Archive for the ‘Dogs’ Category

Spring and Easter Pet Care

Spring is finally here! Lambs are out in the fields, daffodils are popping up everywhere and the Easter bunny is on his way. So to keep your pets safe, healthy and happy here are some helpful tips for this Spring and Easter.

Keep your house tidy!

Some of the trimmings and wrapping from Easter eggs and decorations can be dangerous if eaten by your pet. Foil and plastic can get caught in the animals’ digestive tract and could result in painful surgery to have the foreign body removed. So be sure to do a thorough clean up after the celebrations.

Make mine a chocolate bunny

Buying and adopting pets is very common around Christmas and Easter. Every year chicks, bunnies and rabbits are brought into new homes and forgotten about very quickly. These animals need constant care, attention and a loving home for the rest of their lives, not just Easter. So before you adopt a duck or a cute chick, make sure you:

• Have the time for a pet at home.
• Have the finances to support your pet
• Are ready to make the commitment to looking after your pet.

Easter Lilies

Some plants are poisonous to animals if eaten and domestic pets will often nibble anything left on the floor. Easter lilies are popular and common at this time of year but they are toxic to most animals, so keep them out of reach.

Scratching Fits

If you notice your pet persistently scratching or licking themselves, these could be signs they are suffering from hay fever. Hay fever is caused by all the new plants blooming around springtime and the pollen they create. Animals react to dust particles, pollen and mold much like we do.

Make sure to consult your vet as soon as you think your pet may be suffering from hay fever, they will be more than happy to help.

Grooming

Keeping your pet clean and happy is important during Easter. With the weather getting warmer at this time of year your pets can become more prone to parasites like fleas, asking your vet for advice is a good way of helping your pet stay flea-free. Animals are also losing their winter coats and need helping cleaning up all the fluff they leave behind, this will also help any allergy sufferers in the house.

Sweet Tooth

With all the Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, sweets and treats laying around at Easter it can be easy for your pets to get their paws on some. Make sure they don’t. Most importantly chocolate is poisonous to cats and dogs, if they eat too much it can be lethal. So your cats and dogs will have to sit this Easter egg hunt out!

Finally, if you are having family over during the celebrations, it is a good idea to put older pets somewhere quiet so they don’t get overexcited and stressed.

By Adam. Posted in Cats, Dogs, News, Pet Care

‘Dog Breeding Bill’ seeks to end back-street breeding

This year will finally bring regulation on puppy farming in Ireland with the introduction of the long awaited Dog breeding Establishment Bill. Ireland has been named the ‘Dog breeding capital of Europe’ and in recent years it has come to light the truth behind some establishments, were animal welfare has suffered at the hands of breeders, whose only concern is profit. Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, has made it clear it should ‘hold no fear for those who run their establishments well’.

A working group was set up and following consultation with dog interest groups such as the ISPCA, they has made several recommendations. This new bill will be welcomed by dog lovers across the country who have been disgusted by, a minority of unscrupulous and neglectful puppy farmers who have given dog breeders a bad name.

A state – regulated registration system for dog breeding establishments is to be put in place. This is to be enforced by the local authority dog control department. It will include a comprehensive set of statutorily enforceable standards for the operation of dog breeding establishments by local authority offices. Each dog in these establishments must be micro chipped.

A dog breeding establishment is a premises at which six or more bitches over the age of four months and who are capable of being used for breeding purposes, are kept.

The fee will vary in accordance with the amount of breeding bitches kept. For example: 6 -12 bitches having a licensing fee of € 400 and 13 – 25 a fee of € 800. The minister, when addressing the Seanad on the 6th January, took the example of a breeder with 12 bitches, each having one litter of 5 pups a year, thereby having 60 pups available for sale at a estimated figure of € 500 each which totals € 30,000. With such possible financial gain the new licensing fee should therefore not be a significant overhead. Rescue centers, hunt kennels, commercial boarding kennels will be exempt from the fee but will have to be open to inspection.

The local authority will after their inspection either issue a certificate which must be displayed, or make recommendations for improvements, to be carried out within a specified time period. They will also have the power to close any establishment that is unsuitable. Breach of this legislation could see a breeder with fines of up to € 5000 or imprisonment of 6 months.

Finally we have the means to put a stop to back street breeders whose dogs are merely breeding machines and who don’t even have there basic needs catered for. This bill has been talked about since 2004 and only time will tell if these regulations will be enough to put an end to the suffering of thousands of dogs on puppy farms across the country.

By Una. Posted in Animal Welfare, Dogs

RTE’s Ear To The Ground Look At Puppy Farming

View the program here http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1064999

By Juan. Posted in Animal Welfare, Dogs, News

Cutting the cost of pet ownership

Research has proven that sharing our homes with animal companions is good for both our physical and emotional health. But, depending on our choice of companion, pet care can be expensive. The good news is that there are many ways to stretch your pet care budget. Here are some suggestions:

Spay or Neuter—NOW!
Not only does spaying or neutering your pet make good common sense, it makes good financial sense too! A spayed or neutered pet is less likely to roam and fight, and far easier to train. Because they are happier to be homebodies, they are less likely to need costly emergency veterinary care resulting from street fights, car accidents, etc. Neutered pets are also less likely to suffer cancer of the reproductive organs later in life. This can save you money in the long run.

Invest in Proper I.D.
Be aware that you can save time and money and reduce stress by ensuring your dog wears his identity tag. When your local Dog Warden picks up a dog, the first thing he will do is check for identification. If your dog is wearing his Identity tag, the warden can attempt to bring him right home to you. If a dog is NOT wearing a tag, he must be transported to the Animal Shelter or dog pound, and you may have to pay more to release him.
The cost of a microchip implant is also invaluable, especially for cats, which are less likely to wear a collar and tag. In the event that your pet strays, there is far more likelihood that he will be promptly returned if properly identified. The more quickly your lost pet is safely off the streets and back home, the less likely you are to have to pay emergency vet bills or impoundment and boarding fees. Think of pet identification as a low-cost investment in “lost pet insurance.”

Brush Up on Grooming
Have your vet show you how to clip your pet’s nails and check his or her ears for infections. Clipping nails at home can save you upwards of €50-€100 a year. Catching an ear infection early usually requires minimal treatment at a minimal cost. Be aware that dogs with folded ears are more susceptible to suffer reoccurring ear infections. Left untreated, ear infections can be painful to your pet.

You should also take time every few days to run your hands all over your pet’s body to check for tender spots, lumps and bumps, cuts, or abrasions. Again, early detection of medical problems often results in less stress on both your pet and your budget.

And don’t forget your pet’s teeth. Regular brushing can lessen the need for costly dental care.

If you have a pet that requires professional grooming every month or two, you can reduce this cost by diligently brushing your pet between appointments. Because it takes more time and effort to bathe, clip, and style matted fur, pet groomers must charge more for ill-kempt coats. As a bonus, regularly grooming your pet can also lower your blood pressure!

Think Positive!
Yes, owning a pet can be expensive, but the financial sacrifice is worth it! For the price of a meal, a warm, safe place to sleep, and little attention, our pets offer unconditional love. This alone makes the privilege of owning a pet priceless!

This blog post was contributed by Liam Moriarty MVB. For more pet care advice visit www.myvet.ie.

By Juan. Posted in Animal Welfare, Cats, Dogs, Pet Care

Winter Pet Care

After the coldest December in Ireland in almost 30 years and as the cold snap continues and temperatures dip to well below zero again tonight here are some tips to keep your pets safe and warm. As we all wrap up in our winter woolies and light the open fires spare a thought for our pets that can’t tell us how cold they are.

Dogs and Cats

• Outdoor or roaming cats often climb up into the engine of a vehicle to keep warm, so before you set off, honk the horn or bang on the bonnet to alert any cat, that might be there. In fact, if your cat knows this trick already you will have to open the bonnet and do a full check as a cat can at best be lost (when car stops in strange place and your cat jumps out) or even be killed.
• Ensure your pet’s water container is not frozen over, as even in cold weather they should have access to fresh clean drinking water.
• Even in the frost and snow a dog needs to be walked but please ensure that you check your dog’s paws afterwards as snow and ice can build up between the toes and form ice balls. Applying vaseline or cooking oil can help prevent this. If you walk your dog on footpaths or roads that have been salted you will need to wash your dog’s paws when you return, as the salt be very irritating to skin.
• Anti-freeze is highly toxic to pets and even small amounts can prove fatal if ingested. It is sweet tasting and so it will be readily ingested by pets if some is spilt or an open container is knocked over or but can also be ingested when cleaning their paws. Poisoning causes depression and loss of coordination and renal failure soon follows.
• Old, thin, young or short-haired dogs e.g Greyhounds or Chihuahuas will naturally feel the cold more and breeds who would normally have thick coats e.g Bichon Frises which have been clipped short will also have little protection in cold weather. Even dogs who should have thick coats but who are mostly inside and are constantly shedding their coats and so are not used to inclement weather will be at risk of hypothermia. Provide these pets with a warm waterproof jacket. Breeds such as Alaskan Malamutes and Bermese Mountain dogs will love the colder weather but remember they too must be given shelter from the cold, wind and rain.
• Ensure arthritic or debilitated pets have somewhere warm, soft and draft free to sleep as they are unable to move around to keep warm and drafty cold environments can aggravate their condition.
• Food amounts may need to be adjusted. Those outdoors may need extra food in order to provide energy to keep themselves warm. However dogs who cannot go out for there usual long walks will need less food as they will be burning less calories.
• Extreme care should be taken of frozen ponds, as thin ice may break under your dog’s weight and he may fall in and be unable to get out.

Small Furries

• Ensure rabbits and guinea pigs in outdoor hutches are warm enough. If the hutch is insulated, elevated off the ground, provided with extra straw, has protection from prevailing winds and is fully waterproof it will probably be ok outside. Otherwise the hutch will need to be brought into a garden shed or garage or into the house.
• Ensure their water bottle isn’t frozen.

Wildlife

• Don’t forget wildlife in the winter. Birds find it difficult to find food in the cold weather particularly with snow on the ground. Leave out some table scraps or provide bird seed or peanuts. Make sure any food is out of reach of cats.
• Make sure the water in the bird bath isn’t frozen over.

Horses

• Check under their rugs to make sure they are warm enough and not soaked through. They can often cope with the cold as long as they are dry, but a horse that is wet will get cold very quickly. Horses, particularly thoroughbreds and horses that have been clipped, may need to be given an extra or heavier rug or brought into a stable or shelter.
• Make sure there feet is picked out daily as snow or frozen mud can build up in their hoofs. . Feel through any long winter cats to make sure they are not getting thin.
• Extra hay and feed will almost certainly be required in cold weather particularly for those kept at grass.
• Ensure their water doesn’t freeze over. Try floating a football in their water trough to help prevent the top freezing over and remove any ice if it does freeze.
• Be very cautious when dealing with horses on icy yards or on the roads particularly when riding as horses, especially those shod, will have little grip (unless they have studs) and may slip.
• Keep an eye out on your horse’s legs and heels for mud fever which can be a problem if the fields are badly poached, forcing your horse to stand in water or mud constantly and so not allowing the skin to dry out.

By Una. Posted in Cats, Dogs, Horses, Pet Care