All the veterinary and nursing staff at Blacklion Pet Hospital endeavour to treat your pet as we would our own. To this end we have invested heavily in modern equipment and highly qualified and motivated veterinary and nursing staff. Our intention is to continue investing in equipment and staff for as long as your pet needs us.
All the advice given below is no more - and no less - than what we do for our own pets and forms the basis for responsible pet ownership.
Vaccinations
Cats require two injections three weeks apart as a kitten (starting from 9 weeks of age at least) and then once a year thereafter . All cats visiting Blacklion Pet Hospital are routinely vaccinated for Feline Leukaemia Virus - a fatal disease if contracted but often not included in the routine annual vaccinations in many practices. Do not leave your kitten out for 10 days after the second kitten vaccination. If your cat is going into boarding kennels they will need a valid vaccination certificate before allowing your pet in. If they don't insist on seeing a valid certificate from you then more than likely there are cats in there who are not vaccinated and who may expose your pet to illness - so don't go there and find somewhere else!
Worming
Kittens have to be wormed every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age, then every month until 6 months of age then every 3 months for life. We recommend Drontal Tablets, Panacur Granules or Milbemax Tablets all of which will kill the common Roundworms and Tapeworms. These can be bought over the counter at the clinic without a prescription. Worm treatments available from supermarkets are not particularly effective - if they were we would sell them!
Flea treatment and Prevention
We recommend use of Stronghold or Frontline for prevention and treatment of fleas. These are small tubes of liquid which is applied to the skin between the shoulder blades and provide cover against fleas for 1-2 months. Stronghold is also effective against roundworms (but not tapeworms) and Frontline is effective against Ticks (but not worms). If in doubt about which is best to use for your individual circumstances our nurses will be more than happy to advise you. Flea collars, powders, shampoos or other treatments which may be freely available from supermarkets, pet shops or pharmacies are not really effective and should be avoided (even though they may be cheaper!)
NB - The Law: Strict interpretation of the Animal Remedies Act require that we only dispense these medications (which are legally classified as Prescription Only Medications ('POMs')) to animal under our care. The annual Health Assessment and Vaccination will suffice for this examination - in other words as long as your pets vaccinations are up to date then you will be able to collect these flea treatments whenever you wish.
Feed
A good quality kitten food until 12 months of age is vitally important to ensure your pet is given the very best start in life. He should be fed 3 times daily until 4-5 months and twice daily until 12 months of age. We recommend the Hills Science Plan Kitten Food - the amount to feed daily will depend on the weight and age of your dog and is outlined on the bag. After 12 months of age we recommend Hills Science Plan Adult Food, and when your pet hits mid-life (seven!) you should switch to Hills Science Plan Senior Food.
Pet Insurance ('Pet VHI' )
We strongly advise you have your kitten insured with Pet Plan and continue on with this for the lifetime of your pet. This will cover veterinary costs for ANY AND ALL illnesses and injuries your kitten may suffer from up to a maximum of €3,500 per annum. The premium can be as low as €5.49 per month if you are eligible to avail of all the discounts Pet Plan have on offer, but will more typically cost €8.50 per month for a Crossbreed and €9.50 per month for a Pedigree. It is a great peace of mind knowing that if your kitten does unfortunately need veterinary attention at some stage in his life - and he will - that he can receive the very best of treatment including referral to specialists if required with having to worry about the cost - and these costs can be very substantial.
All the staff members at Blacklion who have pets have them insured - and for good reason. We may be able to examine them for no charge but laboratory fees, medications, referral costs etc are all very expensive. We have no connection with the insurance companies and make nothing out of recommending that you take up their policies but experience has shown us that those pet owners who didn't take out insurance on their pet only regret it when something happens and all those who do take out insurance are delighted they have done so. Very few people leave their policies lapse once they have taken them out in the first place - proof enough of the peace of mind it lends.
If you wish to take out insurance it is best and easiest to do it online - www.allainzdirect.ie. If you have any problems in getting cover or have any queries on completing the application please let us know.
Microchip Identification
We strongly advise you have your pet Microchipped. This entails the insertion of a small chip the size and shape of a grain of rice under the skin between the shoulder blades. It is a quick and generally painless procedure that can be carried out at any stage but either at the final kitten vaccination or at the time of neutering while they are under anaesthetic are particularly good times. Each chip has a unique number that is readable by special hand-held scanners that all vets, dog pounds (where all unclaimed pets are put to sleep after 5 days) and animal sanctuaries should have at their disposal. If your pet gets lost and turns up in one of these places the first thing that should be done is that you pet is scanned for the presence of a chip. If one is found then the person in charge will call the central database who will retrieve your details from the number of the chip and give you a call to inform you of your pet's location. The other use for a chip is obviously to prove ownership in the event of theft.
Neutering
It's as simple as this - unless you have a pedigree cat that you intend breeding from then all pets should be neutered at 6-7 months of age . This is basic responsible pet ownership. Full stop!
Every member of staff at Blacklion has their pet neutered. The hassle of every big Tom within 5 miles calling to your door if you have a female in season and having to keep her in for 3 or 4 weeks or your Tom running off looking for love and fighting with all the other big toms in the area is just not worth it - and it is exposing your pet to diseases such as Feline Aids and Feline Leukaemia Virus as well as potentially serious injuries from fighting. Added to that is the huge problem in Ireland of unwanted kittens which have to be needlessly put to sleep as well as the fact that neutered pets will live on average several years longer than un-neutered and there is no real reason to not have the job done. The stories of detrimental behaviour changes are a myth, and any increased propensity to put on weight after neutering is easily managed by a slight reduction in feed intake - to this end we offer free weight check ups 3 and 6 months after neutering.
Follow these basic rules and you can rest assured that you pet will live a long, happy and healthy life and give you enonmous pleasure for many, many years to come.
