Q My four-year-old cat constantly washes herself to the point of causing sores around her nipples. My vet said that she has very sensitive skin and that conditioning tablets or cod liver oil will help. She hates both. I myself take cod liver oil and evening primrose oil capsules. Out of interest, I gave some to both of my cats and they loved it. Is this ok for them? I pierce a capsule and pour it on their food, once a day. I hope this is safe for them.

M Sargent, Oxford A Evening primrose supplement on its own is safe to use in cats. It provides essential fatty acids which have several beneficial effects in the body. I suspect your cat may have an allergic skin disease and this is what your vet means by ‘sensitive skin’ (when she has an allergic reaction the inflammation causes her skin to itch). Evening primrose oil has an anti-inflammatory effect which will also helps with the itch. Do not overdo the cod liver oil as the high levels of Vitamin A can cause joint problems in cats. One capsule once a week would be plenty. See denes.co.uk for a cat and dog version of evening primrose oil supplement.

Q My Doberman may have lymphoma – I am waiting for test results. He’s nearly six-years-old and has always been healthy. If he registers ‘positive’ I will have to make a decision about treatment. Can you tell me a little about how treatments go for dogs and what it does to them? Is it the sort of thing that would take away from his quality of life?

S Waterman, Wootton A Lymphoma is a cancer which involves white blood cells and possibly many other organs of the body including the spleen and liver. Dogs who are not treated or who receive pain killers only are unlikely to live beyond six weeks, however, the success rate for properly treated lymphoma is good and dogs can live a further six to 18 months (average nine months). The treatment is chemotherapy and a combination of drugs is normally used, and this may be a monthly injection plus tablets or just tablets. This way the treatment can be carried out by the owners at home. Chemotherapy in dogs does not have the side effects seen in humans; there is no sickness or hair loss, in fact most dogs behave totally normally and so the quality of life is good. The likely side effects are an increase in hunger and thirst and sometimes bladder inflammation (cystitis).

Your vet will keep a close eye on him and will do regular tests to check liver and kidney function.

Q My daughter would like a tortoise for her birthday, can I get it micro-chipped? And are they easy to look after?

Margaret Smith, Oxford A I am glad you asked, because tortoises certainly are not easy if you are not experienced in their care. The truth is many pet tortoises are kept in conditions which are not suitable for their proper welfare. Before you make a decision I ask you to spend a lot of time researching their needs on the excellent tortoise trust website, tortoisetrust.org Here you will find out about all aspects of tortoise care like sourcing a tortoise, lifespan, housing, feeding, hibernation and when to seek veterinary help. It is possible to micro-chip tortoises but that should be the last thing on your mind.