I have a black Labrador who smells at times. We have him bathed regularly but it still hangs around. We have changed his food to lamb and rice with an improvement – however it still is not 100 per cent. Can you help? Rebecca Smiles, Oxford

This is fairly common, particularly with labradors. I have tried various treatments but I have yet to find something which works long term.

Shampooing is most likely to prove beneficial but overdoing this will wash out the natural skin oils and cause a dry, scuffy and still smelly coat.

The only product I have had a bit of success with is a medicated shampoo called Malaseb, which I use weekly or every second week.

Please have him checked by your vet, the smell could be coming from his mouth, ears or anal glands and not necessarily the skin/coat.

I have a kitten less than a year old and I have recently noticed a lot of wounds on the side of her face and under her ears. I’m assuming this is from scratching there.

I’d rather not have her claws clipped and when I took her to the local vet he dismissed it as nothing important and gave me some medication for her which doesn’t do anything. Now the wounds are much larger and I’m getting worried. Ever heard of anything like this before? Petra Mane, Central Oxford

This happens very commonly in cats and it certainly does sound like she has quite an itch.

You are right, claw clipping is not the answer. Scratching in this area could be because of a general problem like fleas but she would also be scratching elsewhere with this.

More likely this is down to a problem with the ears, maybe an ear infection or ear mites. You should take her back to your vet, explain the medicines are not working and he can reassess her.

This may involve skin scrapes or ear swabs but I am sure you will get to the bottom of this problem.

My cat has been to the vet numerous times because she cannot see. Apparently the retina has become detached. She received a water tablet and blood pressure tablet but it has not improved. Is there any operation that would help as she’s a very healthy cat apart from not being able to see very well. P Bradshaw, Summertown

The retina is that part of the eye which gathers and sends the information to the brain and allows us to see.

When it is detached it is unable to do this job and so this causes blindness.

It can become detached after a bump to the head or by diseases which cause an increase in blood pressure including heart disease, kidney failure, and an over active thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). It is believed cats can suffer high blood pressure without an underlying cause and it sounds like your cat may have this form of the disease.

Some lucky cats do respond to treatment and their eyesight is repaired but more commonly the retina degenerates and the cat remains blind.

There is no surgical repair available. Many cats cope amazingly well with losing their sight. I had a blind cat for years and eventually had to rehome him when he constantly wandered to the chip shop where people fed him scraps of fish.