Those of you who are regular readers of this column (and have good memories) may recall that about a year and a half ago I adopted a Chinchilla called Spud.

Spud had been brought in to the surgery to be put to sleep as he was a double amputee that had already been rescued once and was thought to be un-rehomeable.

I fell for his big ears and fabulous whiskers (and the fact that despite only having two functional legs he coped very well with life) and took him home. He has lived happily with us since that day and has made star appearances at my sons’ school as well as charming all guests that come to our house.

Sadly a few weeks ago Spud started to go off his food slightly. When I first took Spud home no one was really sure exactly how old he was but his rescuers thought he was ‘old’ – so by now he is ‘old plus eighteen months’.

I had to warn my sons that Spud was getting poorly and, taking his age into account, this could be bad news. So it was with a heavy heart that I brought him into work.

We gave Spud an anaesthetic. Once he was asleep I could examine the prime suspects in what I thought was making him ill – his teeth. Sure enough there was a problem – more of this next week.

* Alice Moore is a vet at The Southfield Veterinary Centre, South Walks, Dorchester. Tel: 01305 262913. The surgery is open for consultations between 8am and 6.30pm. Please contact the surgery if you have any questions about this week’s article or other veterinary matters.