Vet Pete Wedderburn has the answers

My elderly dog has early stage kidney failure, and he was drinking loads and getting us up twice a night to have a wee. Three months ago I took him off a joint supplement tablet to try a capsule instead. His drinking halved and he’s now going through the night. Could the tablet have been a problem?

JH, WILTSHIRE

Tablets contain calcium diphosphate as a binder. This is well tolerated by healthy dogs, but renal failure (with thirst and urination) is aggravated by high phosphate levels in the blood. So tablets should be used with caution in pets with kidney disease, and alternatives (capsules, chews or liquids) should be used instead. It’s best to discuss all supplements with your vet before giving them to a pet that has any ongoing illness. Veterinary “renal” diets have ultra-low phosphate compared with normal pet food, ameliorating the signs of kidney disease and prolonging life.

I have two cats. Beauty steals Tibbs’s food, so she’s now obese, while he’s a scrawny scaredy cat. How can I persuade Beauty to stick to her own (limited) food bowl?

HT, LIVERPOOL

Technology can help: the SureFeed microchip pet feeder only opens when approached by a cat with a specified microchip. You can set this so that it will open for Tibbs, but then it will shut as soon as he moves away, preventing Beauty from tucking in. Watch how it works here: https://youtu. be/34OvL5ltLV0

HELP IS AVAILABLE IF YOU ARE GRIEVING FOR A PET

Ahead of Grief Awareness Day (Aug 30), Cats Protection is highlighting its Paws to Listen service, set up to help people cope with the loss of a cat. Call 0800 024 9494, 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri; callback available if lines are busy. To find out more, go to cats.org.uk/grief

RESCUE PET

Coco is a special, small fouryear-old cat who loves a fuss. For details, visit woodgreen. org.uk or contact the charity’s site in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. To view outcomes of rescued pets, see petethevet.com/rescues

Send queries to petsubjects@ telegraph.co.uk or tweet @PeteTheVet. All sick animals should be taken to a vet