Q My friend has a water dragon with a chunk of upper jaw missing which is a result of banging his nose on the glass of his tank and an infection getting in. How can I stop my dragon getting the same? P Wisecraft, Central Oxford

A The water dragon is a native reptile of Asia and really that is where they should stay, but they are a fairly popular pet in the UK.

The damage you mention can result from banging or rubbing the nose on the glass of their enclosure. They think that if you can see through it you must be able to walk through it and sometimes they fight their own reflection.

The injuries sustained can be simple bruising but sometimes infection can cause permanent damage with loss of flesh and bone.

Prevention is easy if your dragon is kept in a glass free enclosure but most are housed in glass tanks. The larger the tank, the less likely the dragon will spend time banging the glass but often there is not enough room to give them a bigger home.

Try to cover the glass around the base of the outer tank with background paper available from pet shops to a height of around six inches or grow a curtain of plants around the base of the tank, or do both.

If your dragon already has damage please have him checked by your vet.

Q I have a seven-year-old cocker spaniel that has been recently diagnosed with a heart murmur. My vet has said the tests to diagnose the problem are expensive. Is there anything that I could be doing for him until I can afford the money to get the tests done? Lucy Devereaux, Oxfordshire

A Many dogs have murmurs which don’t cause clinical signs, and are picked up at routine check-ups.

The murmur is the sound heard with the stethoscope when blood rushes through leaky valves or narrowed blood vessels or holes in the heart muscle. A heart with a murmur has to work harder and so like any muscle it gets bigger and this is when it starts to fail. Often the first sign is a cough and your dog will tire easily.

Ideally a proper diagnosis for the abnormal heart sound is best and this can involve x-rays, ultrasound scans and other tests but this can be expensive.

In the meantime your vet could possibly prescribe medicines to dilate blood vessels and airways and to reduce fluid build-up in the lungs.

Also you need to keep his weight down and avoid strenuous exercise as both of these will reduce the workload on the heart.

Q My cat Jodie came home this morning and just did not seem like her normal self. She is having trouble balancing. My mum wants to put her to sleep because she thinks she is suffering. Can something be done to cure this illness? A Gold, Abingdon

A There are many possibilities for the symptoms you describe. Your cat may have been injured or poisoned. Any symptoms such as loss of balance, change in behaviour, weakness, possible loss of sight are signs of potential brain and/or spinal cord damage. This should be considered an emergency and you should take her to your vet immediately. It does not necessarily mean your cat will have to be put down.