I have heard lately that neutering usually reduces a female’s dog life, sometimes to a half. We have a female dog taken from the street that we decided to neuter, as we also have a male dog in the house and thought it would make things much easier for both of them and for us, especially since we knew we didn’t want any puppies. But at the time, we were not aware of this side-effect; we’ve grown very fond of her and feel that we might be to blame if she lives less. I would like to know how much of this theory is true and what’s the safest way to go about this when you have a dog you don’t want puppies from.A. Duma, Cluj-Napoca

Spaying and neutering do not shorten the dog’s life. On the contrary, with female dogs, neutering prevents the risk of malignant tumours of the ovaries, the utherus and the mammilla chain. With adopted strays, the surgical intervention (neutering, spaying) should be the owner’s option.

I have a 2 year old dachsund male dog, very good and usually very obedient. I know I’m supposed to clean his teeth regularly and I even tried that a couple of times with no success, though. I read in a fairly old book that I should use a toothbrush dipped in soup or bicarbonate; I even tried it with a clean toothbrush but he couldn’t stand either. I only managed to brush his teeth once or twice and gave up as it seemed quite useless, unless it happened on a regulary basis. Now I am a little concerned as his teeth seem a bit too yellow for his age and I understand dental problems tend to be fairly complicated.Rodica Pascal, Gherla, Cluj

Brushing the dog’s teeth should begin around the 3rd or the 4th month of life. The colour of dental enamel could be dictated by several factors: food, treatments with certain drugs in the early stages of life, heredity. Getting a doctor’s opinion is strongly recommended. If the dog gets toph, you should have the doctor remove it and continue to do so periodically.

Hello, my name is Viorica Nanu and my problem is as follows: I have 2 cats, one of 2 years old, the other of 3, taken from the street when they were kittens. They’ve never left the house ever since and I constantly make sure they can’t do that, because I’m afraid they might not come back, or, even worse, come back pregnant. My friends tell me animals shouldn’t be kept inside a lifetime. To me it seems they don’t suffer that much, they appear to be in perfect shape and when they sit in the balcony, for instance, they don’t look like they want out. Medically speaking, what’s the best way to go about this? Congratulations on what you’re doing.Viorica Nanu, Craiova

Having lived their whole lives indoors, your cats have grown used to a certain way of life. Getting them outdoors would be a novelty to them and being as it is that they are not used to the life outdoors, they might be exposed to a series of life endangering factors, for instance, the lack of self-preservation instinct. Through the years, I met with several such cases of cats that never left the apartment they were living in. The life span of those cats was of 10 to 13 years.

I would like to know if it’s “mandatory” that puppies should be given calcium and beginning with what age. Also, is rachitis a condition determined by certain factors or is it common among dogs and should be stopped at some point? Can you please tell me what’s the safest form of calcium to be given to dogs: human lactic calcium or those special pills for dogs? I had some puppies some time ago and used to give them dog pills which they seemed to enjoy chewing. The lactic calcium for humans has to be forced on them but, as far as I heard, it’s preferred to the dog pills. I sometimes feel that maybe some of the vets are a little behind with the new tendencies in the field or have difficulties accepting new things and that is why they keep recommending the human lactic calcium. Thank you very much.Radu Culcer, Cluj

There are certain dog breeds predisposed to rachitis: the German sheperd, the German dog, the Saint-Bernard. Calcium therapy should begin around 2 months of age and should continue up to 6-7 months, under the close supervision of the doctor. The best pills are the ones that contain both calcium and phosphorus, the ratio between the two components being of great importance.