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.
Q) OUR pedigree Bengal cat cries all the time and is incredibly vocal. Is this normal?
There seems no rhyme or reason why Mia is doing it. She is four, is very sweet and seems well.
Do you think she’s just chatty or could it be something worrying?
PIP BRYANT, Plymouth, Devon
Sean says: This is standard Bengal cat fare. They are vocal and demanding and nothing if not characterful. It’s totally normal, and what you signed up for.
Hopefully you did your research before choosing what breed to pick.
If not, I hope you’re OK with a chatterbox feline for the next 15 to 20 years.
You might want to invest in some ear plugs for a bit of peace and quiet at times. Go Mia!
Q) MY long-haired hamster, Fluffly, has flaking skin.
He seems happy and eats well. The cage is kept spotless. What could be the cause?
EMMA POVEY, Manchester
Sean says: It may be dry skin caused by diet. I suspect he’s fed a “muesli-mix” food from the pet shop.
If so, does he eat all of his favourite bits and leave the boring parts he’s not so keen on? Then you throw them out and refill his bowl?
This is a common scenario for all small furry pets and also in birds. It’s called selective feeding, and over time can lead to dietary deficiencies.
A lack of balanced essential fats, for example, can lead to flaky skin.
The solution is to feed a complete and balanced pelleted food containing all Fluffly needs in each pellet.
Another possibility is Demodex, a type of microscopic skin mite.
If the problem doesn’t clear up with a change in diet, the next step would be for your vet to take a skin scrape, or just treat for Demodex and assess if there is a response.
As the mite burrows deep into the skin layers, a skin scrape will not always show up an infection.
Q) BOB, my four-year-old bulldog, sits down on walks and refuses to move.
He’s really lazy and stubborn. How can I persuade him to love exercise and not be a couch potato?
MARK EVANS, Cardiff, Glamorgan
Sean says: While this may be typical of some bulldogs’ character, it can also point to the fact that how we’ve bred Bulldogs over the years is often seriously detrimental to their health.
Many have compromised airways and get easily tired or short of breath even with fairly light exercise.
Their limbs, joints and spines are also prone to problems due to how we’ve selectively bred them for short backs and tails, a stocky, “elbows out” front loaded frame and large head and shoulders.
It’s worth a thorough physical exam by your vet to rule in or out some of these issues common for the breed.
Q) REG, our 13-year-old Jack Russell, was prescribed Synulox for a urinary tract infection.
But the locum vet wrongly prescribed two tablets twice a day instead of half a tablet twice a day.
Eventually after a week of being very poorly, the mistake was realised.
Reg is still not right. Will supplements help maintain his urinary tract health? He refuses to take pills now.
EMMA HURRELL, Budleigh Salterton, Devon
Sean says: No supplement in the world will treat a UTI, and few will prevent one happening.
So go back for a re-check and agree with your vet the best next steps.
Take a urine sample so they can check if there are signs the infection is still lingering.
Us vets are human, and occasionally mistakes happen. Please be kind and work with us for the welfare of your pet.
Star of the week
IT may be a dog eat dog world in Parliament, but Steve Darling’s guide dog Jennie has proved she is leader of the pack.
The six-year-old golden retriever and Labrador mix, is Westminster Dog of the Year 2025, an award set up in the memory of the late Conservative MP and dog welfare campaigner Sir David Amess, organised by The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust.
Lib-Dem MP Steve, who is registered blind due to a genetic eye condition, said: “Jennie takes her time in parliament very seriously.
“She is really good at bridge building between parties and enjoys being loved by as many people as possible but clearly without any scandals.”
See thekennelclub.org.uk/wdoty
WIN: Hoover HF6 Turbo Pets vacuum worth £279.99
WE’RE giving away a cordless Hoover HF6 Turbo Pets vacuum worth £279.99.
Designed to tackle pet hair, the new model has a floor sensor which reacts and cleans automatically and has up to 100 minutes of runtime.
For a chance to win one, send an email headed HOOVER to sundaypets@the-sun.co.uk by October 12.
See hooverdirect.co.uk
T&Cs apply.
Donkey duo rein supreme in new book
TWO donkeys, who are best pals, have been unveiled as new record breakers.
Derrick has been crowned the tallest donkey living, at 167cm (5ft 5in).
His stablemate Bambou has the longest ears on a living donkey at 35cm (1ft 1in).
The much loved pets from Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary in Huttoft, Lincs, appear in the 2026 Guinness World Records, out this week in paperback.
Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday said: “Bambou and Derrick are a wonderful example of the extraordinary, often surprising record holders you’ll discover in this year’s book.
“From remarkable pets like them to awe-inspiring human achievements, Guinness World Records 2026 showcases the very best of record-breaking.”
The donkeys’ owner Tracy Garton said: “They are both much loved pets. Bambou is the most adopted donkey in the sanctuary.
“Bambou has really long ears, so you’d expect him to have really good hearing – but sometimes we think he’s deaf!
Other pet records include the world’s oldest horse, Echoquette, who was 36 years and 222 days, and cockatoo Major Mitchell who lived to the age of 83.
