Pete The Vet: My dog is eating the post - what can I do?

Pete the Vet answers your questions

The post - an illicit part of a complete breakfast for dogs around the country

Our dog keeps running at the door and snatching the post as it comes in the door. I even ordered a felt detachable post box - but he chewed that up as it was delivered! What's the best way to dissuade him to do this - he is a Jug - part Jack Russell, part Pug. I can report that roaring at him and throwing the chewed up post at him does not work. 

- Caroline, Cork.

This is a common bad habit and I am not surprised that your attempts have failed to date. Dogs don’t understand what you are saying when you roar: you could be cheering encouragement as far as he is concerned. And throwing the post at him is like giving him back his toy. To train him to stop doing this, you would have to find something that’s more fun than chasing and chewing the post to distract him, and that isn’t easy. 

This enjoyable habit will now be so deeply ingrained that you need to find somewhere else for the post rather than the floor of your hall. You could try an indestructible metal box that attaches to the inside of your front door, linking directly to the delivery slot (you can buy wire mesh letterbox guards for around €15, designed to protect post from pets). Alternatively, consider a box outside your front door (such as the An Post DeliveryBox, available for €79.99).

My 4-year-old tabby cat has suddenly stopped eating his Whiskas dry biscuits. We tried lots of different foods when he was a kitten and Whiskas was the only one he would eat. A neighbour was cat sitting and I think gave him tinned wet food while we were away. Should I just change to tinned food - is it better for him to have the dry food for his teeth? 

- Joanne, Co Kildare

In general, it’s best to encourage kittens to learn to enjoy both moist food (tinned or sachets) and dried biscuits. Each of these has pros and cons, so if a cat learns that both are tasty and enjoyable to eat, their diet can be adjusted as they grow older if needed. Dry food is more convenient, tends to be better value, and cats usually thrive on it. However only dry food that is labelled as having dental benefits is better for their teeth: there is no evidence that standard dried biscuits are any better than moist food in this way. 

Dried food creates more concentrated urine (moist food is around 80% moisture, so cats naturally take in more fluid when fed on this, so their urine is more dilute). Most cats can cope perfectly well with concentrated urine, but if a cat develops an issue with urinary crystals or stones, they may need to change onto a moist diet. This is one of the reasons why it’s helpful for cats to be offered both types of food.

My friend called recently and was horrified that I was giving our lurcher a mix of canned food (supermarket brand) mixed with an expensive dry dog food brand. He said we should try the raw diet - buy chicken from a butcher and bag it and freeze it. The dog is two. Would it be a shock to his system if I did this? Is it healthier? 

He seems to be a very healthy dog to me, we also give me leftovers from our dinners and breakfasts - cereal and milk and porridge and bits of toast, etc in the mornings and whatever we've had for the dinner too, everything from steak to pasta to fajitas, he'll get the leftovers. I know they are not supposed to eat things like onions but if they're in something like a lasagne, I don't pick them out. Am I doing the wrong thing? I do notice if we give him bread, he farts a lot!

- Mary, Kerry.

There are multiple different ways of feeding dogs, and each has it’s own plusses and minuses. The bottom line is that your dog should enjoy eating the food, and they should visibly thrive on it (shiny coat, bright eyes, strong body). Commercial dog food has the advantage of being nutritionally balanced (as long as the label states that it is a “complete” food). And there’s no harm in giving up to 10% of the total food fed as household scraps, as you are doing. Raw food is popular with some dog owners, and it suits some dogs well, with some provisos. 

First, it must be nutritionally balanced: if you feed a dog pure meat (such as just chicken), they will not get the blend of nutrients that they need. Second, raw meat has a high risk of carrying bacteria that can cause human illness (such as Campylobacter), so you need to be rigorous about good hygiene (handwashing etc) after handling the food. This feeding method should not be used in households where there are people with vulnerable immune systems (such as infants, elderly people, or those on chemotherapy).

My daughter wants a gerbil for Christmas. I read your article about not getting a puppy as a present. Does the same apply to small furry creatures? It's all she seems to want and has promised to be responsible for cleaning the cage etc. I don't want to disappoint her but I don't want to do the wrong thing either. Also, where is the best place to buy a gerbil? Are pet shops ethically sound? 

- Hannah, North Cork

The principle of trying to avoid treating pets as objects applies across the board: I would wrap up a gerbil cage as a present, then go with her to buy the gerbils a few days later, to stress the fact that they are living creatures, not toys. Pet shops vary: I would ask the staff where they source their animals, and check that the animals look clean, healthy and in optimal condition.