Ask the Expert – Old

Dr K G Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He has been a lecturer in clinical medicine at Vet College in Bangalore for 15 years, and has won the 'best teacher' award in the year 2000. He is a member of European Society for Vet Dermatology and is currently working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia. Q: Please give me a feeding plan and quantity to feed a…

Dr KG Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He is working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia. Q: I have two Persians – Bhombol (female) aged three years and Bhodka (male) aged two years. When can I breed them? – PK Bandyopadhyay, Goa Dr KG Umesh: Female cats have generally their first season during six and nine months of age. Cats do not ovulate unless they…

Dr K G Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He has been a lecturer in clinical medicine at Vet College in Bangalore for 15 years, and has won the 'best teacher' award in the year 2000. He is a member of European Society for Vet Dermatology and is currently working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia. Q: I have a nine-week-old Labrador puppy and we are…

Q: How can we clean the ears of our dog? I saw my dad using hydrogen peroxide once, but he stopped using it as he said it may have some side effects on dogs. – Mridhul Jain, Ludhiana Dr KG Umesh: Knowledge of ear canal anatomy is helpful for cleaning. Cleaning techniques generally focus on the external ear canal, which comprises vertical and horizontal canals. The canal is generally two cm in…

Dr KG Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He is working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia. Q: My cat Bella gets wax frequently and keeps scratching her ears with her paws. There seem to be some small lumps inside her ears. Please help. – Bhavya Mohan, Mumbai Dr KG Umesh: Otitis externa (inflammation of ear canal) is a complex disease process involving…

Dr KG Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He is working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia. Q: I have three cats - the problem I have is that they keep peeing everywhere - how do I stop this? How do I get them used to using the litter box? – Shanaz Kader, Mumbai Dr KG Umesh: Cats are naturally clean animals, for whom litter tray training is usually a…

Q: My one-year-old male Rottweiler has got a problem with his elbows on the front legs. Water like liquid fills in them. The veterinarian had pricked the water out with a thick syringe and put a medicine in but he is again suffering from the same problem. Do advice. – Ketan Verma, Ludhiana Dr KG Umesh: From your description, I assume that your pet may be having a condition called hygroma. This is…

Q: I have a one-year-old GSD male. I would like to know what food should be given to him in summer and if any special care needs to be taken in the hot months. He sometimes is not very keen on eating food though otherwise his appetite is not much of a problem. I would also like to know certain tips on the overall health of this particular breed. How many times should we bathe him in summer? -…

Q: My four months old English Mastiff puppy is on dog food. Her weight is 29 kg. What quantity should I feed her per feeding – I feed her three meals a day. My puppy is not ready to walk long distances. At what age will she be ready to walk long distances? Do advice her exercise needs according to her age. -Prabhakar R Patil, Kolhapur Dr KG Umesh: Feed the required quantity as mentioned on the…

Q: I have a one-year-old Labrador, who is losing a lot of fur. I have shown to my doctors but they cannot figure out the reason. Please help. –Deepti Shah, Pune Dr KG Umesh: Hair loss is a common complaint in our country in dogs with skin disorders and results from a number of causes. Unlike human being, hair growth cycle in dogs is different. For example, hair does not grow continuously in…

Dr KG Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He is working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia. Q: My one year old cat prefers wet food and is not eating her dry cat food. Is it ok to feed her wet food only? We are mixing the wet food with rice and feeding her twice a day. Also can I feed her fish, chicken or mutton? -Thelma, Kottayam Dr KG Umesh: A typical…

Q: My four months old English Mastiff puppy is on dog food. Her weight is 29 kg. What quantity should I feed her per feeding – I feed her three meals a day. My puppy is not ready to walk long distances. At what age will she be ready to walk long distances? Do advice her exercise needs according to her age. -Prabhakar R Patil, Kolhapur Dr KG Umesh: Feed the required quantity as mentioned on the…

Q: My pet Oscar, a Labrador, is two months old. Is it advisable to take him for grooming at this age? At what age should we start bathing him and how often? – Indraneel Gupta, New Delhi Dr K G Umesh: You can groom your puppy every other day to accustom him to this procedure and to being handled. Begin with gentle grooming equipment that does not hurt or irritate the puppy’s skin. Brushes and…

Q: I am planning to buy a Labrador Retriever puppy. Please tell me what are the pre/post things I should check/do? Also suggest how many month old pup should I buy? -Amrutha, Bangalore Dr. K.G. Umesh: Owning a dog is a big responsibility and giving your dog the best care and attention can help to improve the quality and length of your dog’s life. The best age to bring a puppy home is when he is…

Q: My cat Oliver is a two-month-old Persian. Please advice about cat training and flea prevention. - Asma Nadeem Ahmed, Bangalore A: Dr KG Umesh: Early socialisation is the process by which a cat learns to relate appropriately to people, other cats and to her environment. The 'sensitive period' for socialisation lies between two and seven weeks of age in kittens. Getting the socialisation…

Dr. K. G. Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He has been a lecturer in clinical medicine at Vet College in Bangalore for 15 years, and has won the 'best teacher' award in the year 2000. He is a member of European Society for Vet Dermatology and is presently working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for south Asia Q: We have adopted a two and a half years old male Black…

Q. Please do advice about behavioural abnormalities in cats. – Ashimi Das, Guwahati A: Dr KG Umesh: Cats make good pets because their needs are simple and they like the security of their own home, from which they can explore their own territory and hunt. In a few respects, cats are fussy - they can be fussy about their food and even more so about getting wet. Cats are known to be solitary…

Q: I have a one-year-old Labrador, who is losing a lot of fur. I have shown to my doctors but they cannot figure out the reason. Please help. –Deepti Shah, Pune Dr KG Umesh: Hair loss is a common complaint in our country in dogs with skin disorders and results from a number of causes. Unlike human being, hair growth cycle in dogs is different. For example, hair does not grow continuously in dogs.…

Q: Please give inputs on different areas of kitten care. – Vrushali Makarand Pandit, Pune A: Dr KG Umesh: Cats are solitary animals and like to spend some time alone. Best time to bring home a kitten is when they are six weeks old or more. A small box with high sides placed in a warm, draft-free location is an ideal environment. The floor should be padded with washable towels or disposable…

Dr. K. G. Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He has been a lecturer in clinical medicine at Vet College in Bangalore for 15 years, and has won the 'best teacher' award in the year 2000. He is a member of European Society for Vet Dermatology and is presently working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for south Asia Q: My Labrador is 13 years old. He is developing weakness…