Q My dog gets really upset by fireworks, any tips on how to deal with this annual problem? Petra White, Oxfordshire AMy top tips are: Be prepared – get all your plans in place before the noise starts Close all curtains, put lights on Turn up sound like tv/radio Have him in his favourite den Walk him before the noise starts and make sure he is tired out Be calm. If you are stressed your dog will pick up on this If he does get stressed do not fuss him, this only encourages the behaviour Use natural calming remedies like skullcap/ valerian and/or a DAP diffuser (dog appeasing pheromone, available on prescription from your vet). Use Feliway for cats.

Your vet may prescribe other medicines if he is particularly stressed.

Q My goldfish lives in a tank and has a swollen tummy. Is she pregnant ? When will she have babies?

I Sykes (aged eight), Abingdon AIf your goldfish is female, it is possible she could lay eggs. They do not have babies, they lay eggs which are then fertilised by a male goldfish and then the babies hatch.

It is very rare for goldfish to lay eggs while living in tanks and I suspect her tummy may be large for other reasons. Some goldfish are naturally big in the belly and some diseases can cause the belly to swell leading to a condition called dropsy.

With dropsy the fish can look spikey like a porcupine. If you are really worried have your fish checked by a vet.

Q My Boxer puppy will soon be due to have his first vaccination. Many Internet articles suggest that this could kill my puppy. Should I have a homoeopathic vaccination instead? I have heard this is safe and works just as well. Shira Watkins, Wallingford A I practise conventional veterinary medicine. I know little about homoeopathy other than the very basic principles of how it is said to work.

My opinion on the use of this form of vaccination is based on any scientific evidence that it works.

Sadly, there is none.

In the UK, veterinary medicines carry a product licence, this means they are stringently tested and it is a certificate of safety and efficacy. Homoeopathic remedies do not conform to such stringent regulation. As a result, evidence to support their worth is based on anecdotal tit-bits from those who use them.

This is nowhere near enough to justify their use.

The incidence of vaccine reactions is incredibly rare given the huge number of animals vaccinated daily throughout the world.

Please discuss your fears with your vet and I am sure they will put your mind at rest. Whatever you do, please do get your puppy vaccinated.