Timeline Photos

Found in Ardmore a week ago. Please let us know if you recognise this dog. Thank you.

Few medical facts on dogs neutering, good and bad Hi all, No picture today but few numbers to keep in mind when deciding to neuter your pet. Always have a good chat with your vet to decide what is best for your pet. Neutering increases male dog’s life expectancy by 13.8%, female dog’s life expectancy by 26.3%. Mammary tumours will affect 53 % of entire females, mainly Boxer, Spaniel, Cocker, English setter, Basset. If a female is neutered before her first season, this risk is only 0.5%, if neutered before the second season this risk is only 8%, if neutered after the second season then the risk increases to 26%. About uterus infection or "pyometra", while I do not have any figures, I can give you my own experience on the matter. In the last 10 year in my practice, all entire female dogs presented at the age of 7+ or more, got an infection in the following years and received emergency surgery. Obesity is a major risk after neutering, especially in female where the risk is X 4. This is due to some hormonal changes which affect the fat and energy metabolism. These changes will impact on the exercise level and the appetite. IT IS ESSENTAIL TO CONTINUE EXERCISING YOUR PET AND REDUCE THE ENERGY LEVEL OF THE DIET BY 20% AFTER NEUTERING. Urinary incontinence is another risk after neutering. Between 4.9 % and 20 % of neutered females can be affected. The predisposed breeds are Boxer, Doberman, Schnauzer and all breed above 20 kg, even worse if obese. This is due to a muscular incompetence of the urethral sphincter which is under oestrogen dependence. This condition can be treated with appropriate medication. It can happen as soon as few months up to several years after the neutering. Osteosarcoma risk (bone tumour) in large breeds, such as Doberman, Irish Setter, Irish Wolfhound, St Bernard, Rottweiler, Great Dane, can be increased from 0.2 % to 2 % when neutered. Early neutering of these breeds is not recommended, and neutering all together needs to be discussed to balance the benefits and the risks. What about very early neutering, before 3 months old? For different reasons this is becoming more popular in dogs. Personally, I am not in favour of very early neutering in dogs. It increases the risk of urinary incompetence, increases the risk of chronic vaginitis, increases the risk of chronic vulvar dermatitis, increases the risk of urinary tract infection. The development of the growth plates and long bones can be affected in a negative way, and very early neutering has been linked with joints defects and excessive laxity of the ligaments. Some breeds, Akita, Mastiff, Labrador, American Staff, would be more at risk to develop hip dysplasia and cranial cruciate ligament rupture after very early neutering. SO WHAT TO THINK AND WHAT TO DO? My opinion is that female dogs should be neutered because pyometra and mammary tumours are life threatening conditions and are very common. But every case is different and the advice on age of neutering varies with the pet, its breed etc… Obesity can be prevented, urinary incontinence can be treated. All female dogs with diabetes must be neutered. For male dogs, we have to adapt our advices. But neutering will prevent prostatic enlargement, testis tumour, anal tumour, perianal fistulas, and unwanted behaviour associated with sexual hormonal activity. ONCE AGAIN, DO NOT HESITATE TO TALK ABOUT THIS TO YOUR VET, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A PUBERTY CHECK TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE BEST FOR YOUR PET. Nothing is black or white and new data come every year with more experience on the matter.

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Anaesthesia and brachycephalic dog! Hi all, Our short nose friends are indeed at a higher risk of respiratory arrest due to an obstruction / collapse of their airways. There is a lot to say about the " brachycephalic syndrome" but when it comes to anaesthesia few things can be done to help. It is essential to have access to gas anaesthesia with the insertion of an endotracheal tube to keep the airways open and to be able to ventilate the pet. We always adapt our sedation prior to the surgery and oxygenate the patient before even introducing the tube. During the surgery those dogs, if healthy, are not at a higher risk because of the presence of the tube and the constant supervision by the vet nurse. We always add an antacid injection prior to the procedure to limit reflux, which is very common in these dogs. The recovery is actually the most critical period. This is the time when the pet is coming around the anaesthesia and is put on oxygen only. Most of the normal shaped dogs will cough up the tube after 10 or 15 minutes and be able to breath normally. But the brachycephalic dogs can have their airways collapsing and full of mucus when they are ready to cough the tube. We always take them on our shoulder as seen on the picture and we do some "tapping", as you would do to burp a baby. It can go on for half an hour sometimes more. In some very rare cases, the tube has to be put back and the pet put back under anaesthesia till the swelling of their airways get better. Lucky it is very rare to have to do this! The small dogs are more at risk. You can see how this little pug was well recovered and she did as good as expected with no complication.🙂

Photos from Blue Coast Veterinary Surgery's post

Hi guys. A very long time with no post. Sorry but I have been very busy. Here is a cute post that might bring a smile on your face, maybe a little sadness. Yes here is a lovely little Guinea pig. She suddenly became lame and we X rayed her. She fractured one of her toe. We do not know how. This was a first for me to take an X-ray of such a tiny little girl. Lucky it worked. What to do next? On a dog or a cat, putting a little pin would have been ideal but this tiny bone is very fragile. Maybe Supervet would have done it, but I am not Supervet .... So I have put a small supportive bandage hoping the 2 other toes would work as a splint for the broken one. I hope it will stay 3 weeks and then take another xray to see if it is healing. I had to sedate her but guess what.... 10 minutes after that she was eating the lettuce and lovely watermelon that her dedicated owner left for her. So far so good.... Time will tell.

Hi all, All the Free microchips are gone. We had 17 chips and they are all allocated now. Best of luck to all.

Great interest for the free microchipping. Please do not message me personally. Booking can only be done during opening hours by ringing the practice 02482500🐶🐶🐶

Free Microchipping Hi All, Not to be missed, we have a limited number of Microchip kindly donated by Dog Trust. To avail of free microchipping for your dog, please arrange an appointment before the 6th of December 2016. Ring the practice on 02482500. You will need a proof of I/d, proof of permanent address and of course be the legitimate owner of the dog. Don't wait, it is free.

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DEMODECOSIS IN DOGS, DEMODEX MANGE Canine demodicosis occurs when large numbers of Demodex canis mites inhabit hair follicles and sebaceous glands. In small numbers, these mites are part of the normal flora of the skin of dogs and usually cause no clinical disease. The mites are transmitted from dam to puppies during nursing within the first 72 hr after birth. I would not recommend to breed any bitch who was diagnosed with Demodectic mange. The mites spend their entire life cycle on the host, and the disease is not considered to be contagious, unless a pet is severely immuno suppressed or debilitated. The pathogenesis of demodicosis is complex and not completely understood; evidence of hereditary predisposition for generalized disease is strong. Immunosuppression, natural or iatrogenic, can precipitate the disease in some cases. The disease generally occurs in young dogs, but adults can present it depending on their condition. Secondary bacterial infection, deep folliculitis, furunculosis, or cellulitis may occur, leading to a guarded prognosis. While some case can be straight forwards to diagnose and be resolved in 3 to 6 months, others can be challenging and still be under treatment after 12 months. Stress is an important factor in a pet who is a carrier: debilitated illness and other inter current disease, pregnancy, lactation, even hormonal cycling season, stay in boarding kennels, long veterinary hospitalization etc... Too often, pets are presented after receiving divers treatments which could aggravate the disease due to a misdiagnosis, often mistaken for allergy. Skin scrapping should help to identify the mite under microscopic examination. Sometimes skin biopsy is needed to confirm a suspected diagnosis when the scrapping has been negative. Several treatments are available on the veterinary market, some more efficient that others in my opinion. All treatment should be done under strict veterinary supervision due to their potential toxicity for pets and humans.

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Chronic otitis is always challenging for vets and owners. It is a very common problem affecting all dogs. Some breed are more at risk than others. If untreated, otitis can cause severe changes and damages to the normal ears. Causes are multiple: parasites, fungus or yeasts, bacteria, allergy, etc... It is always important to try to identify the cause and the predisposing factors: excessive wax, excessive moisture, breed predisposition etc... Please remember that a normal healthy dog should not have repeated infection in his ears. If your dog has 1 infection every year, worse 2 or 3, it needs to be investigated further. The little dog below had sore ears for over 4 years and was told that nothing else could be done as his ears canals were getting too narrow. When first seen 4 weeks ago at Blue Coast Veterinary Surgery, I was seriously worried that it was too far gone. Sample was taken to find which bacteria was involved and which antibiotic to select if appropriated. This patient was sedated to examine his ears fully as it would have been too painful otherwise, and it allowed us to clean them thoroughly. Chronic otitis can be a sign of a broader skin problem. In this case, this dog had very sore feet as well. The aim of the proposed treatment was to try to give some immediate relief and see could we improve the situation. The changes since the treatment started have been amazing, to the point that this dog can now hear again, and the skin of the ear and the canals start regaining a normal appearance again. We are still in the investigation phase to see if this chronic problem is due to an allergy, which is my first suspicion. I doubt that this little patient could be completely cured but I believe we could give him much better ears and manage his condition better. This kind of problem can be very discouraging but they are not hopeless...

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Cats story! Libby arrived in the cattery 2 days ago. She had a very long journey from UK and was very stressed. Look at her now! Happy cat out!😸

Thank you all for helping us to find a home for our little kitty boy. He is going to a great foster home for one week and will then join his new family. Thanks again. Your response has been immense and much appreciated.

Timeline Photos

Home urgently needed. Our little kitten still has not found a home. He urgently needs more space, more stimulation and more play to become a good companion. He will not be happy long term with us as we cannot provide him with all the attention needed for his socialisation. Thanks.