Q. My cat has broken his pelvis in a road traffic accident. My vet has said cage rest for 4 to 6 weeks should allow it to heal. Will there be any long-term effects? Can any more be done?

P. Williams, Wallingford A. Cats usually recover remarkably well from a broken pelvis and often cage rest with pain relief is fine. However, if the bones are badly displaced and/or the fracture involves the hip joint socket, surgery may be necessary to stabilise the bones. Constipation due to broken bones causing a blockage, damage to the nerves or pain is common in the early stages. Loss of bladder control due to nerve damage is also possible and is a serious complication which can be permanent. In the longer term arthritis of the pelvis and hips is inevitable. To summarise, uncomplicated pelvic fractures will heal well with confinement, pain relief, mild laxatives and regular vet checks.

Q. My chicken has a crop gizzard impaction, what is this and can it be treated?

M Leoni, Bicester A. Impaction is a blockage of an organ by something which should not be there. The gizzard is the true stomach of the chicken and it can be impacted by long grass, string, plastic.

This condition is difficult to diagnose and affected birds are lethargic, reluctant to eat, lose weight and die. There is no effective treatment.

The crop lies in the lower gullet and can be felt at the base of the neck.

It can be impacted in the same way as the gizzard and the blockage can be felt as a firm swelling. Sometimes the contents of the crop can be ‘milked’ back along the gullet towards the beak with the bird held upside down. However, please do not try this at home as it is very likely you will suffocate the bird or cause pneumonia. Impacted crop can also be emptied surgically.

Prevention is better than cure; avoid access to long grass, string etc, provide adequate granite or flint grit which helps to breakdown gizzard contents.

Q. We have a four-month-old Bearded Collie Cross called Bob. I have started reading different views on exercise on youngsters. I’ve also got horses and Bob comes down the yard and loves running around down there with the other dogs. He gets two walks a day, one at the yard and then one at the park. Is this too much exercise at his age?

M. Perry, Witney A. I think your pup will easily cope with the exercise he is having. I suggest you avoid forced exercise like chasing balls or running behind you on your horse.

Dogs often get ‘addicted’ to chasing balls and will do it until they drop. The twists and turns of chasing a ball also often result in injury. On normal walks a puppy will stop if he gets tired; they are less likely to do this with forced exercise and injuries commonly occur in tired dogs. There are certain breeds who develop problems while very young and this is often blamed on over exercising when in fact it is due to bad breeding and inherited joint problems. Another issue which plays a part is how a dog is fed – thus, to avoid bone/joint growth development problems caused by poor feeding feed a properly balanced diet.