ASK THE VET

Q: I have an 18-month-old male Chihuahua. Can it be harmful to him if he won’t eat dog food of any kind? GERALDINE Alder

A: Yes would be the short answer! Commercial pet foods are formulated to ensure all nutritional needs of an animal are met. Feeding a complete dog food ensures your dog is not going to develop any nutritional deficiencies unless they have an underlying clinical problem.

Care must be taken to ensure that the word “complete” is on the packet. I have seen a number of clients that believe they are feeding a good diet, but the food is actually labelled as “complementary”. This means that the food does not contain all the necessary ingredients to meet pet’s nutritional requirements and can lead to disease if fed alone.

Commercial food companies have spent billions of pounds tweaking recipes and formulas to ensure the food is balanced. It is also a legal requirement that pet foods marketed as “complete” have to meet the nutritional needs to prevent diseases of malnutrition.

Although home-cooked diets are possible for dogs, these are usually more expensive and risk nutritional deficiencies that can become life threatening. If you wish to go down this route I recommend discussing this with a veterinary nutritionist to ensure the diet is balanced or you are at significant risk of deficiencies and clinical disease.

A dog is unlikely to starve to death if food is available. Put the food down where the dog can see it for 20 minutes and then lift the food up again. Repeat this 3-4 times a day. Do not allow the dog to eat anything else. If the dog still has not eaten after 3-4 days there may be a clinical disease underlying. Do not attempt this method in cats! ■■Please note that advice in this section is for general guidance, and if your pet is very unwell you should contact your veterinary surgeon as soon as possible as this advice does not replace the need for a clinical examination of your pet. ■■Rory Thomson is part of the team at St Clair Veterinary Care in Croft road, Blyth. If you have a question, fill out the online form at chroniclelive.co.uk/askthevet

Molly. Sent in by Kelly Telford

“My gorgeous old lad, Sir Jeremy of Gateshead. Six years old and trying to look innocent, after he and his cage mate, Princess Penny, trashed their cage! I adopted him, from a North East Guinea Pig Rescue, nearly 5 years ago. He’s an absolute joy.”...