Spring 2017
NEUTERING PROMOTION APRIL 2017.
While great progress has been made in recent years, we still have a big problem with unwanted kittens and puppies in Ireland. If you don’t intend to breed your pet, neutering is the responsible thing to do.
Not only does neutering prevent unwanted pregnancies, it also dramatically reduces the risk of certain cancers.
And remember, the breeding season for cats starts around now and continues through the summer and autumn. A female cat could easily have two or more litters before the end of the breeding season, adding yet more hungry mouths to Galway’s booming feline population. Every year veterinary clinics and rescue shelters have to deal with abandoned, unwanted kittens, often suffering with horrible cat-flu and heavy parasite burdens. Such unnecessary suffering could be so easily avoided by neutering.
For the month of April, we are offering 15% off surgical fees for neutering.
This special offer applies to males and females, cats and dogs.
Surgeries will be carried out at our branch on St. Mary’s Road.
Ring 091-584185 to make an appointment or if you have any queries about neutering.
Ticks and how to deal with them.
As we enter spring, it won't be long before ticks start making a nuisance of themselves again.
Ticks are eight-legged, blood sucking parasites which attach onto passing animals and bury their mouthparts into the skin. They are very small when they attach, but slowly swell to the size of a pea or bean as they engorge themselves with blood.
Thankfully we are free of many tick-borne diseases in Ireland, but Lyme disease (borreliosis) does occur here and is being recognised increasingly frequently. County Galway seems to be one of the hotspots.
So it makes sense to be proactive about ticks. Check your pet after walks, if you find a tick, it needs to be removed correctly. The safest way to remove a tick is with an O'TOM Tick Twister. They are quick and easy to use, the entire tick will be removed, and its mouthparts won't be left embedded in the skin.
O’TOM Tick Twisters can be bought at reception in Ark Vets.
If you feel too squeamish about handling these creepy-crawlies, call into one of our clinics and one of our nursing team can do it for you.
Nowadays, we also have very effective preventative products for dogs and cats which kill ticks for up to three months. This is a fantastic level of protection which has only become available in recent years. If you are unsure about which products to use please call into Ark Vets and we can advise which product is most suitable for your pet, we can also set up a personal text reminder so your pet is protected throughout the year.
We also strongly advise using one of our preventative products if your pet is travelling outside Ireland where they could be exposed to other tick-borne diseases which do not occur here.
NEW TEAM MEMBERS AT ARK VETS.
You may have noticed new faces at Ark. We are delighted to welcome two new vets on board.
Stephen WalshMVBjoined Ark Vets in January after several busy years working in small animal practice in the UK. Stephen will be based at our branch in St. Mary's Road.
Aoife MaddenMVB has also recently returned to Ireland from the UK and will be based in our Knocknacarra branch. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary practice but has a particular interest in soft tissue surgery.