While wishing you and your pets a very Happy Easter, we would like to highlight a particular hazard that frequently arises at this time of year, and that is chocolate poisoning in dogs. Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine, which is a chemical stimulant similar to caffeine. While humans are able to easily metabolise this chemical, dogs take longer to digest their food, so theobromine can be in their system for up to 20 hours. During this time, the dog’s nervous system, heart and kidneys may shut down. We would like to urge all pet owners to keep their chocolate baskets hidden well away from their hoover-mouthed pooches. More important is to impress upon everyone — especially children — that while they might think they are being generous offering the dog some of their Easter treats, chocolate can be 
poisonous even in the smallest of doses. If hiding eggs in the house or garden, please ensure that all are collected before letting your dog out- he or she will sniff them out in an instant due to their incredible sense of smell. Even foil wrappers will not deter a hungry
Following on from last month’s blog post about operation transformation in pets, here is a fantastic success story about one of our favourite patients, Rupert who managed to lose 13% of his body weight last year. He went on to become a Pet Slimmer of the Year 2015 winner. See below for his story recently in the Clare Champion. If Rupert can do it, your pet can too! We offer completely free of charge weight clinics for advice on how to manage your pet’s weight. Here is the article as published in the Clare Champion:
Ennis cat Rupert has battled against the odds to lose weight and become an Irish Pet Slimmer of the Year winner after shedding 13% of his bodyweight. Seven year old Rupert, affectionately known as ‘Ru’, belongs to Vanessa Morris who rescued him as a stray when he was approximately a year old. Vanessa, of Ennis,
Today’s pet population is mirroring the weight issues of the human population, and we are seeing the same health issues that go hand in hand (or should we say paw in paw) with this problem. Research shows that 46% of dog owners don’t believe that their dog is actually overweight, and don’t understand the risk that this imposes to their pet. Not only their health is affected, but quality of life and longevity too- healthy weight pets can live up to 2 1/2 years longer than overweight pets. That’s massive! It is truly wonderful to see a pet regain their enthusiasm for life again after losing weight. So often we see wonderful success stories of pets succeeding in dropping some weight and how it positively affects their lives- the dog who can then jump into the back of the car again, or the cat who starts to play around the house rather than sleep all day.
- How to tell if your pet is overweight
We use this body condition chart below to assess whether a pet is ideal (score of 3) or underweight or overweight. Body condition scoring consists of feeling your pet’s ribs and assessing them from above and side on.
Last year it became compulsory for all puppies to be microchipped. From March 31st this year, the regulation will be expanded to include all dogs.
Key points for you
-A microchip is inserted under the skin at the back of the neck using a needle, and does not require any sedation to place it -ALL dogs must be microchipped from 31/3/16 and registered on an approved database. -owners must hold a certificate from this database -from 31/3/16 it will be illegal to buy, take ownership, sell or supply a dog that does not have a certificate of microchip registration from an approved database. -dog owners must ensure that all information is up to date and correct -the vet, vet nurse or lay implanter must have a unique identifying code which is issued by the approved database and must be stated on the certificate. -owners must present proof of identity when presenting their dog to have a microchip implanted.
Here are a few reminders of the things to look out for over the festive period in order to keep your pet safe. Chocolate Chocolate is unfortunately a common cause of poisoning in pets. It contains theobromine which affects the nervous system and heart. It is a common problem over Christmas due to the number of chocolate decorations hung on trees, and boxes of chocolates left out or even wrapped under the tree. A sufficient quantity of any chocolate is poisonous but much smaller amounts of dark chocolate will cause problems. Please keep chocolate out of reach of your pet and avoid giving it as a treat! Grapes, Raisins and Sultanas As well as being one of the main ingredients in Christmas cake and pudding, these are also present in many chocolate bars. There is no specific toxic dose as different animals will tolerate different amounts and just a small amount can lead to kidney failure in some animals. Turkey Be aware that many Christmas foods are very rich and fatty. Think carefully before giving your pet leftovers as you could end up with a stomach upset to contend with. Cleaning up after your dog wouldn’t be a fun way to spend your Christmas holiday and it certainly wouldn’t be pleasant for him or her either. Poisonous plants Poinsettia, holly and mistletoe are all common plants at this time of year, and
This is Dougal, who belongs to our vet Dennis. He is not alone in suffering from dental disease, as this is a common problem affecting our pets, with nearly 80% of dogs and cats suffering to some degree. 
The culprit of dental disease is plaque, the same problem that causes poor dental health in you or I, and the reason that we must brush our teeth twice daily. Although brushing your pet’s teeth is the gold standard method for keeping those pearly whites nice and healthy, it is often easier said than done. We are more than happy to help assist you in learning to do this.
Dental disease is often difficult to detect in pets, as they will rarely show signs of discomfort or appetite changes. Bad breath can be an indicator that there is a problem but not many of us would consider our pet’s breath sweet smelling at the best of times! The best way to assess your pets’ dental health is to avail of our FREE dental check up clinic. We can use a special torch which will make any plaque on your pets teeth glow in the dark. We can visually examine the externa