Dog parks in Dublin

Dublin councils announced this week that they plan to introduce "dog only" areas in public parks. Click below to listen to a discussion about this with East Coast FM's Declan Meehan

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Feral cats on Ireland AM

This morning on Ireland AM, we discussed feral cats - in particular, the issue of rehoming feral cats that can no longer look after themselves in the wild. Click here to see the video. The cat that I took on with me used to be completely wild. He had rotten teeth that needed to be removed, and he was tested for feline aids and leukaemia. He is negative for these, and so is ready to find the right home. He would not cope well with an uncontrolled outdoor environment, and needs a home with a large high walled garden. Click here for full post

Dog and rabbit friends

Barbara Collins of Bray, Co Wicklow has two pets: Starsky (a Dutch Dwarf rabbit) and Scout ( a Golden Labrador). Starsky and Scout are good friends, despite the fact that dogs normally seem rabbits as tasty morsels for dinner.Scout was seven years old when the cheeky rabbit arrived into his home. Scout is a typical boisterous male Labrador, and from the start, he was curious about the strange small creature that had moved in beside him. He sniffed him in his hutch a few times, but showed no sign of aggression. Barbara and her family began to feel relaxed about the risk of conflict between the two animals.
Starksy has always lived in a hutch, but he also goes for walks in the garden. He has a special rabbit harness, and he hops around at the end of a long lead. He enjoys grazing on the grass, and he likes to stretch his legs, rushing one way then another. It was during one of his early excursions that the situation went a little out of control. Starsky was being walked peacefully in the garden on his harness, when Scout came around the corner, and caught sight of the small rabbit. He bolted towards him, and at that moment Starsky darted in the other direction, somehow managing to wriggle out of his harness. A stressful five minutes followed, with the Labrador chasing the rabbit around the garden. It could have ended very badly, but in fact, it was the rabbit that came out better from the encounter. Starsky learned that he could run faster than Scout, and this filled him with confidence. Even on that first day, he seemed to taunt Scout, stopping a few yards away from him then darting off when the dog tried to rush up on him.

From that day onwards, it was as if a dialogue had been opened between the two animals. They have each continued to have a significant interest in the other creature. Starsky’s hutch is in the hallway, and Scout pauses as he passes several times a day, pushing his muzzle up to the cage, as if to greet the rabbit. Scout’s food bowl is right beside the hutch, so as the Labrador eats his dinner, the rabbit comes out of his nest box and looks down on him.
After a few months of the two animals becoming familiar with each other through the wire mesh of the hutch, Barbara decided that it would be safe to try another direct face to face encounter. This time it was indoors. She introduced Scout to Starsky – nose to nose – and neither animal seemed in any way anxious or excited. Scout sniffed the rabbit, then ignored him. Starsky eyeballed the big dog, and did not seem in any way fazed by his comparatively huge size.
Barbara and her family then started to take the rabbit out to play in the house. A free-ranging rabbit can be a liability in a home – rabbits like to chew anything chewable. Wiring, in particular, seems to have an appeal, causing problems with equipment and rabbit health when live electric wires are gnawed. The Collins family discovered an unusual way of confining their rabbit. They noticed that Starsky dislikes slippery surfaces, because he cannot get a grip with his nails. However, he is very happy to hop around on rugs and carpets. This led to a simple way of confining him to safe parts of the house without a cage. By placing a large rug on the lino floor of the kitchen or the wooden floor of the living room, they discovered that the rabbit could easily be confined to this “island”. They could put him on the rug, go out of the room, and when they came back, he would still be sitting safely where they had left him.
It was during these rug sessions that the relationship between the rabbit and the dog began to deepen. Scout came into the room when Starsky was on the rug, and this time, he didn’t even try to chase him. Instead, he went over to the rug, and lay down on it quietly, beside the rabbit. Starsky was not at all afraid, and carried on hopping around the rug as if nothing strange was happening. Soon, it became part of the normal routine. Scout started to join Starsky regularly on the rug, lying down beside the rabbit, and the rabbit in turn began to interact more with the dog. He began to clamber up onto Scout’s back, sitting on him as if he was riding a horse. Scout didn’t mind this at all, continuing to lie peacefully on the rug. The rabbit has become even more familiar with Scout as the years have passed. He now clambers up onto his back, and hops along on top of the dog, ending up by pressing his chin on the of Scout’s head. There are scent glands in a rabbit’s chin, so presumably Starsky is claiming Scout as his own territory, and Scout seems quite happy to be claimed. The two animals often sit together on the rug for long sessions of just being together.
Starsky is small and dark-haired, and Scout is bigger and fair-haired. The two animals bear more than a passing resemblance to the famous cops from the television series and movie. Barbara is very tempted to do the obvious thing - rechristen Scout as “Hutch”. They may not jump into cars together, but they certainly have some remarkable chemistry going on.

Tips
+ In the pet world, it’s common for different species to become friends
+ Even animals that are normally predators can become pals with creatures that are normally their prey
+ There are, of course, risks involved, so owners need to supervise such relationships carefully



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Dog fights in Dublin

Nearly 30 animals were recently rescued from premises in Dublin-this is a discussion on the subject with Declan Meehan of East Coast FM

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Guinea pigs with mites

This week on Ireland AM, we discussed guinea pigs with itch skin, as well as taking the usual text queries from viewers. Click here to see the video. Click here for full post

Grass stuck in cat's nose

Stephen Cranley was worried when Max, his nine month old male neutered cat suddenly started to sneeze violently.Max was adopted from a local animal rescue group earlier this year, and he has settled well into his new home. He is a smart, inquisitive and friendly cat. He is the only animal in the house, and he seems to enjoy his role as the centre of human attention.
He was sleeping in the armchair in the living room this week, when he suddenly sat up, looking disturbed. He gulped a few times, made a coughing sound, then started to sneeze. It’s common for cats to sneeze from time to time (like humans), but this sneezing was not a mild one-off. Max was sneezing loudly and violently, and he kept on doing it. He sneezed a dozen times, then stopped, then started to sneeze some more. Stephen went over to look at him, but there was nothing visibly wrong with his nose. Max sneezed a few more times, and then began to paw at his nose, as if there was something uncomfortable going on.
Stephen knew that cats can suffer from cat flu, and that this can often make them sneeze. But he had an idea that cat flu caused other signs of illness too, like runny eyes and a discharge from the nose. Max had none of these things. He looked as healthy as ever, but simply, he had started to sneeze. Stephen and his wife had been having dinner when the sneezing started. Could the pepper that they had sprinkled onto their soup somehow have been inhaled by Max? He was some distance away from the dinner table so this hardly seemed likely. Max was now quite distressed, and the episodes of repeated sneezing showed no signs of settling down. Stephen made a quick decision to take Max to the vet.
Stephen could hear him sneezing for most of the ten minute journey to our vet clinic. He took a seat in our waiting room, with Max at his feet, and as he waited, the sneezing was getting even more loud and forceful. He bent down to talk to Max, to reassure him, and it was then that he noticed something strange. A green object was protruding from Max’s left nostril.

At that moment, I called them into my consulting room. As I listened to the story, I opened Max’s cage and lifted him onto the table. There are not many causes of sudden onset sneezing in cats, and as soon as I saw Max, my suspicion was confirmed: the green object that Stephen had noticed was the tip of a blade of grass. When I questioned Stephen, he confirmed that he had noticed Max chewing grass in the garden on several occasions.
Grass-eating is common in both dogs and cats, and it’s generally completely harmless: it may even have some health benefits for pets. But the one complication that can sometimes happen is when a cat regurgitates grass. There is no problem if the grass is brought up as part of a dollup of food and other stomach contents. Cat vomit is not pleasant to clean up, and if your cat ever does this, you may find that it sometimes contains pieces of grass. But if the grass goes “the wrong way”, it can end up passing into the nasal chamber, rather than fully exiting the body via the mouth. The inside of the nose is like a maze, with narrow tubes twisting and turning. Once a blade of grass enters the back of the nose, it is very difficult to get it out. It won’t go back the way that it has come – all the body’s reflexes act against the inhalation of a solid object. Instead, the irritation caused by the grass stimulates the body to try to get rid of it in the opposite direction – hence the violent sneezing. Unfortunately, a wet blade of grass is sticky, and it does not easily move once wedged inside the narrow confines of the inside of the nose.
Max had made the diagnosis of his problem easy for me, but now I had to remove the grass fully, without leaving any behind. Leaves of grass can easily break, and it could get very complicated if a small fragment was left in the middle of his nasal chamber. I have heard of cats needing to be anaesthetised while fluid is repeatedly flushed through the nose when this has happened. I was also aware that the nose has an exquisitely sensitive lining. If that piece of grass was tugged, it could cause Max pain and distress.
I asked a nurse to hold Max firmly, and I took a pair of secure, narrow-tipped forceps. I used these to grasp the piece of grass as far up as I could, then I gave a single, smooth, strong pull. I was ready for Max to react, and he did wriggle, but it was all over in a moment. The entire piece of grass dangled from my forceps tip. It was remarkably long, as you can see from the photo. It was no wonder that Max had felt uncomfortable when this was lodged inside his nose.
The grass had damaged Max’s nose a little, and there were a few drops of blood. But the sneezing stopped at once, and it didn’t start again.


Tips
+ Many dogs and cats graze on grass from time to time
+ When a cat regurgitates grass, pieces can lodge in the nose
+ If a cat starts sudden, repeated sneezing, this is a common cause

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Artificial limbs for dogs

This week, I discussed a new type of prosthetic limb for dogs on my weekly radio spot with Declan Meehan on East Coast FM

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Kittens on Ireland AM

This week, on TV3's Ireland AM, I discussed the needs of new kittens with Mark. Click here to see the video We were joined by eight-year-old Eve with her two new kittens, Ronnie and Rocky. Click here for full post

Kitten care on TV3

Many kittens are born in the later summer, going to their new homes in the autumn i.e. around now. What do new kittens owners need to do for their new arrivals?
1) Worming - kittens should be given a worm dose every 2 weeks
2) Vaccinations - all kittens need to be vaccinated against Cat Flu and Feline Enteritis. Two injections are normally needed, at around 9 weeks and 12 weks. Kittens should not be allowed to mix with other cats till these are completed.
If a cat is going to be mingling with other cats (e.g. if it is going to have access to outside) then it should also be given a vaccination against Feline Leukaemia
3) Feeding. Choose the best quality food you can afford. Generally more expensive means better! Choose dry food or moist food - visit a pet shop and vet clinic when making your choice, not just the supermarket.
4) Microchipping. This is a good idea for most cats. If a cat strays, or if is killed on the road, there is more chance of you finding out.
5) Pet insurance. If your cat gets sick, it can be costly. CAT scans are expensive! Pet insurance costs around €10.50 per month.
6) Flea control. Flea drops, applied once a month to the back of the neck, remove this risk completely.
7) Don't forget to keep your cat entertained. Two kittens are better than one! Toys important for solo-cats.
8) Neutering. Now it is recommended that this can be done as young as 4 months of age. The sooner it's done, the less risk of accidental kittens Click here for full post

Two kittens better than one?

Jenny Greene, the 2FM DJ, has two kittens, Ellie and Ralph
Jenny had planned to get only one kitten, but when she came across two abandoned orphans, she changed her mind.
It’s well known that Ireland produces a surplus of puppies, with nearly 300 unwanted dogs being killed at Irish dog pounds every week for the simple reason that they are unwanted. Irish local authorities are obligated to keep records of the statistics concerning dogs, which is why the shocking information can be monitored so easily.
The situation with cats is much less clear. There are no “cat pounds”. No records are kept about how many unwanted cats are euthanased. Everyone knows that “cat only” animal charities are under continual pressure, but no-one knows the precise severity of the problem. Everyone knows that there are thousands of feral cat colonies around the country, but nobody has counted how many unwanted cats roam our streets. A report in the Irish Independent in 2004 claimed that there were a million feral cats in Dublin, and a million more feral cats across Ireland, but these figures are only guesses.

Strangely, it is not always easy to find a kitten when you want one. Cats are seasonal breeders, and kittens are only born at certain times of the year. It’s similar to the situation with fruit and vegetables in the supermarket. If you go looking for strawberries in January, you will have to look hard, and any that you find will be imported from warmer climates. But in the summer months, Ireland is inundated with strawberries for sale, with roadside stalls stocked high and supermarkets selling them cheap to move them on.
Similarly, there are some times in the year where it is almost impossible to find a kitten. If you go to a kitten rescue group out-of-season, you may be told “there are no kittens available”. People are often surprised when this happens, and it’s always important to stress that this apparent “kitten shortage” is an illusion. Again, it’s like the strawberries. Just because it’s difficult to find strawberries in the winter doesn’t mean that there is a “shortage of strawberries”. If you go back to the same kitten rescue group during most of the kitten season, you will find that it is overflowing with unwanted kittens. Even in the kitten season, there can be gluts and shortages, with dozens of kittens one week, then none a few weeks later.
When Jenny moved into her new home during the summer, she had already decided that that she wanted a kitten. She went out and bought all the equipment she needed - a pet carrier, basket, litter tray, food and toys – and she was ready. The late summer is usually a good time to look for a kitten: it’s close to the peak of the kitten production cycle. Female cats tend to start to breed in the spring and early summer. The pregnancy of a cat lasts for 9 weeks, which means that many kittens are ready for homes in the late summer and autumn.
Jenny had been avidly logging on to the DSPCA website for months, falling in love with all the animals that were looking for homes. Finally on September 15th, she made calls to as many animal rescue groups as she could contact, but all had the same story: “no kittens available”. She started phoning around vet practices, asking about any notices with kittens looking for homes. One clinic told her that they had a call that morning from a guy named Derek who had two kittens. Jenny contacted Derek, and was soon reduced to tears when she heard the kittens’ story. They were only four weeks old. Their mother had been killed by a car, and Derek had found the two of them sitting beside her dead body. He had rescued them, but he was unable to keep them. Jenny told Derek that she’d love to take one of them, but after putting down the phone, she realised that she couldn’t leave the other kitten behind. She quickly called Derek back and said she’d take them both.
Jenny called the kittens Ellie and Ralph. They settled into her home very quickly. At first, they were cautious, anxiously exploring the room, ready to rush back to their basket if anything strange happened. Within a day, they knew the house as if they had always lived there, charging from room to room, and jumping up onto any available surface as if the place was a playground designed especially for their pleasure.
It was definitely the right choice to take the two kittens together. They entertain each other, tearing around the place as a twosome. Often it almost seems as if they are connected by an invisible piece of elastic, with one rushing ahead, then the other catching it up and biffing it with a paw. And when the play is finished, they retreat to their bed together, curling up with each using the other as a comfortable pillow.
Jenny has had her kittens vaccinated and treated for parasites, and in a few months, they’ll be neutered. She’s going to make sure that her own cats don’t contribute to the next generation of unwanted cats. The life of a feral cat is short and stressed, and it would be far better if such creatures were never born at all.
Pet cats can live for up to twenty years, and Jenny is hoping that her two new friends will be a part of her life – and each other’s lives - for a long time into the future.
Tips
Cats are seasonal breeders, so it can be hard to get kittens at certain times of year
There is a huge overproduction of kittens every autumn in Ireland
This is a good time of year to get one – or two – kittens
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A sick fish

Vets don't just treat furry pets - I was recently asked to give advice about a sick fish for my Telegraph blog. Here is the discussion on East Coast Fm with Declan Meehan

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Ireland AM - controlling wandering dogs

This week on Ireland AM, we discussed the problem mentioned below - how to stop a dog from wandering away from home. Click here to see the video. And here is the rest of it. Click here for full post

Stopping dogs from escaping from gardens

The old days of the dog "taking himself for a walk" are in the past, and this is no longer acceptable. Owners have a responsibility to keep dogs securely at home, either indoors or confined to the garden.
While it's accepted that cats are allowed to roam freely, under Irish law, dogs have to be under "effective control" – owners are liable for any injury or damage caused if their dog attacks a person or livestock.
Many people do run into problems when their animals escape accidentally, and there are different options for making sure that this does not happen.
Firstly, male and female dogs should be neutered and spayed - hormones are one of the main reasons why dogs sometimes want to roam
Secondly, simply get your garden well fenced in. This is the ideal answer for most people. Build walls, install chain-linked fence dug into the soil, or just do whatever else may be needed to make your garden escape-proof. Unfortunately, some dogs can be real escape artists, and some gardens seem to be very difficult to dog-proof.
This is where the third option comes in - "containment products".
The two most common types are
a) A physical pen.
You can't just buy a dog run and dump your dog into it. All dogs need at least 25 mins exercise twice daily, and if they are being left alone at all, they need to be given something to do e.g. a rubber Kong stuffed with food. And even if these measures are taken, you can't just leave a dog shut in a pen all day. A dog run is no excuse for poor animal care!
But if a pen is the only way to be sure that a dog cannot escape, then it should be considered as an option. Dog pens come in different sizes, and in various styles - a typical type would be galvanised steel with chain link fencing. A pen should be free from sharp edges, and have secure latches so that the dog can definitely not escape.
The pens can also be used to stop dogs from digging different parts of the garden and it may be useful to even have a "diggable" section within the area that is inside the pen.
This type of pen is commonly available from stores across Ireland such as Woodies and Atlantic Homecare. See www.dogruns.ie for more details.
b) The Radiofence is an alternative to the physical dog runs but I pesonally strongly disagree with its use. Basically, it is a collar with two metal probes on it, facing inwards. A wire is buried under the ground around the perimeter of the property. As the dog approaches the line, a buzzer sounds from the collar. If the dog continues towards the line, it receives an electric shock. Electric shocks are not a humane way of controlling dogs. Despite my own strong reservations, some people use these systems, and if they are used correctly and intelligently, they can be an effective way of keeping dogs confined to areas that cannot be properly fenced. I personally disapprove of these fences, and I have seen dogs developing sores at the place where the collar touches the skin but I know that they are out there, and so they do need to be mentioned.

Tips:
+ A securely fenced or walled garden is the best way to keep a dog securely confined
+ Dog pens may have a role, as long as due attention is taken to ensure that a dog is properly exercised at other times of the day, and is given entertainment during his time in the pen
+ Radio fences involve electric shock training of dogs, which can be associated with welfare issues




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Ticks or warts?

Peter Heery came into see me with Bryce - a ten year old male cross-bred Springer Spaniel. Bryce had developed lumps on his skin after a recent visit to Donegal.Bryce, along with his owners, had a wonderful holiday in Donegal in October. They were staying with relatives at the edge of Donegal Town, and Bryce enjoyed going for walks in the local rough meadows and fields. He loved charging through long grass and through ditches. Wild hare would appear as he passed close by, and he chased them, although he never caught one. Similarly, grouse and pheasants would spring into the air in front of him, and he would jump after them, again missing out on catching them, but gaining great pleasure from the hunt. He also chased up and down the Donegal beaches, but there was less entertainment from crabs and jelly fish than from the meadow wildlife.

Bryce was in sparkling good health during his six weeks in Donegal, and it was only after he had returned home that a problem became evident. Peter noticed a few small lumps sticking up from the skin around his head and neck. Bryce already had a couple of warts in this area, like many older dogs, and Peter knew from previous visits to the vet that nothing needed to be done about them. Unless they started to bother Bryce in some way, or to grow bigger rapidly, no action was needed. At first, Peter thought that the new small lumps were freshly grown warts. But when the skin in the area began to look red and sore, Peter knew that there was something else going on. When he studied the “warts” closely and carefully, he could clearly see what they were: ticks.
Ticks are tiny blood sucking parasites, closely related to spiders. They hide in rough grassland, waiting for animals to pass by. When they sense the movement, temperature and smell of nearby animals, ticks wave their legs excitedly, repeatedly grasping the air around them. If an animal brushes against it, the tick grabs hold of any passing part of the animal’s body. It then clambers up the body, seeking out a warm, soft patch of skin, where it pushes its vampire-like mouth-parts through the skin, into a blood vessel. It then becomes tightly attached to the animal, with its barb-like teeth preventing it from falling off.
After a tick has become attached, it spends the next few weeks sucking blood, swelling up to pea-sized or bigger. Finally, when enough blood has been drawn, the tick relaxes its grip and falls off the animal into the undergrowth. The female ticks then lay hundreds of eggs before dying. The eggs hatch into young tick larvae, and the life cycle starts again.
Most Irish wild mammals are attractive to ticks. Ticks attach to sheep, cattle, rabbits, voles and hedgehogs. Pet dogs and cats, and even humans can also be affected. In some animals, such as cattle, ticks can transmit blood-borne organisms that cause serious diseases like Redwater. Pets and humans are not at a significant risk from such illnesses: there is only one tick-borne condition in Ireland, called Lyme Disease and it is fairly rare.
In most cases, ticks in Ireland are simply an annoying nuisance. Ticks often irritate dogs and cats, and it is usually best to remove them. There are many different recommended techniques, but the single important fact to remember is not to leave the head behind. A tick’s head is tightly attached to its host’s skin by barbed teeth, like tiny fish-hooks. If the head of the tick breaks off as the tick is pulled out (and this can happen very easily), a foreign body reaction can follow. This can look red and swollen at first, and can develop into a large lump later. Any such reactions need to be bathed twice daily in mildly salty warm water and often further treatment is needed from the vet.
So which tick removing technique is best? The traditional trick of killing the tick with a lighted cigarette is not necessary and you may even end up burning your pet by mistake. It is possible to pull a tick out with tweezers, or even with your finger and thumb, but it is fiddly, and it is easy to accidentally leave the tightly attached head behind. A recent survey of vets showed that the latest preferred technique for tick removal is a simple tool called the “O’Tom Tick Remover”. This is a microscopically engineered plastic hook device which extracts the tick from the skin in the same way as an up-market corkscrew removes the cork from a bottle of wine. Many vets sell this device to the public. You can find out more at www.otom.com.
If an animal has large numbers of ticks, it may be better to use a generalised treatment such as an insecticidal spray rather than attempting to pull off each individual tick. If you live in a tick-prone area, it may be worth considering such a spray, or even a special spot-on product to prevent ticks attaching in the first place. Ticks have seasonal peaks, in the autumn and spring, so even if you don’t use these products continually, they are worth considering at high risk times.
Peter brought Bryce in to see me – I removed a dozen ticks, and prescribed a course of antibiotics because his skin was red and sore where the ticks had been attached. Peter has now been equipped with his own tick remover, and Bryce will definitely be given an anti-parasite treatment before any future visits to Donegal.

Tips
+ Ticks are common in many parts of the Irish countryside
+ There are seasonal peaks in tick activity, in the autumn and spring
+ Ticks need to be removed with care, to avoid leaving the tick’s head embedded in your pet

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