Cats love warm places and in their attempt to stay warm during the cold winter months, they sometimes climb into car engines to sleep. Car engines are warm long after they are turned off, and it’s this warmth that attracts cats to sleep under your hood.

Cats caught in moving engine parts can be seriously hurt or killed.

To avoid such traumatic episodes, it’s worth slowing down a little when you head off in your car in cold weather. Rattle your keys, bang the hood, slam the door shut, and rev the engine a couple of times rather than just leaping into your parked car and heading off without a pause. This should give sleeping cats just enough warning to escape before there’s rapidly moving ground beneath them.

Ruby Boyle

Ruby Boyle is a 5 year old Labrador retriever. Ruby is a prime example of how hard work and persistence can really pay off when trying to get your pet to lose some weight. October last year, Ruby weighed 49.6kg and now weighs 39.6kg (November 2012). She has lost a total of 10kg which is nearly 1 and a half stone! This was achieved through correct diet, exercise and discipline from her owners. This is a great achievement and will benefit her health and quality of life immensely!

Wolfie Martin

Wolfie Martin is a 10 year old Japanese Spitz. At his heaviest Wolfie weighed 18.8 kg, nearly double what his ideal weight should be. But through his owners persistence and dedication to a weight management programme,Wolfie has lost an incredible 7kg! That is just over 1 stone lighter!

Fluffy’s owners brought her to us because she was not eating and they were very worried. The vet noticed that Fluffy was very small for her age and very underweight.

We took x-rays to see if Fluffy had eaten anything she shouldn’t have. This is what we found.

Fluffy had swallowed a small metal object that was stuck in her abdomen. She had to have emergency surgery to have this removed from her intestines. When we removed it we could see it was a small metal ring similar to the ring on pigeons feet.

Fluffy was so good throughout her stay with us, she was very sick but never once complained. She thoroughly deserves Pet of the Month.

She has made a great recovery since her operation and is like a different cat.

‘I would like to say a big Thank You to Paul Doherty & Staff who done a magnificent job on saving the life of our lovely cat Fluffy,
thank you,from Eddie & David O Toole’

Did you know that dental disease is the most common disease in pets?

Many people do not realise that dental disease is very common with over 80% of animals over the age of 3 showing signs of dental problems. Breed, age and individual tendencies such as eating habits are factors which affect the speed at which dental disease can develop.

Plaque builds up on the tooth surface every time your pet eats and if it is not removed it hardens into tartar. This needs to be surgically removed. Bacteria in the mouth spreads in the blood stream and causes infections in all major organs particularly the heart and kidneys.

Dental care should therefore be part of your daily routine and will help to ensure that your dog lives a happy and healthy life. Ignoring the need for dental care could result in your dog’s health suffering and ultimately reduce his life span.

Its important that you start to examine your pets mouth on a regular basis.

Some signs of dental disease to look out for include:

• Pain
• Dropping food out from the mouth
• Excessive salivation
• Bad breath
• Redness of the gums
• Bleeding or receding gums
• Loose teeth
• Broken or fractured teeth
• Tartar build-up
• Pus discharge
• Mouth ulcers
• Swelling in the mouth
• Swelling on the face
• Displacement of the eyes due to an abscess

To ensure that your pet’s mouth stays healthy throughout his/her’s life there are a few simple tips to follow:

• Start brushing your pets teeth as soon as possible.
• Alternatively use a product such as plaque off to stop plaque sticking to teeth.
• Have regularly checkups with your vet
• Feed a good dry food.
• Dental sticks can be given as treats.

For the month of November, we are giving free dental check-up’s for all clients. One of our friendly nurses will take the time to examine your pets mouth and to formulate an easy to follow home-care programme so that you can keep your pet’s mouth healthy.

To avail of your free check-up please contact the clinic on 01-4515930