Pete the Vet: Do I need a passport to bring my dog to France?

The Irish Examiner's resident animal expert answers reader questions - plus, how to get in touch with pet peeves of your own

Pete the Vet: Can I bring my dog on holiday? Does he need a passport?

We’re planning a family holiday to France this summer, and we want to take our dog for the first time. Does he need a pet passport, how do we get one, and how will he cope with being left in the car on the ferry overnight during the sea journey?

- JR, Youghal

More and more people are choosing to take their pets with them on holidays, and it’s far easier than it used to be. Talk to your local vet about getting a pet passport: your dog needs to be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies, and your vet can then give you an EU pet passport which becomes valid three weeks after the vaccine. 

This is enough to travel to France, but before you come back to Ireland, you’ll need to visit a French vet for a special anti-tapeworm tablet to be given and certified in the pet passport. As for the sea journey, while some ferry companies still insist that pets must be left in the vehicle, others (such as Stena Line) have introduced better options that include pet lounges, pet-friendly cabins (so that your pet can sleep beside your bed) and pet lodges (kennels, which you can visit your pet during the journey). 

Do your research and make bookings that include your dog in advance, as the best options may have limited availability, especially at peak travel times.

Do you have a question about your pet?@petethevet is here to help. Leave your questions below and he will answer a selection of them in his upcoming column in @irishexaminer #PetetheVet pic.twitter.com/M9XyKWtDcx

— Irish Examiner Lifestyle (@IELifestyle_) April 28, 2023

Is it safe to use dog groomers for dental cleaning/toothbrushing, or should I continue to try to brush my dog’s teeth at home and go to the vet when they get bad?

- DS, Galway

Pet dentistry is an area that has changed significantly in recent years. We now have a clearer understanding of the disease processes that affect dogs’ teeth, and more research has been done on the best way to keep pets’ mouths healthy.

Dental health is important: bacteria from a mouth full of dental disease can spread to elsewhere in the body, causing heart and kidney disease. Pets with clean, healthy mouths tend to have longer lives. Just as with humans, the best approach is daily cleaning of the teeth, ideally with a toothbrush and pet toothpaste (this is more abrasive, and it’s designed to be swallowed, unlike human toothpaste).

Dental chews which have been proven to be clinically effective are a useful extra (especially if your pet won’t let you brush their teeth). As for groomers helping, while it can be easy to remove large chunks of dental tartar, this only gives an illusion of “clean teeth”.

Dogs need to be anaesthetised to allow deeper cleaning, below the gum level, to be carried out properly. If this is not done, the dental disease continues to progress, the severe tartar rapidly returns, and the problem is soon worse than ever.

How do you tell if your dog is underweight?

- RP, Monaghan

There are charts online that show you how to carry out Body Condition Scoring on your dog: this ranges from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (very obese) with 5 being ideal. Essentially, you should be able to feel the bony contours of your dog (ribs and spine) but they should not be easily visible (i.e. sticking out) when looking at the dog from a short distance. If you’re not sure, ask a veterinary professional (vet or registered nurse) for an opinion, and get your dog weighed regularly at your local vet clinic so that you can monitor their body weight from year to year.

My cat is mostly very affectionate, but last night, he was on my daughter’s lap, chilling out, and suddenly lunged at her hand and gave her a nasty bite. 

It’s not the first time it’s happened but it’s very infrequent. He clawed my son a couple of months ago for no reason too. Suddenly just went for him. 

He is a 4-year-old tom cat, neutered, he was rescued as a kitten and we all love him to bits. Why is he turning on us and what can we do to stop it?

- Worried cat lovers, The Dean family, Co Cork.

This is surprisingly common, and can be difficult to manage. Some cats have very sensitive dispositions, and they can be upset by incidents that we don’t even notice.

For example, most cats like being rubbed on top of their heads, but many cats hate to be touched on their underbellies. And cats can have a hidden focus of pain (such as a toothache or joint pain). If someone puts their hand near the sore area, the cat can mistakenly believe that the person is causing pain, so they can lash out. 

A check by your vet to confirm that there is no invisible focus of pain makes sense. And it’s worth giving your family an update on cat body language so that they learn to spot when your cat is tensing up, so that they give him more space until he calms down.

My neighbour keeps feeding my two cats. It’s starting to upset me. The cats spend more time at her house now than mine. Should I say something? 

She does mind my cats when I’m away visiting my sister, about once every three months, which is such a help, but I miss having them around in the evenings. 

I sent her a message last week to ask if they were there and she sent me a photo of the two of them on her couch! She obviously doesn’t see the problem.

It hurts a bit too, that my cats are choosing to spend time there instead of with me.

- Ethel, Co Dublin.

Cats can be fickle creatures and they’re impervious to human emotions. They go where they have the most fun, and that can mean food, company, and comfort. I would have a conversation with your friend, and be honest about your feelings. 

If she agrees to stop feeding them, this will probably be enough to send them home to you.