Hazards Over Easter
townofindianlake.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/8-29-2018-Regular-Council-Meeting-Agenda.pdf Easter is one of our favourite times of the year. Lots of celebrations, family parties and of course, lots of chocolate! Unfortunately, it is also a period of the year which proves quite dangerous to our furry friends, below are a few hazards to be aware of and to try to prevent! Chocolate is toxic to cats and dogs. It contains theobromine which is the active toxic ingredient. The darker the chocolate bar, the more dangerous it is to our pets, however, even small consumed amounts of theobromine can cause digestive or even heart problems. This means you should [...]
4 Benefits of Neutering Your Pet
We love our pets and want the best for them. Many people, however, find it difficult to imagine how neutering is beneficial for the pet - so in this blog, we’re going to look at the benefits. What is neutering? Neutering, also known as “de-sexing”, is the process of surgically removing some or all of an animal’s reproductive organs. In females, it is usually termed spaying and involves removing the ovaries and, usually, uterus (womb). This requires entering the abdomen and is fairly major surgery (although dogs, cats and rabbits all recover from this type of surgery much faster than humans [...]
Ch-risk-mas for pets
It might come as a surprise that Christmas can be a risky business for your pets, but when you think about it (which we vets of course do), there are numerous activities and items associated with the festive period that could spell disaster for our pets and, in turn, ruin the festive feeling for everyone if a pet becomes unwell. We don’t mean to spoil the Christmas spirit, on the contrary, we want to help you and your pets share a wonderful Christmas together, happy and healthy. So here’s our guide to some Christmas pet risks and how to avoid [...]
Killer Leptospirosis – Fact or Fiction?
We are sadly seeing a lot of Leptospirosis in the Mallow area - is your dog protected from this deadly disease? ‘Acorn Vets have seen 5 or 6 dogs with Lepto in the Mallow area this year. Even when caught early they don't survive, that’s what I notice about it,’ our vet Noel Ahern says. 'Prevention is the main way to curb this disease.' Leptospirosis is a disease caused by bacteria named Leptospira. In recent years, more cases are being seen in dogs, so the disease is now labelled as ‘re-emerging’. It is a zoonotic disease (a disease that can [...]
Be afraid of firework frights
The nights are drawing in and bonfire night will soon be upon us. Whilst bonfire night can be a great celebration for us, the fireworks can cause our pets great distress. Firework noises are not scary to us because we know to expect them and understand that the noise poses no threat. Unfortunately we cannot explain that to our dogs and cats. Also their hearing is much better than ours. To them, these are unexpected and very loud noises which they think of as a real threat. If they cannot escape the noise and it continues, they can feel trapped [...]
Parvo in puppies – the facts
Canine parvovirus (CPV2) or ‘parvo’ was first identified in 1978. It’s a highly contagious virus that spread worldwide within two years, becoming the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in dogs worldwide, and accounting for up to 58% of cases of severe diarrhoea requiring hospitalisation in the UK. CPV2 is fatal in 91% of infected puppies without treatment, but survival rates of between 80% and 95% are possible with aggressive treatment and supportive care. The virus is resistant to many detergents and disinfectants, and can persist indoors at room temperature for at least 2 months, and outdoors if protected for [...]