At Halloween, there are a few things that we need to be aware of, to help protect our cats and dogs.

The house can be full of lots of sweets and chocolate, either in preparation for trick-or-treatin’ or when children are very successful in bringing back bags of goodies. These sweets can pose a risk if eaten by our furry friends as they contain an artificial sweetener in the form of xylitol. This is highly toxic to dogs and cats as it causes their blood glucose levels to drop, even in small doses. It can also lead to seizures or even worse.

Chocolate too is poisonous for our feline and canine companions. It contains an chemical called theobromine which is toxic. The toxic dose is dependent on the strength of the chocolate and the weight of the animal. Clinical signs can vary from gastrointestinal upset in mild cases, to seizures and sadly even death.

It’s important that if your pet consumes either  of these, that they are seen by a vet as soon as possible. If seen within  30-60 minutes of ingestion , their chances of avoiding serious medical issues and recovery are highest, as we can help eliminate it from their stomachs.

Another risk posed to our pets during Halloween, are fireworks. During this time the loud noise of fireworks can make them very frightened. Often this can lead to pets running away on a walk or escaping the garden/house. We want to avoid cats and dogs getting lost or potentially getting themselves hurt. We also want to make sure they are nowhere nearby when lighting fireworks. So it’s important to keep them inside and safe when there are fireworks in the area. If our pets are extremely frightened and stressed, there are medications that can be prescribed to help reduced their anxiety during this time.

Give us a call for any further advice!

Unlike a Pet Medical Aid, a Healthplan focuses on preventing illnesses as best as possible by making sure your pet goes for regular check-ups and keeps up to date with their annual vaccinations and parasite treatment. By encouraging this, issues like lumps, periodontal disease or skin allergies can be caught quickly and ahead of time before it turns into expensive surgeries and/or causing long term affects to your pets health.

By offering these services, we also ensure your pet is familiar with us and the clinic environment, making sure your pet is stress free and have more positive experiences with us!

What are the main benefits of having a Pet Plan?

• Proactive response to your pets care, It is far easier to prevent disease and illness than to treat it. Even when 100% prevention isn’t possible, preventative health care, like vaccines, can minimise the symptoms and allow your pet to recover faster, leaving them happier in the long run.
• Assist with Planning, budgeting and decision-making, With the cost-of-living crisis and rising bills, sometimes you can’t find the extra money at the end of the month you need for your pet’s preventative treatments. With a health plan, you have a direct debit and don’t need to worry about it again. You won’t need to decide between the flea treatment for your pet or the grocery shopping.
• Reassurance, knowing your pet is on a healthplan and taken care of gives you peace of mind so you can relax and enjoy your time with your pet.
• Diet, As we offer many discounts on Veterinary food diets, you have the option to choose a brand that fits your budget but that is also a high-quality food. At your pet’s free check up we can discuss the food of your choice, work out feeding guidelines for your pets weight and support you with a weight management plan, if needed.
• Never miss an important vaccination or treatment, As we send reminders to all our clients, knowing the visit will not cost you a cent on the day, makes it easy to book and not having to budget beforehand!
• Spread the Cost, a monthly premium is anywhere between €17 and €30, depending on species or size, which is alot more manageable than having to pay a single consult for boosters and parasite treatments.
• Flexible, our staff is more than willing to help you amend your Healthplan or even pause it for a while, so do speak to us if you have any concerns.
  

So what are you waiting for, lets’ start getting proactive about your pets’ Health!

As all Dairy Farmers may be aware by now , there have been changes in prescription practices driven by the challenge of AMR and the vet council/department of agricultures enforcement of same. (More Responsible use of antibiotics going forward)

Watch a very informative video by Caroline Gavin SSVI,  explaining what the changes mean for vets and farmers.

A new veterinary-led consultation for farmers has been developed by Animal Health Ireland called Cell Count Solutions. The objective of this free mastitis consultation is to help facilitate a collaborative approach between the vet and farmer, to ensure better SCC and mastitis control on farms.

During the consultation, all relevant areas  including the cow, the milking routine, the environment, records etc. will be discussed. The consultation is available throughout the entire lactation and there aren’t any eligibility requirements necessary to register.  Please call our clinic and we will answer any questions you may have.

Why is this Consultation process important for the farmer?

To facilitate our compliance with the legislation , we advise you to sign up for the service because it will have significant implications for the use of lactating antibiotics and dry cow antibiotics , as well as improve the ability to prescribe for your herd.

We will be calling all our Glasslyn Dairy Farmers over the coming days and weeks with further information.

Glasslyn Vets decided to join this years’ Belgooly Show and had our very own stand!

Veterinarians John, Marta, Aili, Cahal and Geraldine came to chat to clients and answer questions and Vet nurses Vivienne and Siana gave advice and handed out complementary doggy bags.

It was a great day with perfect weather and even Glasslyn founding father Frank o Keeffe and his lovely wife popped in for some stories and support!

We had a kids colouring competition where we asked kids to draw a cow and they didnt dissapoint, with the winner getting a goodies hamper with art supplies and pet products.

See you all next year!

Glasslyn recently visited Scoil Bhríde in Crossmahon and had the most amazing time chatting to the pupils about pet care, Irish wildlife and career options in the Veterinary field.

We played a fun game of ‘guess the Xray’ and even roped in some Junior and Senior infants into helping us perform Teddy Bear Surgery!

Did you know that dental disease is one of the most undertreated conditions in veterinary medicine?

Dogs and cats can both suffer from various underlying conditions leading to periodontal disease, but tooth brushing is one of the most effective tools to prevent plaque and tartar build up, but what if you cant? A lot of pet owners do not have the time – or a compliant pet – and some pets are just more prone to plaque build up than others.

That is why Veterinarians offer annual Dental check ups and Dental Cleanings that normally go like this:

Firstly, a Vet will have a look in the consult room to see it there is tartar buildup or any injured teeth or potential problems.

From there a complete mouth exam must be performed under general anaesthesia.

For a professional cleaning, intubation is also needed as we use an ultrasonic water descaler. (If the animal was not intubated, a pet could inhale water, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia)

The anaesthesia and water descaler also allows us to clean under the gum line, which is were the bacteria sit that destroy the bone that holds the tooth.

Ultrasonic descalers that do not use water get incredibly hot and can burn your pet when not used properly. They also do not clean under the gum line, making a “dry clean” not effective because the tartar on the actual tooth is not the problem, it is whatever bacterial plaque accumulates under the gum line.

General anaesthetic allows your Veterinarian to also probe the teeth after cleaning to assess the depth of pockets, gum recessions or to see if there is significant bone loss.

More and more clinics now also have dental radiography, which makes it even easier for the Veterinarian to decide if a tooth should come out or not because the amount of bone loss – and sometimes fractures can be seen better. It is also a good tool to look for missing or extra teeth and cysts!

The last step of a good dental assessment and treatment is polishing: it is the final step to destroy the bacterial biofilm.

Most dogs, especially small breed dogs, certain cats and greyhound, will need at least one dental in their life time. Some need it from as young as 3 years of age – some only when they are a bit more mature. Some dogs also need yearly assessments and cleanings in order to prevent tooth extractions.

Glasslyn offers a health plan with a dental add on, where routine boosters, flea and worm prevention and a yearly clean are included.

Come in and talk to us for options and pricing or sign up via https://go.trustvet.com/signup/glasslyn-vets.

Getting Ready for Breeding

If you are going to start AI on May 1 then April is the month for preparation.

In simple terms: Pregnancy rate is Submission rate x Conception rate.

In Irish terms submission rate is the amount of cows that are available for service (calved >42 days) that have been bulled in the first 3weeks of breeding. The target is 90% in a seasonal herd.

The target for conception to 1st and 2nd service is about 65%. So if you have 100 cows and you have asubmission rate of 90% then 90 cows should be bulled in first 3 weeks. If 65%of them hold then this leaves about 41 cows left to breed (that were eligible to breed in first 3 weeks.)

Second service will get another 27 cows (65%). This gives you in total 86 cows in calf in 6 weeks.

So in short you can make up for a poorer conception rate with a good submission rate. While conception rate is affected by disease/health and energy (energy levels, dry matter intake; buffer feeding), submission rate is really just seeing them in heat.

Submission rate can be improved by:

1. One month before breeding you need to check cows for heat or not – pre breeding. Tail paint/apply scratch cards to all cows 3 weeks before start of breeding and note any cows not bulling.

2. Any cow calved 42 days and was not seen bulling within these 3 weeks should be scanned and treated if necessary. This avoids the loss of time further in breeding season and a cow that was once a February calver becoming an April calver.

3. Any cow that was treated for retained cleaning should be re-examined before breeding. They may show heat even with a chronic womb infection.

4. A vasectomised bull will aid in heat detection during the breeding season.

   ** (surgery should be carried out 3 weeks before bull is needed)**

Conception Rate

1. Ensure all vaccinations are up to date and that maiden heifers have received their primary course ahead of breeding. Lepto/ BVD/ IBR can all interfere with conception rate.

2. Implementing regular BCS (Body condition score) on your farm leading up to breeding will highlight the high-risk cows that require attention. Ideally at breeding cows should have BCS of 2.75 – 3.25.

   Thehigh-risk group would include under conditioned cows, high yielders, lame cows and difficult calvers. Someof these would benefit from once a day milking or extra feeding.

    

   Consider keeping lame cows or under conditioned cows close to the parlour to optimise dry matter intake and reduce energy used to and from parlour.

3. Ensure adequate mineral and trace element intake. Copper and Manganese deficiency can lead to silent heats. Selenium deficiency will affect conception rates.

**Don’t forget the Bull**

Bull should be given a once over before breeding starts.

Fertility can be assessed by one of the vets.

Mobility is vital and if showing signs of lameness, his feet should be tended too aheadof breeding to allow recovery time.

Ensure enough bull power is present. Consider team of bulls to provide 12 hour break if large herd.

Recently MSD Animal Health and XL Vets ran a series called Day in the Life of a Vet and our very own Kevin O Sullivan was shadowed for a day.

Meet Vets Christine and Richard, Vet Nurse Katie and FLuff & Buff Groomer Caitriona, as well as some interesting cases and a chicken!

Watch how the day unfolded on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17845474305184603/

Did you know you can get fined up to 150 euro for not picking up you dog poop in a public space in Ireland?

But let’s say there is no dog warden around, do you still pick it up? A recent study showed almost 40% of people admit to not picking up poop!

Lets’ see if we can convince you otherwise, Apart from being unsightly and a nuisance when you step or roll through it, it actually is a health hazard:

• Children are mostly at risk, mainly because hand to mouth movements occur frequently without washing their hands.
• Faeces can transfer commonly known bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. , which lead to vomiting, diarrhoea and in rare occasions to kidney failure.
• Certain tape and hook worms can also be passed onto humans and as we are not the desired end host, these worms can cause serious trouble in our eyes, brains and livers!
• Last but not least, it is thought that bacterial resistance can occur when a dog faeces are ingested from a dog who is or has been treated with an antibiotic. Superbacteria that do not respond to antibiotics can emerge.

So please, it is simple: Pick up after your dog, lets ensure cleaner walkways for the elderly, wheelchair bound, joggers, strollers and children.

At Glasslyn we are always happy to give you a spare poo bag – and if you are on a walk and you really have forgotten your bags – why do you not approach a fellow dog walker and ask for a spare one?