From an off colour iguana to a diabetic pooch – your pet queries answered

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) WE have had our iguana for over a year but his skin has changed in colour and texture recently.

I make sure he has a high-protein diet and he seems fine otherwise.

What would you suggest?

Orla Wright, Grantham, Lincs

A) This can be perfectly normal in iguanas.

I presume you have a green iguana, which despite the name, comes in a huge array of colours ranging from brown or grey to bright green or even red to orange.

A lot depends on age, what region they come from genetically, whether they are male or female, then health, nutrition and even time of year.

You don’t mention what you are feeding him, but animal proteins are not recommended.

The diet should be rich in leafy greens, weeds, flowers and colourful vegetables only.

A tiny amount of fruit as a treat is OK, but use sparingly. UV light and a vitamin/mineral supplement are also vital.

Q) I HAVE a very sweet, placid three-year-old cat called Archie.

He’s extremely laid-back, except for when it comes to his flea treatment.

I have a monthly treatment on subscription — you just squeeze the ­liquid onto the nape of his neck.

Archie hates it — he can smell it as soon as you twist the top off.

Any ideas as to how to make it less traumatic for him?

Julie Robinson, Crawley

A) Archie is not alone. A lot of cats really hate those spot-on treatments, especially if they are cold.

Luckily there are other options from your vet such as flea and tick collars, or tablets that are tasty and palatable.

Q) OUR 15-year-old Jack Russell, Spot, has diabetes and we inject him twice daily.

But he has now got cataracts, and it has caused him to go blind.

We went to a cataract specialist who said they could operate for £8,000.

Why is this so expensive?

John Guesford, Tamworth

A) Poor Spot. I understand that seems expensive, but it’s a highly specialised surgery.

And it requires incredibly expen­sive equipment and costly training for veterinary specialists to carry it out.

Plus, while humans generally have cataract surgeries under local anaesthetic and go home the same day, animals need a full general anaesthetic, perhaps with hospital care afterwards.

I looked up the price of human cataract surgery. Seems to range anywhere from £2,000 to £8,000 per eye. So I’d say £8,000 is reasonable.

The good thing is cataracts are not painful and dogs can cope without surgery, as long as some adjustments are made in the home for having a blind dog.

At 15 it’s a tough decision what to do, so chat with your vet.

Q) HARLEY, our 14-year-old cat, has always been an outdoors type.

Just recently he has taken to going to the toilet without warning in the house.

What could be causing this?

Eddie Homewood, Gravesend

A) There are a number of potential reasons.

My main concern would be a ­physical problem with Harley’s ­kidneys or bladder.

That could be reduced kidney function at his age, meaning he needs to urinate more and is getting caught short.

Or it could be a urinary tract infection, urinary crystals or even bladder stones leading to increased urgency to wee.

Finally, there are behavioural reasons like stress or anxiety relating to going out which has led to him breaking his housetraining.

Either way, a health check at the vet is a great idea.

Star of the week

MEET Bertie, the unlikely Bollywood star.

The eight-year-old whippet is so convincing in Netflix film Mission Raniganj that a critic suggested a best actor nomination.

The film recounts the heroic real-life rescue of 65 trapped miners in the Raniganj coalfields, West Bengal, in 1989.

Bertie, who lives in Frizington, Cumbria with owner Kerry Jordan, plays the wonder dog who alerted rescuers just before the search was abandoned.

Photographer Kerry, 45, says: “Bertie had to learn new tricks to show his owner was trapped.”

He got his bite at fame after being spotted by chance by a talent scout.

Kerry adds: “Seeing him on TV was surreal – I’m so proud of him.”

SUPERSTITION UNLUCKY FOR BLACK CATS

BLACK cats are not so lucky.

Figures reveal they’re the most rejected feline and take three times longer to rehome than tabbies.

RSPCA cat welfare expert Alice Potter says: “We don’t know for sure why black cats are more likely to end up in rescue centres and are then overlooked by prospective adopters.

“We know that some people also consider them unlucky, associate them with superstition, or even think they don’t look good in Instagram photos but they are just like any other cat who needs a loving home.”

The charity says it has 626 per cent more black moggies than ginger cats.

UK charity Cats Protection recorded a 34 per cent increase in abandoned pets in the first seven months of 2024 alone, as cash-strapped owners struggled to care for them.

Woodside Animal Welfare Trust in Devon says warm weather last summer, plus more people keeping unneutered pets since the first Covid lockdown, has led to a surge of orphaned moggies.

Senior manager Debbie Haynes says: “ You see the colourful and tabby ones in a litter go to homes, and the black ones get left behind.”

For more information see woodsidesanctuary. org.uk/