| ISSUE | MAIN THREATS | RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS | HOW EARLY | HOW OFTEN | COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS | REASON WHY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaccination | Leptospirosis, Parvo virus, Distemper, Parainfluenza, Hepatitis, Bordetella (Canine cough) | We use Vanguard and Nobivac vaccines | 1 st at 8 weeks, 2 nd at 12 weeks, walks 1 week later | Every year | Never sees another dog! Canine cough can only be caught in kennels! | Leptospirosis (Weils Disease) is spread by rats urine in puddles and water features. Canine cough is very infectious and can be picked by being within 10 feet of an infected coughing dog. |
| Worming | Roundworms, tapeworms and lungworm | Milbemax | Milbemax from 2 weeks | At least every 3 months | I never see any worms – must be fine! | The eggs are microscopic and are often spread from faeces & mouth on the coat |
| Fleas | Dogs usually get the same fleas as cats | Frontline Bravecto and environme ntal spray | 8 weeks old | Every 2 - 3 months | Combing them out is enough | 99% of fleas live in the environment and only jump onto your pet for a blood meal |
| Ticks | Lymes disease and other infections as well as sores from bites | Bravecto Frontline | 9 weeks old | Every 3 months (Every month with Frontline) | Remove ticks using cigarettes, Vaseline or pull it off | The tick needs to be rotated out using a tick remover. Pulling it will leave the head inside. |
| Spaying | Unwanted ‘seasons’, pregnancy, womb infection & mammary cancer | Surgical Spaying | From 6 months old or 3 months after 1 st season | Once | Should let her have a litter first | No evidence that bitches are better off after having had a litter. |
| Castration | Testicular Cancer & Prostate Cancer, straying and aggression | Surgical Castration | From 6 months old | Once | Castration will change him or make him lazy | A pets personality is not sex hormone driven but anti-social behavior often is |
| Teeth | Tooth ache and gum disease leading to spread of bacteria to other organs | Doggy toothpastes, Dentastix/fle x, Hills/Royal Canin Vet Essentials Diet | Start brushing from day 1 | Ideally every day | Don’t need to brush when giving dental chews | Dental chews can only reduce plaque & tartar upto 35%, also if using dentasticks you need to reduce food by 35% |
| Micro- chipping | Lost / stolen pet unnecessary euthanasia | Microchip | Any age | One off injection & charge | The chip will move and get into the pets system | The chip is inserted under the skin. It may migrate slightly but will NOT entre the blood stream etc |
| Nutrition | Developmental joint diseases leading to early onset arthritis and ‘over-worked’ liver & kidneys | Royal Canin lifestage diet | Start at weaning (from 5-6 weeks old) | 3 rations daily until 6 months old then twice daily | Dog foods are all the same | The variation in quality of pet food is huge. Some even make the liver & kidneys work harder to extract the required nutrients. |
| Pet Insurance | Sudden large vet bill. Accumulating cost for a chronic condition | Allianz Petplan 123 .ie petinsure .ie petinsurance .ie tesco .ie | Anytime but be aware that any pre- existing conditions will not be covered | Each policy usually lasts for a year | There is no point as I have to pay the first €100 every time. | For the same condition you only have to pay the excess once within every insured year. |