From a howling dog to cats who keep spraying – your pet queries answered
Sean, who is the head vet at tailored pet food firm tails.com, has helped with owners' queries for ten years.
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Q: OUR two-year-old cavapoo Milo does not settle in the night. He wakes and barks constantly.
We have tried different ways to calm him, such as a night light, playing music and closing the curtains.
He is allowed the run of the house and we even sleep downstairs on the sofa with him. He has three 30-minute walks a day.
We are desperate.
SARAH MATTHEWS, Cardiff
Sean says: If you are going downstairs to sleep with him, you are not allowing Milo to settle or realise he's perfectly fine sleeping on his own.
Why wouldn't he cry and bark if it means you come running?
Adopt a bit of a tough-love approach.
His barking will get more intense as you ignore it, but don't cave in. He's sleeping on his own and that's that.
If you give in once, he'll double his efforts next time.
I was stunned when I got my dog back from the groomer - I think he might have been switched in the shop
If you are really struggling, hire a behaviourist to help.
Q: MY son has two seven-month-old male Maine Coon cats. They are brothers, Casper and Ziggy.
Due to a health problem, now resolved, they have yet to be neutered.
They are house cats but one of them keeps urinating and spraying around the house.
They are due to be neutered soon but will this stop the problem?
SUE WILSON, Sleaford, Lincs
Sean says: It's hormonally-driven scent-marking behaviour, encouraged by the fact you've got two entire males, even if they are brothers.
I would advise neutering as soon as possible now, and hopefully that will resolve the behaviour within a few weeks.
The other driver of this, once it begins happening, is the scent itself, which can trigger them to continue scent-marking, even if neutered.
So give those soiled areas a really good scrub with an ammonia-free, pet-safe cleaning solution.
After drying, use a pet deodoriser spray.
Q: THEO, my bichon frise, continually licks his right paw.
He does not flinch if you touch it and the fur has started going brown.
There's no sign of seeds, arthritis or stiffness. Theo is six. Any ideas?
JAMES CORRIGAN, Kilmarnock
Sean says: It's still possible there is something deeply embedded in Theo's toe, but this sounds more behavioural.
Dogs can start to lick a certain area as a soothing behaviour, or even through boredom.
Licking is a natural appeasement and bonding behaviour for dogs, and it releases endorphins and feel-good hormones.
If it goes on for a long time, it can become compulsive or addictive, and long-term, lead to a lesion in the affected area called a lick granuloma, which thickens and stimulates the dog to 'comfort it' over and over.
The reddish brown mark on a white coat is a natural reaction to excess saliva staining.
Your vet can examine and come up with a plan, which may involve trialling some anti-inflammatory medication to see if there is pain involved, or a buster collar to break the lick-comfort cycle.
Q: I HAVE a five-year-old ginger tom cat, Wispa, who I got through a rescue charity.
They captured the feral mother and her six kittens when they were a week old.
He is a very loving cat but sometimes he will be sitting on my lap and, for no reason at all, he will either bite me or swipe me.
MAUREEN ANDERSON Cambridge
Sean says: This will likely be due to bad experiences with humans as a kitten, and may not stop completely.
It can also happen when kittens have been taught that human hands are toys or playthings.
CAMPAIGN FOR THIRD-PARTY DOG COVER
A NEW campaign calls for liability pet insurance to be compulsory for dogs.
Police forces across the country have seen an increase in the number of dog attacks over the past five years.
The insurance would provide financial protection to victims if a pet causes injury or damage, similar to third-party cover for drivers.
Over 4,000 pet owners have signed an online petition for 'Murphy's Law' after Joanne Newbury, 54, from Stagsden in Bedfordshire, lost her ten-year-old cockapoo, Murphy, when he was mauled by a large, off-lead, dog during a walk in June.
He suffered devastating injuries and despite emergency surgery, he passed away.
Although the other dog's owner admitted responsibility, they had no insurance.
Joanne fears she will now have to pursue them through the small claims court to try to recover a shortfall of £3,500, after her own pet insurance covered most of the £10,000 vet fees.
She said: 'Murphy was everything to me. I want to make sure this never happens to another family.'
Sign the Murphy's Law petition at change.org.
STAR OF THE WEEK
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ZIGGY the miniature schnauzer truly is a girl's best friend – as he never leaves the side of one-year-old Sylvie Harvey.
The big-hearted 11-year-old pooch has watched over her when she sleeps ever since she was born and even barks to alert mum Amy when Sylvie is about to cry.
Amy, 35, from Sidcup, South-East London, said: 'He's like a doting uncle. He very much sees his role in life as her protector, as well as her best friend.
'If she is a bit grumpy he goes in for a cuddle and if she is about to cry he comes looking for me and will bark to let me know. He's a little dog with a big heart.'
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This was followed by a 2-week baseline period in which the researchers performed additional health tests to observe the effects of individuals' 8-week minimally processed foods or ultra-processed foods this break, participants switched sides, with the individuals in the minimally processed foods group moving to the ultra-processed foods diet and vice versa for another 8 the end of those 2 months, the researchers once more assessed both groups' health metrics.'The study's crossover design and use of a washout period strengthened its internal reliability, and coaching likely improved adherence,' noted Routhenstein.'However,' she said, 'reliance on self-reported food diaries and the exclusion of certain dietary groups limit generalizability.''Unusual' finding: Ultra-processed foods may not increase bad cholesterolUnexpectedly, the researchers found that the ultra-processed foods diet was associated with a lower LDL ('bad') cholesterol level. Ultra-processed foods are often criticized for adding unhealthy elements into a person's described this finding as 'unusual,' saying that it 'doesn't align with most existing research.' She noted, however, that 'it may reflect the specific types of ultra-processed foods consumed, such as those lower in saturated fat or fortified with cholesterol-lowering ingredients.''This underscores the importance of considering the full dietary context rather than judging foods by broad categories alone,' Routhenstein a balanced diet can aid weight lossIt is likely that the reason both groups lost weight is that they both ate to Routhenstein, 'a balanced, nutrient-dense diet, such as the one outlined in [United Kingdom] guidelines, helps to support weight management, metabolic function, heart health, and healthy aging by providing the essential nutrients the body needs.''While ultraprocessed foods are often linked to poor outcomes,' she said, 'what we choose to include in our diet may matter even more than what we avoid.'MNT also spoke with Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, who was not involved in this told us that:'What we recommend to our patients, and what is the basis for most successful diets, is reducing carbohydrate and sugar intake and emphasizing protein and non-starchy vegetables in the diet. Minimizing carbohydrates and sugars helps direct the body towards burning fat.''Ultraprocessed foods,' he cautioned, 'tend to have additional additives that can be detrimental, so it is better to minimize these foods as well. Therefore, having the proper nutrients and a good source are both important.''It's also,' added Routhenstein, 'important to consider the nutritional quality of individual foods, as not all [ultra-processed foods] are the same, and broad labels can miss meaningful differences in the nutritional composition, and therefore health impact.'How do ultra-processed foods affect weight loss?'While ultra-processed foods may not directly hinder weight loss, prior research has linked them to poor metabolic health, increased cardiovascular risk, higher mortality, and negative impacts on gut health,' Routhenstein told us.'Their engineered flavors, low satiety, and high palatability can lead to overeating, and they often contain additives, preservatives, or contaminants with unknown long-term effects,' she ultra-processed foods still afforded study participants a measure of weight loss, the trial 'did show a benefit of minimally processed foods over ultra-processed foods,' Ali further shakes are one type of processed food that may be of value in healthy dieting — with some caveats — said Ali. They 'can be helpful for weight loss, provided they have the right ingredients.' He cited 'smoothies with a lot of fruit, though not ultraprocessed.''Low-sugar shakes that are high in protein can be beneficial, but not ultraprocessed [shakes, which] will not help weight loss due to sugar content,' he added.
