I have bought two gerbils. How do I know if they are healthy?

Lucy, Comber

Healthy gerbils have bright eyes, a glossy coat and are alert and lively with a good appetite, except in the daytime when they can be sleepy. A running or sticky nose or eyes, a dull coat and/or lethargy are signs of ill-health. Gerbils have upper incisor teeth that continue to grow throughout their lives. To keep them at the right length provide a small branch from a fruit tree, such as apple (check it has not been sprayed with pesticides) or wooden chew toys available from pet shops to allow them to chew. Do you know what sex your gerbils are? If they are boy and girl prepare for a population explosion!

My one-year-old Dachshund likes to sit up on his haunches like a Meerkat. Is that safe for his back?

Graham, Donaghadee

I guess you are referring to spinal disc disease, a condition very common in this breed. The Dachshund is a chondrodystrophoid breed which means that the cartilages in legs and back don’t mature normally. This predisposes them to prolapse of the disc, termed a Hansen Type 1 protrusion, causing anything from transient pain, to permanent paralysis of all four legs. These cases can require risky and expensive spinal surgery so it definitely makes sense to try and prevent the problem. I am not aware of any scientific study showing increased risk from the behaviour you describe, but common sense would suggest that you may be right. I would certainly not encourage him to beg like that. Consider good pet health insurance for him: the last thing you want to be worrying about is the cost of surgery!

My cat is six. He only eats liver! I have heard that this is risky?

Orla, Bangor

I am afraid you are right. Cats need a balanced diet to avoid severe early-onset heart disease and retinal blindness. Cats fed an exclusive liver diet will develop Hypervitaminosis A, a toxicity where their spine becomes painfully fused, due to formation of massive bony exostoses around each spinal joint. You need to re-teach him a better diet. Your vet can supply an appetite stimulant which helps tremendously when introducing new food. Remember cats evolved as obligate carnivores, to kill and eat fresh meat. They therefore prefer “mouse temperature” food, so don’t feed straight from the fridge. Feed warmed food little and often. Try making a liver “soup” to use like gravy to flavour other foods. We sell a brand of cat food (Applaws) which is superb quality and great for getting anorexic cats eating well again. Please persevere: it will be worth it in the end!