DR BRUCE CHARD

contact@northharbourvet.co.nz MY 2-year-old unneutered male border collie is usually good with other dogs and can play when off lead at a dog park; but he growls when puppies approach. Usually I exercise him with a lead attached to a chest harness. How do I stop this behaviour?

Sometimes male dogs will show aggression to young dogs either out of fear or territorial behaviour. He may have missed being fully socialised with other dogs before he reached 4 months of age. Often this is difficult to stop but you can start by trying to avoid confrontations with young dogs. Have him well trained, so if a puppy approaches make him sit and relax on command and reward him with a food treat. It is better to have him controlled with a halti head collar that goes around his muzzle, or use a collar and a basket type muzzle. If you are not going to breed from him then neutering will also help.

Our 15-year-old cat, Rory, has been having problems with bladder control. He will spend up to a day passing small amounts of urine and sometimes a blood clot and then he settles down. Does he have an infection?

Older cats that show signs of bladder irritation like Rory, will often have a bacterial infection. Rory will need a full check at your vet. The first test will be to obtain a urine sample and have it cultured at the lab for bacteria and tested for an appropriate antibiotic to use. Your vet will also do a full blood test to check for kidney problems. Another possibility in an older cat could be a growth in his bladder or bladder stones; an x-ray or ultrasound of Rory’s abdomen will be done to rule this out. Hopefully it is a case of cystitis [bladder inflammation] caused by bacteria which can be treated with antibiotics.