Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where can I get a dog license from?
A. You can apply online for a 1-year or lifetime license at licences.ie. You can also get a dog license at your local post office.
Q. Where can I get my pet microchipped?
A. Contact your vet to microchip and register your dog.
Q. Should I get pet insurance?
A. If you have a pet there is one ‘must have’ – pet health insurance. It is a fact that 1 in 3 pets will require unexpected veterinary attention every year. If your pet does need veterinary attention, he or she can have the very best treatment available without having to consider the cost provides great peace of mind. Costs for surgery or other treatment can be considerable, and having a good pet insurance policy in place means that all you need to worry about is your pet’s recovery, rather than how you will pay for it – or even if you can afford it in the first place.
So, the day you get your new pet, get on the phone or the internet, and get a good health insurance policy in place.
Q. But my pet is healthy – why do I need insurance?
A. By their very nature, illness and injuries are unexpected, and pet health insurance is your way of ensuring that when (not if) your pet does need veterinary care all you will have to worry about is your pet getting better, rather than the size of the vet’s bill. Blood tests, radiology, MRI scans, chemotherapy, joint replacement surgery, intensive care hospitalisation, and referral to specialists are all available to ensure your pet receives every chance of recovering from conditions that only a few years ago would have resulted in death or euthanasia – but they come at a price, and that’s why health insurance is so essential for pets. Whilst they are the ‘big’ things that we know will cost a lot, even seemingly simple things can be expensive. For example, successfully treating a case of vomiting or diarrhoea could end up being expensive!
Q. What will my insurance cover?
A. This depends on the policy you take out but in general your insurance will cover all illnesses or injuries your pet may suffer from. It may also cover 3rd party liability, the actual monetary value of a pedigree pet should they unfortunately die, costs of advertising and reward to assist in recovery of a lost pet, boarding kennels or cattery fees if you have to go to hospital and possibly holiday cancellation costs if you have to stay at home to look after your unwell pet.
Q. What will my insurance NOT cover?
A. Again this depends on your policy but in general it will not cover the cost of ‘routine’ procedures such as vaccinations, neutering, food and flea/worm medications – these are not ‘risks’ that can be insured against.
Your insurance will also not cover a ‘pre-existing’ condition – these are any conditions which occurred before you took out your policy. For example, if you pet had a skin condition before you took out the policy, then your insurance will not cover any further incidences of skin conditions. You can still take out insurance though, and it will cover everything else that might affect your pet apart from the pre-existing condition. Your vet can discuss your pet’s clinical history with you to give you an idea of what may be seen as ‘pre-existing conditions’ that may be excluded from cover, but this is why it is so important to take out your pet’s insurance policy as soon as you can – so that there is no pre-existing condition that will not be covered.
Depending on your policy there will probably be an ‘excess’ which you will have to pay per episode – the insurance company will cover your costs except for a set amount, or ‘excess’. The amount of the excess varies with policies and can rise once pets go over a certain age. Also there may be a ‘ceiling’ or maximum amount covered in any one policy year. This varies with policies but in general for veterinary fees it is a relatively high figure of several thousand Euro. You will have to pay any further fees once this ceiling is reached.
Q. Are all policies the same? What should I look for?
A. No, just like human health insurance all policies are not the same. While your veterinary practice can guide you on what to look out for they cannot advise on which policy you should take out. You should read through the terms and conditions of the policies you are considering and pay attention to the ‘What we do not pay for’ or ‘What is not covered’ section. Also, look beyond comparing just the costs of different policies – while one may look a little cheaper it may be because it does not cover as much and may in the long run end up costing you more!
It is very important to consider if the policy has ‘cover for life’. In other words, will the policy cover a condition for the life of the pet as long as you keep your premium payments up to date? Think about the situation if your pet gets a condition such as arthritis, diabetes, or a recurrent skin condition, all of which will require lifelong treatment. If your policy stops paying out after a certain period of time or if a financial ceiling has been reached, then you will be faced with the cost of this after that. The few Euro extra spent on the better policy may be very well spent!
The same applies to ‘Accident Only’ policies – the cover offered by these is very limited. Most problems vets see pets with are in fact illnesses and would not be covered by an ‘accident only’ policy.
Q. Why is it so important to spay or neuter my dog?
A. Because it is the most effective way to stop dog overpopulation, which each year results in thousands of unwanted dogs being abandoned or handed into shelters around the country.
Q. What are the health benefits of spaying or neutering my dog
A. There is significant evidence that early spaying or neutering can have important benefits for the health of your individual pet. These include reducing the risk of certain cancers, having a positive benefit for health and lifespan, and curbing unwanted behaviour and marking.
Q. What are the health benefits of spaying female dogs?
A. Spaying dramatically reduces the risk of mammary cancer - the risk of a non-neutered female dog developing mammary tumours during her life drops from 70% to 0.5% if neutered before her first heat. Neutering removes the risk of uterine, cervical and ovarian tumours. Spaying also eliminates the risk of other potentially serious conditions such as perianal fistulas (affecting the anal area), dystocia (birthing difficulties) and pyometra (infection of the uterus), which occurs in 23% of non-neutered female and kills approximately 1% of them. It also avoids physiological and behavioural changes associated with the female dog's reproductive cycle.
Q. Isn't it good for a female dog to have at least one litter of pups?
A. This was a widespread view in the past - one even shared by some vets - but this recommendation was based on opinion rather than hard fact. There is no evidence to suggest that allowing a female dog to have a litter of puppies confers any health benefits. The best veterinary advice now is that in the vast majority of cases, spaying or neutering is a much healthier option and should be the natural choice for dog owners.
Q. What are the health benefits of neutering male dogs?
A. Neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer, the second most prevalent cancer among male dogs. It dramatically reduces the incidence of other non-cancerous conditions of the mature prostate and the risk of certain tumours. It may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes. Neutering can also reduce unwelcome behaviours such as aggression and dominance, sibling rivalry, territorial marking with urine, roaming/straying and dry-humping.
Q. When should I have my dog spayed or neutered?
A. The latest advice is that in most cases spaying and neutering should be carried out at an earlier age than was previously suggested. In general, both male and female small dogs should be neutered or spayed at five to six months of age that is, before a female dog's first season/heat, However, current advice is that large breed dogs (both male and female) should be spayed or neutered at approximately nine months of age, while giant breed dogs (both male and female) should have this delayed until at least one year of age. This is to allow large and giant breed dogs be more skeletal mature before neutering.
It is not recommended to spay females when in season. Ideally, if a female has had a season, please seek advice from us before booking her in for surgery.
Q. I have decided to have my pet neutered/spayed. What's the next step?
A. Talk to your vet or vet nurse. The above answers are guidelines only.
Q. Should I vaccinate?
A. In the days before widespread vaccination, thousands of animals died an often slow and painful death from diseases which are now easily preventable. Vaccination will protect your puppy from illnesses like leptospirosis, parvovirus, distemper and hepatitis in dogs. Vaccination is the biggest success of modern veterinary medicine and, because it will prevent your pet dying from many of these potentially fatal diseases, it is the cornerstone of responsible pet ownership.
Now that most pets are vaccinated thankfully vets see fewer and fewer animals affected by these diseases, and this explains why it is so vital your pet is vaccinated, and protection kept up to date by regular (usually annual) ‘boosters’.
Q. At what age can my puppy be vaccinated?
A. Puppies and kittens need to receive a course of at least 2 injections to ensure they are fully protected.
Depending on the brand of vaccine used, as well as species and breed, the first injection of the full vaccination course can be given at 6-9 weeks of age followed by a second injection 2-4 weeks later. Your pet has to be at least this age before the vaccines will be effective so there is no point in giving the vaccines any earlier. Your veterinary practice will discuss the exact timing of when they can give the vaccines with you but we it’s important to get them done as early as possible.
Q. My pet was vaccinated when I got him by the breeder/rescue centre – what do I do?
A. Vets find that a lot of pets present having been ‘vaccinated’ by the breeder, or in a rescue centre. If this was one by a vet and you have been given a vaccination certificate then all should be fine in, and it may well be that your pet will only need one extra ‘booster’ vaccine. However, vets often find it was actually the breeder or a lay-person in the rescue centre who administered the vaccine, not a vet, and in these cases it is not possible to be sure of what vaccine was given, if it was given correctly, was it stored correctly etc. For that reason, the recommendation is generally to ignore what was (or wasn’t) done before, and to recommence the vaccination course and do it correctly to ensure your pet is fully protected. Best thing to do is to go to your vet as soon as you get your new pet, bringing all the paperwork with you, and they will advise you what needs to be done next.
Q. Then what is needed in the years after the first vaccinations?
A. Because the immunity your pet gets from the first vaccinations does not last for life, regular booster vaccinations are needed to ensure your pet continues to be fully protected. These are done at the same time as the Annual Health Assessment. Just like humans, the older your pet is the more common it is for ailments to occur. So, older pets still need their vaccinations – indeed, the older the pet the more important they are seen every year, if not more often, for a health assessment.
It’s never too late to get your pet vaccinated. Even if your pet has not been to the vet for years. At worst they will need a course of 2 injections to get them fully protected, and on top of that you’ll get the added bonus of a full health check at every vaccination.
Q. Are the vaccines safe?
A. Yes they are. As with any drug there is always the possibility of some side effects but they are very rare. Put into context, the risk of death from not vaccinating is far, far higher than any potential risk from administering the vaccines, and even when there is a reaction it is generally mild and short-lived.
Q. What is Infectious bronchitis?
A. No reputable boarding kennels and catteries will admit your pet without an up to date certificate of vaccination. In addition to the core vaccines which all pets should have, dogs will also require ‘Kennel Cough’ vaccination before they can go into kennels. Kennel Cough is similar to Whooping Cough in humans and while generally not fatal it is very infectious in locations where dogs share an airspace (such as kennels and dogs shows) and can take a very long time to resolve.
Q. How often should I treat my puppy for fleas?
A. Fleas are not nice and it’s best to prevent your pet getting them rather than wait for an infestation before treatment. Indeed, if your pet gets fleas so does your house – for every one live flea you see on your pet there could be 100 eggs and larvae around the house, waiting to hatch! So as well as treating your pet you’ll also need to treat your house.
However, flea prevention is very simple. You can apply a ‘spot-on’ treatment which will act against fleas for 1-2 months depending both on the brand and how much your pet likes swimming. ‘Spot-on’ treatments are small tubes of liquid which are applied to the skin between the shoulder blades and provide cover against fleas for 1-2 months. There are also tablet and spray products available which are very effective.
With flea treatments, it is usually the ‘prescription only’ medications available from your pet’s vet, or pharmacies with a veterinary prescription, that are most effective. You can of course buy ‘flea treatments’ in many forms from pet shops or supermarkets, but they may not work as well. Also the checkout person cannot give you advice on what will work, or what dosage to use (this differs depending on the size of your pet) but your veterinary practice can!
If in doubt about which is best to use for your individual circumstances your vet or the veterinary nurses will be more than happy to advise you.
Q. How often should I de-worm my puppy?
A. Some worms can be fatal to your pet and some worms can affect humans, particularly children. It’s much better to prevent fleas and worms than wait for your pet to get them. Puppies have to be wormed regularly from an early age; older animals also need regular treatment. They such be de-wormed at 2 weeks of age then every 2 weeks until they are 12 weeks old. After this monthly de-worming can be done until the puppy is 6 months old.
A large range of the most effective products are only available from your vet or from a pharmacy with a veterinary prescription. We can produce a personalised worming & flea control schedule for your pet – please ask.
The Law
As a dog owner you are required to:
o Have a dog license
o Ensure your dog is microchipped
o Ensure your dog is accompanied by a responsible person and under effective control at all times
o Your dog must also wear a collar and identification bearing the name and address of the owner at all times.
o It is an offence to allow a dog under your control to foul a public place. You or the person responsible for the dog must remove any dog faeces and dispose of them in a suitable, sanitary manner.
o Excessive dog barking that causes a nuisance is also an offence
There are additional rules that apply to the following breeds:
American pit bull terrier
English bull terrier
Staffordshire bull terrier
Bull mastiff
Dobermann pinscher
German shepherd (Alsatian)
Rhodesian ridgeback
Rottweiler
Japanese akita
Japanese tosa
Bandog
The rules state that these dogs (or strains and crosses of them) must:
Be kept on a short strong lead by a person over 16 years who is capable of controlling them
Be muzzled whenever they are in a public place