Ask our expert

PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing answers all your pet questions

Dear PDSA Vet, my dog had five puppies about a week ago but one of them is much smaller than the others. He keeps getting pushed out of the way and I’m not sure if he’s getting enough to eat. Should I do anything to intervene? Elsa

Dear Elsa, the first thing to do is to weigh the puppies each day to make sure they’re gaining weight. If the puppy isn’t gaining weight as he’s being pushed out, you may need to move the other pups to one side so he can feed first.

But, if he’s too weak to do this, you may need to hand rear him – speak with your vet for advice on bottle feeding. Hand rearing puppies is a big commitment. In the first couple of weeks of life, pups need to feed every two to three hours.

Dear PDSA Vet, I have just brought home my first hamster. Every time I try to get her out of her cage, she goes back down her tunnel or runs away from me as fast as she can. Why is she doing this and is there anything that can prevent her from running away? Michael Dear Michael, your hamster needs time to settle into her new home and get used to you – running away is an instinctive behaviour that helps to keep hamsters safe in the wild. Approach her calmly and gently, never from above, and avoid waking her up during the day as hamsters are nocturnal.

Offer her favourite food from your hand so that she learns to associate you with something nice.

Then, when she seems happy to approach you, try gently scooping her up from beneath her in your open palms, remembering to always hold her near a surface in case she falls. Dear PDSA Vet, My big grey cat Pascal is ten and he’s always been quite heavy, which I think is due to his breed. But recently he seems to have lost a lot of weight – is there something wrong with him? Callie

Dear Callie, there are a number of medical conditions that could be causing your precious puss to lose weight despite a healthy appetite so you should take him to a vet to find out what is wrong.

Certain diseases, such as diabetes, kidney disease and hyperthyroidism can cause weight loss, and may be accompanied by other symptoms such as increased appetite or thirst, or increased need to urinate.

Many of these health problems can be improved with the right treatment, so I’d always recommend visiting your vet to identify the root cause and discuss how you can help your furry friend feel better.

PDSA is the UK’s largest vet charity and is supported by the People’s Postcode Lottery. For vital advice and information visit the www. pdsa. org.uk website.