Diabetes in pets and questions from listeners

Diabetes in pets is increasingly common, partly due to the link between obesity and the incidence of the condition. This week’s podcast opens with a discussion about this condition, and we then tackled the usual interesting queries from listeners, which are listed below.

1. My bitch is 8 years old and is in heat. Is it too late to have her spayed?
2. What is cheapest way to get rid of about 20 feral cats, Liz
3. Can diabetes be diagnosed from urine analysis only? Anne
4. My dog was been badly burned on her face, head and neck by Giant Hogweed. She’s on steroids and is responding. I was wondering if like humans these burns would reappear for years. Leisha, Dublin
5. I have two Jack Russel females. They get on great most times but the other day they had a fight and the older dog came off worse. It was horrible to watch as she was bleeding from her paw and ear. Do you know what I can do to prevent this thanks? Ciaran.
6. My dog is a 3 year old golden retriever and he eats socks and slippers and shoes!  Anne in Limerick
7. We recently got a Cockapoo puppy and she won’t stop eating her poop. We’ve tried feeding her pineapple as we read that it works to put her off and and we have covered it in chilli powder which she actually enjoyed… She doesn’t seem to care if we give out to her but it is just so gross. I’ve heard this is a common enough problem… Any tips??? Ciara in Stillorgan.
8. Breda from Dun Laoghaire has a ten year old Cocker Spaniel who has developed a habit of licking his owner’s skin after drinking water.
9. Stephen from Clonmel has a seven year old Spaniel mix who is lethargic, has put on weight, and has a tragic expression. What could be causing this?