Shelby is a 7 year old Bischon Frise. In late 2016 she was brought to the Animal Hospital very off form and with a high temperature.
We routinely see cases like this and usually an antibiotic and an anti inflammatory rectifies the problem.

This was not the case for Shelby however………..

Several weeks later all Shelby’s lymph nodes were swollen and she had lost a lot of weight. This is a very worrying sign and and rings a lot of alarm bells. Despite weeks of treatment and further tests here in the Animal Hospital Shelby continued to deteriorate.
Eventually we sent her to the Referral Hospital in UCD, After many investigations Shelby was diagnosed with a problem with her immune system.

She was put on immunosuppressive treament along with other meds. Gradually over the coming months she slowly returned to her old self.

At a check up several days ago she was in fab form. She continues to receive daily meds and will probably do so for life…….

Holly is a 2 and a half year old cavachon.

At around 6 months old Holly started scratching excessively. So much so that she regularly caused her skin to bleed and become infected.
A change of food for a few weeks made no difference so blood samples were taken for skin allergy testing.

Results confirmed that Holly is extemely sensitive as to what she eats – she is allergic to beef,chicken, lamb, turkey and amazingly not to pork. The indoor allergy tests confirmed her intolernce to house dust mites.
Treatment has vastly improved Hollys itchiness but has not cured it.
This is what we regularly find at The Animal Hosptal, Tallght – we can manage but not cure skin allergies.

The main treatment that Holly is getting – on an ongoing basis – is a special low allergy food. Her owner has also purchased a high powered Dyson Pet hoover to keep dust mites to a minimum.

TIP – if your dog is scratching excessively from a young age – initially try a food change to see if that helps.

In December 2016 Bobby started drinking and urinating a lot. He also started eating much more food. Blood tests were taken over several weeks and confirmed that Bobby is a diabetic.
Diabetes in dogs is very common, although definitely more common in the female !! The most common clinical signs are excess drinking and urnation. It is really easy to rule it out by a simple in-house blood test.
Bobby is now getting insulin injections morning and evening and in great form – as you can see from todays picture of him.

TIP – if you have a diabetic dog be aware they can get LOW blood sugar when receiving insulin. Weakness and lethargy is usually the main signs. A couple of spoons of honey by mouth will usually sort the problem

Coopsy having a snooze!

We thought we should prepare for the puppy’s arrival and so we made a trip to a local pet store to stock up on beds, toys etc.  When we entered the pet store we could hear a puppy barking, my husband went to check it out while I continued piling the puppy goodies into a huge bursting basket.  My husband suddenly came to me and dragged me over to the cubicle stating ‘your not going to believe this’.  I approached the glass window and my heart pounded as I caught sight of the little noise maker on the other side.

There she was the whole perfect Dachshund bundle of her.  Her little short stubby legs holding her up as she bounced up and down barking at us.  Her soft ‘puss’ looking eyes filled our hearts as she peered out at us.  Then it happened when I thought my heart couldn’t melt any further.  I knelt down next to her by the window and placed my hand on the glass, palm flat.  She came towards me and placed her little fat paw against my hand on the other side and then  she put her head against my hand too.  ‘WE’LL TAKE HER’ I yelled.  Out came the already financially challenged credit card to pay for her to come home with us.  Ordinarily I would never buy a dog in a pet store and I find it unacceptable to sell puppy’s in shops, but I just couldn’t leave her there alone.

Coopsy meets Dusty!

We left with her that day and she curled up in my arms the whole way home in the car.  Coopsy settled in within 5 mins of arriving in the house, re arranging the sofa cushions to make the perfect nap area and that night she slept across us both with her bum on my husbands shoulder and her wet nose tucked under my chin.  She still sleeps between us every night.

Coopsy has grown into a beautiful little dog with big old heart.  She loves to travel with us everywhere and has even swam with our other dear friend Dusty the wild dolphin. (Please see pics)  She loves the beach and turns into a mini Sonia Sullivan the minute her paws feel the sand on them.  She is our baby and my little boo boo.  May she be with us for many more years to come.

These lovely kittens are approx 12 weeks old. They consist of 2 brothers and their little sister. They have had their 1st vaccination and have been wormed and de-fleaed. They are very happy kittens and will make excellent pets.

Also still here at the vets and in need of a home of his own is this handsome kitten, called Cola.

He has been at the vets for a while now and is ready for a home of his own. He is fully vaccinated. He can be a little nervous with new people  but once you get to know him I’m sure you will fall in love with his personality like all of the nurses.

Voldemort and Snape

These kittens will be looking for new homes in a few weeks. They are currently being treated for an eye infection. They will be as good as new in a few weeks. They have beautiful thick black coats and are still a little nervous around people but everyday they are improving.

If you are interested in homing a kitten, please give us a call on 01-4515930