Vaccinations

Protect your pet against life-threatening diseases and conditions by visiting our hospital once a year for a complete health examination and vaccination.

Vaccinations are an essential part of preventative health care and we strongly advise you to ensure your pet’s protection is up-to-date, especially if your pet is in their early years.

Vaccinations are important medicines given to dogs, cats and rabbits to prevent them from developing life-threatening diseases and infections. Before your pet is allowed to go outside or interact with other animals, they should have completed a course of vaccinations to ensure that they are immune from diseases that could affect their health.

Health Check

Health Checks are an essential part of your pet’s long term care, so make sure they’re fighting fit by visiting us at least once a year.

Whether you have a young or old pet, attending a regular health check is imperative. If you visit us at least once a year we’ll be able to screen your pet for conditions that could cause complications in the future, such a kidney disease or arthritis.

During your pet’s health check, we will perform a thorough clinical examination to ensure that there are no conditions of concern which might have developed since your pet’s last visit.

Any concerns you have during the examination will also be addressed by your friendly and knowledgeable vet.

Neutering

Neutering your pet will not only prevent unwanted pregnancies, but could also protect them from a number of medical conditions too.

Unless you particularly want to breed from your pet, having your companion neutered is a responsible thing to do. Neutering is a surgical procedure, carried out under general anaesthetic. During your pet’s stay in our hospital, they will be constantly monitored by our team with special emphasis on ensuring that your pet remains comfortable throughout with modern pain-controlling medication administered under professional supervision.

Neutering can also protect your pet from a range of diseases and other conditions as they age.

Our team will be happy to discuss any aspect of neutering your pet that might concern you. We can reassure you of the benefits of neutering your pet and above all the excellent care you can rely on when you entrust your pet to us.

DENTAL HYGIENE

Keep your pet’s mouth free of oral diseases by having your pet’s teeth regularly examined by one of our team.

Your pet’s oral hygiene can often be overlooked, but it is an essential part of their routine health care. Over time plaque can build up on your pet’s teeth which, in many cases, could lead to gum disease and eventually to disease of the bone surrounding your pet’s teeth. These conditions lead to uncomfortable and often painful diseases of the gum and in severe cases may lead to irreversible damage of the bone surrounding the teeth, a condition which may require the extraction of some of your pet’s teeth.

If your pet visits us regularly, we will be able to detect the early signs of dental disease and put a treatment plan in place to reverse these signs and ensure that your pet’s teeth and mouth are kept as healthy as possible.

Thanks to our highly experienced team and our state-of-the-art dental treatment facilities, you can be assured in the knowledge that your pet will receive the very best of treatment and care whenever they visit us.

Micro-chipping

A microchip is roughly the size of a grain of rice. The microchip in injected under the skin in a relatively painless procedure and will remain there for the remainder of your pet’s life. Microchips have proven to be invaluable. The microchip itself has a unique number which can be read by a special scanner. If your pet is found after wandering off and getting lost, this revolutionary piece of technology enables anyone with a scanner to retrieve your pet’s unique identification number. By searching dedicated databases, your contact details can be retrieved so that you can be informed of your pet’s whereabouts. Scanners are held by dog wardens, veterinary practices, animal welfare organisations (such as the ISPCA) and The Dogs Trust.

Pet Passports

Have you got your pet’s travel checks sorted? Get them ready for their travels by visiting the hospital today.

If you’re planning to take your pet abroad, even to the UK, it’s essential that they have a pet passport and rabies vaccination. This will need to contain all of their details, such as date of birth, breed, sex, as well as a detailed list of all the vaccinations they have had. Depending on the country you’re travelling to, your pet may need to be treated against particular diseases and parasites.

They will also need treatment while on holiday to be able to return home without being quarantined. To avoid any unnecessary hassle or stress to you or your pet, please speak to a member of our experienced team well ahead of your trip, and they will be happy to help you organise everything you need. We will also prepare and issue your pet’s new passport well in time for your date of departure.

DIETARY ADVICE

Your pet’s diet is as important as yours. Make sure they’re receiving all the goodness they need by speaking to a member of our team today.

Your pet’s diet is crucial. It could mean the difference between a long and healthy life, or a short and unhealthy one.

All of our team have studied nutrition as part of their third-level training. This level of expertise is available to you to help and guide you as to what food is most appropriate for your pet, no matter what stage of their life they are enjoying.

Perhaps your pet has special nutritional requirements – if so you can have confidence that the advice and guidance you will receive from our team is impartial and is based on sound scientific knowledge.

Maybe your pet is on the larger side? By speaking to a member of our experienced team today, you’ll find out exactly what your pet needs and the diets we recommend for your special companion.

IN-HOUSE LABORATORY

Time is of the essence when diagnosing your pet’s medical condition.

If your pet is unwell, it’s important to find out exactly what is wrong with them as quickly as possible. Our veterinary hospital enables us to do this as we have our own on-site laboratory.

This means your pet’s blood and other samples can be analysed within a couple of minutes, allowing our team to take decisive action as quickly as possible. This not only helps your pet to make a speedy recovery, but assures you that your pet is being treated effectively for their condition.

GETTING A NEW PET?

Thinking of getting a new puppy or kitten? We’re ready to help you every step of the way. Whether you’ve had pets before, or are a first-time owner, choosing a new companion is always exciting.

However, it’s important to make the right decision about the type of pet that would be right for you. Remember to consider the ongoing issues of health, nutrition and general care that your pet will need, as well as thinking about whether your lifestyle can accommodate them.

No matter whether you have a specific query or are just after some general information, our highly qualified and professional team are on hand to give you free, impartial & expert advice on every aspect of your new pet’s life.

So before you make that important decision, call Nutgrove Veterinary Hospital. Our staff are ready and waiting to help you.

ENDOSCOPY

We can look inside your pet using start-of-the-art cameras. An endoscopy is a procedure similar to human medicine where the inside of several of your pets organs such as the lungs, stomach and urinary tract can be examined using an endoscope.

An endoscope is a long, thin, flexible or rigid tube that has a light source and a video camera attached at the end. The images of your pet’s insides are then relayed back to a television screen. Endoscopes can be inserted into your pet’s body through a natural opening, to examine the nose, mouth, throat, stomach, bowel, lungs, or bladder.

Endoscopy is a very effective method of diagnosing your pet’s condition, without the need for investigative surgery.

LAPAROSCOPIC NEUTERING

Laparoscopic neutering is a recent development in veterinary surgery. Similar to “keyhole” surgery in humans, this procedure involves the removal of the ovaries (ovariectomy) using specialized techniques. 3 small incisions are made in the wall of the dog’s tummy and through these incisions, the vet places a specialised camera and instrumentation. Your pet’s tummy will be inflated with Carbon Dioxide which will allow the vet a clear view of the surgical site on a special monitor via the camera. Using the specialised instrumentation, the surgeon will remove your pet’s ovaries which will prevent your dog ever coming into heat again and will also prevent unwanted pregnancies. Laparoscopic neutering is not suitable for every dog and we ask that, if you are interested, you allow us assess whether we believe your pet will be a suitable candidate by examining her.

Ultrasound

This is a non-invasive, pain-free method that allows the veterinary surgeon, view images of a wide range of organs within the body. We can examine the structures of these organs as well as watching their movement and even look at the way in which blood flows through a given area. Because ultrasound is a pain-free procedure, it can be performed without having to use general anaesthesia. Many patients are comfortable enough to allow this examination with no sedation, but some, more nervous pets, benefit from the calming effect of gentle sedation.

When required, ultrasound also allows the veterinary surgeon to take biopsies from several organs and tissues such as liver, spleen and lymph nodes. This allows samples to be referred for expert analysis which often provides invaluable information which allows the veterinary surgeon choose the most appropriate treatment method for a particular patient.

Endoscopy

We can look inside your pet using state-of-the-art cameras.

If your vet feels that your pet needs further internal investigations for conditions such as an upset stomach, coughing, sneezing or problems with passing urine, he or she may advise that an endoscopy be performed. An endoscopy is a procedure similar to human medicine where the inside of several of your pets organs such as the lungs, stomach/bowel and urinary tract can be examined using an endoscope.

An endoscope is a long, thin, flexible or rigid tube that has a light source and a video camera attached at the end. The images of your pet’s insides are then relayed back to a television screen. Endoscopes can be inserted into your pet’s body through a natural opening, to examine the nose, mouth, throat, stomach, bowel, lungs, or bladder.

Endoscopy is a very effective method of diagnosing your pet’s condition, without the need for investigative surgery. If your vet thinks your pet requires this type of procedure, then please get them to speak to one of our team today by calling 01-2951202. We look forward to speaking to you soon.

Diagnostic imaging

In Nutgrove veterinary Hospital, we make use of radiology and ultrasound as complementary imaging methods to aid in further investigations of illnesses in our pets.

Our colleague, William offers referral services to colleagues in these non-invasive techniques which allow us learn much more about issues effecting the internal structures of pets. In addition, using specialised techniques, we can take biopsy samples from tissue which we are concerned about. This painless method allows specialist pathologists examine these tissues and provide information to our team which is vital in helping to obtain a diagnosis.

LAPAROSCOPY

Laparoscopic procedures are offered by our colleague William.

Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive way to examine the organs in the abdomen and in the thorax (chest). It is a safe technique that minimizes trauma to the soft tissue of the patient which allows a faster and less painful recovery.

There are several procedures which now can be performed using laparoscopic techniques. These include ovariectomy (neutering) in the female dog and biopsies of several organs such as liver, spleen and kidney.

FLUOROSCOPY

Fluoroscopy is a form of x-ray in which a continuous series of very low dose x-ray images are used to allow the veterinary surgeon see moving images of structures within the body. Fluoroscopy allows us watch the heart as it beats, we can look at how an animal swallows or how it breathes. With this information, we can perform procedures such as implanting pacemakers into pets who have problems arising from slow or irregular heart rates. We can help to improve blood flow through diseased heart valves and, in the future, offer hope to some pets who suffer from certain conditions of the airways.

Cardiology

Heart disease is unfortunately present in some of our pets. We are proud to be able to offer our clients a wide range of diagnostic facilities including ECG recording and monitoring, 24 Holter Recording, echocardiogram, including specialized techniques for the detection of congenital conditions. We also offer additional diagnostic imaging techniques such as radiology and fluoroscopy. Fluoroscopy is a type of medical imaging that shows a continuous X-ray image on a monitor, much like an X-ray movie. During a fluoroscopy procedure, an X-ray beam is passed through the body. The image is transmitted to a monitor so the movement of a body part or of an instrument or contrast agent (“X-ray dye”) through the body can be seen in detail. Here in Nutgrove Veterinary Hospital, we have a team of visiting specialists who use this type of imaging is used in the treatment of several conditions such as conditions of the heart valves, implanting external pacemakers and correction of certain congenital cardiac conditions.

Dermatology

Our colleague Darragh is one of only a handful of veterinary surgeons in Ireland with advanced qualifications in the field of Veterinary Dermatology. As well as providing the highest levels of investigation and care for patients with conditions of the skin from our own practice, Darragh is frequently asked to accept referrals from colleagues to allow more advanced investigations and treatment for patients with challenging dermatological conditions.