Taking Care of Your Pet
Our team of skilled and dedicated staff will do everything possible to keep your pet healthy and happy. We understand that a visit to the vet can be stressful for your pet and we will do everything we can to make you and your pet feel at ease.
There are many things you can do for your pet to help keep them happy and healthy.
Neutering
We recommend neutering for any animal that is not intended for breeding. The term neutering means the surgical removal of some of the reproductive organs (spaying of females and castration of males). There are many benefits to neutering for dogs, cats and rabbits including:
- Reducing the risk of certain cancers e.g. mammary tumours in bitches and testicular and prostate tumours in male dogs
- Avoiding pyometra in bitches (a nasty, life threatening infection of the womb)
- Preventing unwanted puppies and kittens
- Avoiding the hassle of roaming males and females in season
- Can avoid behavioural problems in males.
Although mature animals can be neutered at any age, for younger animals we recommend neutering cats at around 5-6 months old and dogs slightly later at about 6-7 months old. There is no need to allow a female to have a “season” or to have pups/kittens before spaying (a rather old fashioned idea). Spaying at a younger age makes the operation quicker – (and so a shorter anaesthetic) and they tend to heal quicker afterwards. If you would like to know more about what’s involved in neutering your pet give us a ring and have a chat.
Worming
Making sure that your pets are wormed properly is very important. All puppies and kittens are born with worms and so it’s essential to start worming them properly from a very young age with a product that is effective. Worms can cause serious illness and even death in a young animal and pose a serious risk to humans too – especially children. It’s essential to worm adult cats and dogs as well and we can give you advice on the best products to use and when to use them. We do not recommend that you buy wormers from supermarkets or pet shops as they are often ineffective and can have side effects.
Flea treatment
Fleas can cause serious problems for your pets and for you too! For your cat or dog it can cause anything from an irritating itch to a nasty skin infection requiring a long course of treatment. Once fleas are in your house they can be tricky to get rid of, so prevention is the best policy. We can advise you on products that will be effective for getting rid of fleas both on your pets and in your home.
Microchipping
Getting your pet micro chipped is very easy and inexpensive and means that if your pet gets lost, a rescue centre or vet will be able to reunite you with your pet quickly and easily. The microchip (the size of a grain of rice) only takes a moment to insert under the skin and will be there permanently. It contains your contact details and is easily read with a scanner.