Gilabbey Veterinary Hospital, Vets, Surgeons, Cork, Ireland

Dogs General health

Vaccination

vaccine We vaccinate puppies from 8 weeks of age and they normally have a course of two vaccinations given two to four weeks apart (depending on the vaccine used). Full protection starts about seven to ten days after the second vaccination has been given.

Occasionally we find a puppy may have been given an early parvovirus vaccination at six weeks of age. These puppies will still require a further two vaccinations as they reach eight weeks and beyond.

Your dog will then require annual booster vaccinations to keep them protected.
A full health check is necessary before vaccination and this is just as important as the vaccination itself, to allow us to spot problems early and give assistance with routine healthcare issues.

We vaccinate dogs for the following:

Parvovirus disease
Canine hepatitis
Distemper
Leptospirosis
Parainfluenza
Kennel cough

Neutering male dogs

Entire male dogs can have a tendency to roam and look for bitches on heat. This increases the risk of them becoming lost and/or involved in road traffic accidents.
Some un-castrated male dogs develop aggressive behaviour towards other male dogs when they mature. Castration prevents or reduces this behaviour. Other forms of aggression are not reliably stopped by castration, however, and in these instances it may be necessary to talk to our Orla Doherty (link to referral surgeons page), our veterinary surgeon who advises on behavioural problems.
Entire male dogs can develop medical problems with their testicles and prostate. Castration can alleviate symptoms or prevent them from occurring.
The first step in having your dog castrated is to arrange an appointment. A health check is performed on admission to make sure he is healthy enough to undergo general anaesthesia and to ascertain that both testicles in their normal position.

Neutering female dogs

Bitches come on heat (in season) about twice a year. The start of the season is usually noticeable by a bloody discharge from the vulva lasting 5-7 days. During, and especially straight after this period, bitches can be mated. Controlling a bitch on heat can be much more difficult than people think, so the danger of having a pregnant bitch and a litter of unwanted puppies is very real.
In older bitches, hormonal problems not uncommonly lead to the development of an infected uterus (pyometra). Pyometra usually presents as an emergency and can be fatal if not treated promptly. The condition can be avoided by having a bitch spayed while she is young.
Spaying bitches before maturity is reached (usually when they are 6-8 months old) will reduce the probability of malignant growths in their mammary glands later in life.
The first step in having your dog spayed is to arrange an appointment. A health check is performed on admission to make sure she is healthy enough to undergo general anaesthesia.

Worming

Roundworms resemble white pieces of string and can be up to 18cm long. They are rarely seen and can be passed in faeces or vomited up.

Tapeworms are long flat worms made up of many small segments. Segments are shed and are often seen in faeces. They have a complicated lifecycle where they use an ‘intermediate host’ which can be fleas, to allow them to complete their development.

Lungworms live in the airways of the lungs and can cause severe disease.

Most worm eggs or larvae are taken up by licking or sniffing. Often eggs or larvae can survive on the ground for weeks or months.

tapeworm Most of the worms live in dogs’ intestines but there are some that are hidden in other organs or tissues and stay inactive for long periods. Some inactive worm stages become activated when a bitch is pregnant. Toxocara roundworms can invade the unborn puppies inside the uterus before they are born, and after birth, worms can also be transmitted to the puppies through their mother’s milk. This makes it important to treat young puppies frequently against worms.

Toxocara roundworms are not uncommonly transmitted to humans. In man, the worms do not mature as they do in dogs – instead the larvae wander through various organs; liver problems, seizures and blindness are the rarely reported clinical signs in humans affected by Toxocara.

The best way to prevent worm related disease both in dogs and humans is regular worming of dogs and diligent removal of dog faeces from the environment. We recommend that puppies are wormed at 2, 5, 8 and 12 weeks of age and then monthly till 6 months old. Adult dogs should be wormed at least every 3 months.

We will be happy to advise you on the most appropriate product for your pet.

Nutritional Advice

overweight dog Dog’s nutritional requirements are different from those of humans- what is good for us is not necessarily good for your dog. Additionally, requirements can vary depending on the age, size and lifestyle. Fortunately, nowadays it is easy to cater for all those different needs with different types of food.

There are many special diets available to help dogs with certain types of disease such as kidney problems or arthritis. Please contact us for advice if you are unsure about what to feed your individual dog.

Any good quality complete food, such as Royal Canin, will provide everything a dog needs in its diet.
Dry food comes in kibbles of various shapes and sizes. Crunching on hard kibbles can help slow down the development of dental tartar and tooth decay.

Small puppies can be fed four times daily until they are about 16 weeks old. Afterwards meals can be reduced to three times daily and eventually to once or twice daily. It is wise to have regular mealtimes with measured amounts of food.

Unfortunately obesity is all too common in dogs in Ireland these days. Overweight dogs are more prone to health problems such as heart disease or arthritis. It is therefore important to keep an eye on your dog’s waistline.

If its is obvious your dog is too heavy it is advisable to discuss the situation with your veterinary surgeon. There are numerous ways to reduce your dogs weight and it is necessary to find one that fits in with your life and suits your dog.

Here at Gilabbey we offer a free weight clinic called ‘Pudgy Paws’ which is run by one of our qualified nurses. Karen will go through dietary details and exercise, to enable you and your pet to achieve the ideal waistline!

Dental Health

teeth Our pets rely on us to make sure that their teeth and oral health are in good order. Poor dental hygiene can be a source of chronic long term pain and discomfort for many pets. Halitosis (bad breath) is caused by bacteria in the mouth, so this may alert you to the presence of dental disease.

Tartar is the hard brown accumulation which occurs on teeth. It is caused by mineralization of plaque which in turn may lead to gingivitis (gum inflammation). The gums become red, sore and prone to bleeding when touched.

At Gilabbey, we run regular free dental clinics for all our clients and are happy to organise an appointment for a dental check.

Fleas & other skin parasites in Dogs

Fleas
Fleas are the most common parasites found on dogs. Adult fleas feed on blood and each female flea lays upto 50 eggs per day and these fall off the dog into the surrounding area. The development of the next flea generation then takes place in the house, the car, or anywhere else that the dog has access to. It is very important to remember this when treating a flea problem, as these areas need to be treated too.

Some animals do not show any obvious skin disease, whereas others can develop severe irritation, hair loss and inflamed or secondarily-infected skin, depending on the sensitivity of the individual animal.

Ticks
tick They are commonly found on dogs but can also latch onto other animals and humans.

Scabies Mites
The Sarcoptes Mite causes scabies. This is a very itchy and uncomfortable skin disease which is very common in dogs. The mites burrow through the skin where they live and lay their eggs.

Cheyletiella
These mites live on the surface of the skin and their eggs can be stuck on to hairs. The condition can affect dogs, cats and rabbits and the mites spend their entire life on the animal. Sometimes mites can be seen on the hair (‘walking dandruff’).

Demodex
This is a mite which is present in small numbers in the majority of normal dogs and usually does not cause any clinical signs. Young dogs occasionally show a localized form of the disease. A severe form is occasionally seen in adult dogs.

Most skin parasites can cause pruritis (itchy skin). Very often bacteria grow on the affected skin and cause a secondary bacterial infection, which aggravates the situation.

Skin parasites can be prevented and treated by using a quality spot-on preparation. In some cases, a spray may also be used. Flea collars, shampoos and powders are no longer recommended. Treatment of the dog’s environment is very important.

Please ask at reception for the most up-to-date information on the variety of products available.