) MY son and his partner have a ten-year-old dog called Smudge.
A few months ago he had diarrhoea, sickness and lethargy.
His protein levels were low and he was given tablets and a paste to put in some special dog food.
Recently he has been poorly again with the same symptoms and his tummy was bloated.
The vet wants to take blood samples again, but won’t that just show the same as before?
Eileen Lawson, Newcastle
Sean says: I’m very sorry to say that this sounds like a complex case and the details you’ve given me don’t allow me to make a diagnosis or give you helpful, meaningful advice.
If your son is confused as to what to do next, he should speak with his vet again.
Also, bloods are a snapshot in time.
His bloods today may not be the same as his bloods last week, let alone a couple of months ago.
Star of the week
AT 16-and-a-half years old, is Lily the oldest golden retriever in the UK?
Steff Cooke, who works at Pause Cat Cafe in Bournemouth rescued Lily in 2010.
Owner Steff wonders if Lily at 16-and-a-half could be the oldest golden retriever in the UK
Since then, Lily has helped the 41-year-old through serious health issues.
Steff said: “It wasn’t until I looked online to see how long they usually live (around 13 to 14) that I realised she could be the oldest!
“Lily and I have both stayed alive longer than expected. She’s got me through tough times.”
If your golden retriever is older, contact @PauseCatCafe or email [email protected].
SUPER CATS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
SOME moggies have psychic abilities, according to new book Super Cats, True Tales Of Extraordinary Felines.
Author Ashley Morgan said: “Despite years of research into their behaviour and psychology there are still aspects of the ‘felis catus’ that remain a mystery.”
Author Ashley Morgan has written about how cats have saved their owners’ lives
In 1944 a cat called Toto saved his owners from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, by waking them up and scratching them in a way that was so out of character, they left their home.
In 1979 there were numerous reports of Californian moggies predicting an earthquake by acting out of sorts along a geological fault line.
Ashley says felines’ abilities aren’t limited to predicting natural events. She added: “During World War Two, many cat owners in London felt their pets could predict the approach of the German bombers.”
Along with their excellent hearing, kitties also have heightened senses due to the vomeronasal organ – a small tube of cartilage in the roof of the mouth.
Ashley said: “Cats suck air into the tube, where they can feel, taste and smell it.
“This triple examination of the air gives cats more information than a mere human nose can provide.”
- Super Cats, True Tales Of Extraordinary Felines, by Ashley Morgan, £8.99 (Summersdale), is out now.
