HE is on a mission to help our pets  . . . and is here to answer YOUR questions.

Sean, who is the head vet at tailored pet food firm tails.com, has helped with owners’ queries for ten years.

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He says: “If your pet is acting funny or is under the weather, or you want to know about nutrition or exercise, just ask. I can help keep pets happy and healthy.”

Q) MY little dog Teddy is always jumping up around my feet.

When I was carrying a cup of coffee I tripped over him and spilt some on his right ear and side.

I put cold water on him and took him to the vets who gave me hydrocortisone cream 1 per cent for him.

But his fur is stuck to his skin.

Will it get better just using the cream?

Liz Carolan, North Yorkshire

A) Tricky to say without inspecting poor Teddy’s ear and skin, but if in doubt, book him in for a recheck appointment at your vets.

You don’t say how long it has been, which may affect how it looks.

These things can appear worse before they seem better.

It might be time to stop the cream if it has healed.

Creams can be quite greasy so his fur will look a mess during treatment, but a good bath will sort it out once the inflammation has healed.

Q) WE have just bought two female guinea pigs.

They are only five months old but we have just found out one is pregnant.

Can you help with any advice? 

Matt Durnell, Northampton

A) How did you find out? Is it just that she has gained weight, or unmistakably has babies in there.

Guinea pigs give birth to large, well developed young that can run around and keep up with the crew almost from their arrival. So they get pretty colossal in size when pregnant.

As long as you are feeding her plenty of good quality hay, greens, vegetables and a small amount of fruit alongside quality guinea pig food she should be fine.

Pelleted diets are better than muesli mixes as they prevent selective feeding and thus nutritional deficiencies.

Q) NANCY, my two-and-a-half-year-old dachshund, was spayed five weeks ago but now smells.

Before the op, we showered her every two weeks.

Now it’s so bad we have to shower her every couple of days.

What could be the cause of it?

Paul Smith,  Port Talbot

A) The two things could be related or might be coincidental.

Hormonal changes from spaying can lead to changes in skin secretions or flare up skin conditions, but this is rare.

You don’t mention if it’s a general “doggy smell” all over her skin and coat or is a particularly bad whiff coming from somewhere else.

As a vet I would check if there is any discharge from her back end, as maybe she has an infection.

Or maybe it’s her anal glands playing up. A vet visit would be worthwhile.

Q) I ADOPTED a stray cat that was undernourished and its fur was very patchy.

Smokey constantly pulls at its fur causing bald patches.

Are there any home remedies as I can’t afford vet fees.

I tried using something I found online which is a “mild mix of hydrogen peroxide and also salt water”. It helped temporarily.

There is no evidence of any fleas. Smokey has a very good appetite and drinks a lot of water.

Martyn Hemmings, Coventry

A) If you cannot afford vet fees and are experimentally putting hydrogen peroxide on a cat for an undiagnosed skin condition, you are not providing a good home for them.

At best it’s doing very little to help Smokey recover from whatever is causing him to pull fur out, at worst it could be aggravating the issue.

It could even be causing more serious issues when Smokey is grooming and ingesting this chemical from his coat.

Please stop using this, and look into getting help from PDSA on subsidised vet fees, or rehoming centres that will ensure Smokey gets the medical care he needs.

Star of the week

SHIVER the soothing Blue-tongued Skink may not seem like the cuddliest therapy animal.

But the 21-year-old has helped rehabilitate prisoners, as well as calming kids with complex needs.

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Shiver was rescued by owner Dale Preece-Kelly 14 years ago and is a star of Critterish, an unusual collection of therapy animals based in Kidderminster, Worcs.

Dale, 55, says: “She has a hypnotic and calming quality.”

Shiver’s Zen-like air has won hearts at Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice, which has branches in Liverpool, Coventry and Middlesbrough specialising in helping early years children facing life-limiting illness.

Dale says: “She always captivates the kids.”

See critterishallsorts.co.uk.

WIN: Pet wipes

HELP your pet stay clean and fresh with one of these award-winning FreshWipes bundles.

We have teamed up with the brand to give 13 readers the chance to win a bundle containing 1 x XL Pet Wipes and 2 x Mini Pet Wipes worth £20.

To enter, send an email headed Pet Wipes to sundaypets @thesun.co.uk by Nov 10.

For information about Pet Wipes visit freshwipes.co.uk.

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T&Cs apply.

Learn what makes your moggy tick

COULD your moggy be a life saver? A leading feline clinic is appealing for cat blood donors.

Dog blood donor services have existed for years but help for their kitty counterparts lags behind.

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Last year, The London Cat Clinic joined forces with Portugal-based Animal Blood Bank to create the UK’s first dedicated feline blood donation centre.

Clinic Director, Dr Jeremy Campbell, says: “Cat blood donations are a relatively safe procedure that can mean the difference between life and death.”

However cat blood is hard to store, so the donor must rush to the rescue.

In September, animal rescue charity Protected Paws started their own database.

Stray kitten Ruben, saved from deadly flea bite anaemia at four weeks old, is an early success story.

Co-founder of the London-based charity, working with DNA Vetcare, nurse Kerry Flynn says: “His blood matched a cat on our register. Pops was raced to us by his family and in 48 hours Ruben was playing.”

Kerry, 33, says: “If you have a cat under eight years old, vaccinated and over 4kg, we urgently need donors and funds.”

See protectedpaws.co.uk.

A FARMER built a £1million castle without planning consent and hid it behind hay bales.

Robert Fidler built his mock-Tudor pad, complete with cannons and battlements, at Honeycrock Farm some time between 1999 and 2006.

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He managed to keep it hidden for four years but the council found it and sent him 11 notices to tear it down.

Fidler, 67, who ignored the orders, argued the house in Salfords, Surrey, had been sold and was home to protected bats and newts.

But a High Court judge ordered him to pull it down or face three months in jail.

Fidler, who represented himself, claimed Reigate and Banstead Borough Council was out to “destroy” his life.

The four-bedroom property used over 300 trees and included a kitchen, living room, study, a gravelled forecourt and a conservatory.

He previously told The Sun: “They thought they could destroy us but they haven’t.

“I had applied for planning permission in 1998 and in 2005 when they asked me to demolish the building, they still hadn’t answered my planning application, seven years later.

“Their own legislation says they are supposed to reply to me within eight weeks and they did not do it within eight years.”

Fidler had hoped that he could use a loophole in the planning system which said that if a building had stood for four years without planning permission it would be allowed to remain.

He explained: “Obviously I was a bit cheeky, I built it behind a stack of straw so they would not find it for the four years.

“But the law made no provision for it being concealed.”

Fidler, a born-again Christian, continues to live in his farm’s converted office with his wife Linda and son Harry.

He has five other children and 15 grandchildren.

Inside are pictures of the castle which had a glass dome on the roof that Fidler said came from Brighton Pier.

He also said he kept the materials as he didn’t want to throw them away.

He reused the front door and wooden beams on which is inscribed: “We thank God for Jesus”.

The family had lived in the house – which Fidler wants compared to a Picasso – for 15 years until its demolition.

Now only the fireplace remains and some of the gating, around which are piles of materials and a gazebo with chairs in which Fidler said is for family event.

Fidler said: “I’m not a criminal. All I did was build a house for my family to live in on my own farm.

“When you think the council is desperately looking for places to build houses and spending all this money to demolish mine, it’s quite shocking isn’t it?”

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PROTECT yourself from being bombarded with nuisance calls and texts.

Almost half of UK landline customers received a suspicious call in the first half of this year, according to Ofcom.

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Mobile users are more likely to receive dodgy texts but 39 per cent of them also reported concerning calls.

LAURA MILLER explains how you can stop them.

NUISANCE calls and texts — often marketing or spam — are any unwanted communications promoting a product or service to you where you have not given permission to be contacted.

But scammers also use nuisance calls and messages to trick people into sharing personal information, handing over access to devices such as laptops and mobile phones, and sending money to fraudsters.

Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at comparison website Uswitch.com, says: “For many people, nuisance calls are a major concern.

“In most cases, they are an annoying interruption — however, for some, they can induce anxiety and distress.

“These unwanted calls are often phishing or scamming attempts, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to spot.”

A common tactic used by criminals to defraud victims is to imitate — or “spoof” — phone numbers from a trusted person or organisation, so their calls are more likely to be answered.

Twenty per cent of the UK’s 17.77 million nuisance call reports come from London area codes — beginning 020 — with 3.6million reports on call-tracking site who-called.co.uk, research by tech firm Back Market found.

Manchester ranks second, with more than 600,000 nuisance caller reports against 0161 area codes.

Blandford Forum, Dorset, is third, with its 01258 area code triggering more than 500,000 reports — despite the town having a population of less than 12,000.

Often, these familiar area codes are just another tactic used by scammers to get you to trust them.

Fraudsters based abroad spoof UK area codes knowing people are more likely to pick up these calls than if an unknown international number is displayed.

Ofcom has this year launched a crackdown on spoofing.

Phone companies will now have to identify and block calls coming from abroad that falsely display a UK telephone number, except in a limited number of legitimate cases.

But taking action yourself is usually the best way to guard against nuisance callers — and the scams they push.

FOLLOW THESE STEPS

HOW TO BLOCK SPAM CALLS ON MOBILES

ON iPhone, you can enable Silence Unknown Callers by going to Settings > Phone, scrolling down to Silence Unknown Callers, tapping the option, and turning on the feature.

This will block phone numbers that are not in your contacts or that you have not contacted previously.

It is disabled for 24 hours after an emergency call.

On Android, open the Phone app, tap the three dots for more options, tap Settings then turn on Caller ID and spam protection.

This uses a database of phone numbers to determine a caller’s ID and filter out spam calls.

Apps such as Truecaller and Hiya allow users to block nuisance numbers from their smartphones.

You can find these in the Apple App Store for iPhone or the Play Store for Android users.

HOW TO BLOCK SPAM CALLS ON LANDLINES

CONTACT the Telephone Preference Service to add your landline or mobile number to the UK’s official Do Not Call register and opt out of unsolicited communications.

You can register your phone number on the TPS website or by phoning 0345 070 0707.

It is free to register and takes up to 28 days to come into effect.

Mobile phone users can add their number to the TPS register by texting “TPS” and their email address to 85095.

They will receive a text from the TPS confirming their mobile number has been successfully added to its database.

CHECK IF PHONE FIRM HAS BLOCKING SERVICE

USWITCH’S Ernest Doku says certain phone providers offer their own blocking services, some free and some paid for.

Contact your provider to find out more.

Doku adds: “For example, you can protect yourself from nuisance calls by using BT’s Call Protect service, which offers free call-screening.

“EE has a Scam Guard service that flags spam calls. Their security costs from just £1 a month.”

BE CAREFUL ABOUT SHARING DETAILS

YOU may be asked for your phone number when you buy something or use a price comparison website.

Look carefully at the marketing “opt-in” or “opt-out” boxes in the small print — this can be the difference between giving your details to potential nuisance callers or not.

RETIREES’ INCOME TAX HIT

MANY thousands of retirees are set to pay tax on their state pension next year for the first time.

The tax is due to a combination of hefty state pension rises and frozen tax thresholds.

More than 300,000 pensioners will be told they need to pay tax when the state pension rises by £475 in 2025.

Figures released last week confirmed that the state pension is now expected to rise by 4.1 per cent, from £11,502.40 to £11,975 per year, under the triple lock next April.

With tax thresholds frozen until 2028, this increase will push more pensioners into the basic rate income tax bracket.

This is because when combined with private pension income, their annual earnings will exceed the personal annual allowance, which is set at £12,570.

For earnings between £12,570 to £50,270, the basic income tax rate of 20 per cent applies.

Alice Haine of Bestinvest said: “With frozen tax thresholds and the state pension gaining ground on the personal allowance, pensioners are edging closer to their state pension income becoming liable for tax.

“Retirees receiving a higher state pension may already be paying tax on the benefit, while those receiving a private pension income will see more of that swallowed up by tax.”

Next week, Rachel Reeves is expected to announce that the income tax threshold freeze will be extended beyond 2028.

Ellie Smitherman

BILLIONS IN LOST PENSIONS

MORE than three million savers have lost track of pension pots with £31 BILLION now left unclaimed.

The average unclaimed pension amounts to £13,620 for those aged between 55 and 75, according to data from the Pensions Policy Institute.

These savers are typically on the brink or in early stages of retirement.

Reuniting with cash could have a big impact on living standards in their later years.

Pensioners aged over 75 have a typical £6,540 in pots they don’t know about, the data showed.

So-called lost pensions have grown as workers today tend to change jobs more often than in the past.

Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis, at savings platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “It’s easy to lose track of a pension.

“We move jobs and homes and contact details get lost along the way.

“It’s not a small problem either.

“That pension from the job you had ten years ago will have grown and you risk losing out on thousands of pounds that could be used for your retirement income.”

The Government’s Pension Tracing Service can be used to track down lost savings.

The service will not tell you how much is in the pension but can find contact details for a workplace or personal pension and you can find out from the scheme provider.

It is a good idea to first make a list of everywhere you have worked.

You can then enter details online at gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details or call 0800 731 0193 Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm.

SHOPPERS are racing to get a Home Bargains dupe of a Drunk Elephant dupe scanning at tills for £2.49.

A savvy shopper posted the dupe in the Extreme Bargains UK Facebook group, where bargain hunters regularly share new items they discover in shops.

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Home Bargains’ Dizzy Panda Glow Drops are a dupe for the incredibly popular Drunk Elephant variety of drops.

The knock-off Blush, Brightening and Bronzing Drops are scanning at the popular discount chain’s tills for only £2.49.

This is an unbelievable £31.51 cheaper than the real version from Drunk Elephant.

This makes the Home Bargain’s version almost 93 per cent cheaper.

Drunk Elephant’s ‘D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops’ went viral on social media for being amazing, making the Home Bargains version great for those watching their spending.

The caption of the post road: “Dizzy Panda Glow Drops Available At Home Bargains!”

Home Bargains’ skincare brand Dizzy Panda has made it into the Facebook group before which sent fans of Drunk Elephant wild.

One user commented: “The next best thing instead of spending a fortune on Drunk Elephant!”

Another said: “Need to try this, we love a dupe” when tagging a friend.

And: “It’s a need not a want!”

It comes after Home Bargains shoppers rush to buy an “amazing” beauty gift set that’s scanning at tills for £8 instead of £31.

The “ideal stocking filler” features several L’Oreal products.

Home Bargains has slashed the cost of its L’Oreal Blemish Buster Gift Set from £38.99 to just £7.99.

That’s over 80 per cent off meaning customers save £31.00.

What’s in the set?

• 1x Smooth Sugars Clearing Scrub 50ml.
• 1x Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Mask 50ml.
• 1x Hydra Genius Aloe Water 70ml.

Essentially, customers looking to exfoliate, treat and hydrate their skin for a good price, need look no further.

A Home Bargain’s representative posted a photo of deal to Facebook and wrote: “An ideal stocking filler. Just look at that saving.

“Available in store & online.”

A VET who missed out on a whopping £50,000 in the People’s Postcode Lottery revealed that she was left shaking after realizing she secured the jackpot.

Kate Innes was left stunned after learning her street had shared a £1million cash prize.

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The veterinary practice manager from Chesterfield bagged an eye-watering £50,000.

However, Kate was shocked to learn that she could’ve doubled her winnings had she purchased two tickets instead of one.

Several of her neighbours managed to secure a staggering £100,000 after buying two tickets.

Despite missing out on the extra £50,000, Kate revealed that she was over the moon to win the lotto prize.

After finding out that she had won, she exclaimed, “Oh my God, I’m shaking. Thank you so much!”: “Oh my God, I’m shaking. Thank you so much.

“That is legitimately crazy. I’ve been trying to remain as calm as possible.

“It just feels so surreal and incredible.”

The vet added: “I can’t believe it has happened. It’s an incredible amount of money just to even contemplate.

“I’m so incredibly happy for the neighbours. The level of the win is going to be able to make some people’s dreams absolutely come true.”

Kate and her fiancé Paul Rothwell have already made big plans for the future but said the cash prize has turbo-charged them.

The pair are planning a lavish hiking holiday in Austria next year and have plans to tour America in an RV.

Daredevil Paul has also scheduled a wing-walking experience to celebrate his birthday in January.

Kate said: “We’ll set ourselves up for the future. Probably a nice holiday.”

“We have got a longer plan to go touring around America in an RV,” Paul added.

“It might be eight weeks instead of four now.”

The scaffolder was shocked at the amount they won from the People’s Postcode Lottery.

“I thought it would be a £30,000 Street [Prize],” he added.

“Even if it was £1,000 it would be a bonus. This might liven up the street a bit.”

It comes after a dad received the life-changing news he’d won the lottery – only to be forced to split the £1 million winnings with four other people.

And a winning Postcode Lottery player bagged an eye-watering £200,000 and lost half a stone.

How to play the People’s Postcode Lottery?

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For just £12 a month, players can sign up through the official website to have a chance of winning millions of pounds.

Once signed up, players are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of each month.

Tickets play for the Daily Prize, worth £1000 and revealed every single day.

Tickets could also win a jackpot of £30,000 for Saturday and Sunday’s Street Prize draws.

People’s Postcode Lottery also offers a £3million Postcode Millions draw each month – where your ticket plays for a share of the cash prize fund.

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Winners are notified by email, text, post, or phone call, depending on the prize they win.

Jackpot winners are visited by the lottery team in person.

How do I know which side I own?

A boundary feature can be a fence, wall, hedge, ditch, piece of wire, or sometimes even just the edge of a driveway.

The only way to know for certain who owns what side and to avoid any neighbour disputes, is to refer to the title plan or Land Registry. 

In this, the T mark is used to indicate who the boundary belongs to and therefore who is responsible for its upkeep, say pros at Jacksons Fencing.

Larger developments tend to have some indication provided by the builder, but there are no hard and fast rules

People often think they are responsible for the left (or right) hand boundary wherever they live, but there isn’t any legal basis for this.

You can check with HM Land Registry to see which boundary feature you are responsible for.

Often households can’t get hold of the paperwork but experts say they shouldn’t panic.

Homeowners can guess who owns the fence by checking where the rails are.

Pros say: “The fence is typically facing away from their property so that their neighbour gets the ‘good’ side. 

“This is the most secure way of facing fencing so there are no rails for anyone to use to climb into your garden. 

“This is then repeated with the neighbour on the other side to ensure that each home has both a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fence side.”

Walls and fences are often built on the land of the boundary’s owner with the edge of the wall marking the limit.

While professionals agree a glimpse at the fence can give you a hint, it’s not foolproof – so you can’t be certain.

Fines and punishment

It is recommended to always check legal documents before making changes to avoid hefty fines.

There is no law that the neighbour has to get the good side of the fence, so it’s completely up to whoever owns the fence. 

Fencing pros have suggested: “It may be worth selecting a double-sided panel with no ‘bad’ side as both sides look the same and rails are concealed within the fence panel.”

If one boundary backs onto a road or footpath you can install the panels with the rails on the inside

But if it’s installed on the outside, it can provide an “easy ladder for burglars to enter your garden”.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Property Litigation Association have created a mediation service to help neighbours resolve disputes over their property boundaries without resorting to court action. 

RICS also provides a list of surveyors who could assist in boundary disputes.

If a dispute continues, it is ultimately a court that makes decisions, but they do not like such disputes being put before them.

Changing a boundary

If you want to change an existing boundary, such as replacing an old fence with a new one, we always recommend discussing with your neighbour first and making sure it is all agreed.

The registered titles can help you to reach an agreement, but only if this information has been added.

In terms of decorations on a fence legal advisers recommended asking around over who actually first installed it.

But they also urged caution before getting to work on amending the fence without getting more certainty yourself – since there is a danger of actually being prosecuted for criminal damage.

How high can a garden fence be?

The height of the fence is measured from your ground level, this can have an impact when, due to slopes in the ground, your garden may be at a higher level than your neighbours‘.

A garden fence can be as high as 100m but you need to get planning permission if it’s over than 2m.

However, there are some complications to this.

If you are thinking about front garden fences, restrictions state that fences alongside a driveway can be a maximum of 1m or 3ft.

You would need to get planning permission for putting a trellis on a fence of 2m.

But, if any plant that you grow on that trellis exceeds 2m, you do not need to obtain a permit for the growing plant.