DR BRUCE CHARD

contact@northharbourvet.co.nz CASS, my 6-year old king charles cavalier cross, is constantly looking for things to eat when I exercise him on the beach. Recently he ate food from a barbecue and had to be treated for severe vomiting. Should I use a muzzle to stop this behaviour?

Eating left-over food scraps often causes dogs to get stomach upsets such as vomiting and diarrhoea. Although most dogs will recover some need care from a veterinarian. Using a muzzle is certainly effective. It is best to carefully fit one of the basket type muzzles which would still allow Cass to pant and drink. The draw back is that other people will assume your dog is muzzled due to aggression. Another method is always having Cass on an extendable lead or using intensive training on recall obedience. This would mean he would always have to be close to you to respond to commands.

What is the best way to give my cat a bath? She is a shorthaired tortoiseshell so does not have any hair matts. Also, should I use a flea shampoo or is it just too hard to bath a cat?

Surprisingly, many cats will tolerate being bathed, it is a matter of being prepared before you start. Ideally, some days before the bathing trim your cat’s nails to make her safer to handle. You will need one other person to help firmly hold her. Have your shampoo and some towels ready before running warm water into a tub so that it reaches up to her tummy when standing. Do not use a flea shampoo, just an ordinary and safe cat shampoo. Wet your cat with the water then rub in the shampoo all over before thoroughly rinsing off. Don’t shampoo her head, simply wipe with a wet sponge. The whole procedure should only take five minutes then dry her with towels.