An online tribute to a much-loved dog, reflective clothing for pets plus listeners’ queries: vet spot on Newstalk’s Pat Kenny Show

Here’s this week’s vet spot podcast from the Pat Kenny Show. We talked first about an online tribute to Archie, a lovely Golden Retriever, and then we discussed our topic of the week, followed by answering a range of questions about listeners’ pets.

Reflective clothing for pets

Many pets were dressed up in ridiculous costumes for Halloween. While this may be a bit of fun for people, pets don’t always enjoy it. I don’t want to be a killjoy (and yes, my own dog was dressed up as a pumpkin when my children were small) but care does need to be taken that animals stay comfortable and unstressed if they’re being dressed up.ark mornings and evenings make it more likely that pedestrians – including dogs and cats – may be hit by cars
It’s worth improving visibility of pets on the roads

• Put a reflective collar around your cat’s neck – this will reduce the chance of the animal being hit by a car when out and about on their own
• Use a reflective collar/lead/ flashing light/ for dogs when going for a walk
• Place a reflective collar/ flashing light around arm for person walking dog
• Make sure that you have a strong, short leash so that your dog does not dash unexpectedly into traffic. If a dog is on a long or stretchy leash, they often have poor road sense and can dash off the pavement into oncoming traffic. I have witnessed situations where an owner has found themselves standing beside a severely injured or even dead animal on the end of the leash.
• Additionally, if you are walking your dog in a park or field off the leash, if they carry a small flashing light, it’s much easier to see them, so that you can keep an eye on where they are.

Pet queries from Newstalk listeners

• Our 10-year-old terrier’s bark has changed: it has been a lot more high-pitched in the last 10 days. Should I bring her to vet? Thanks, Cathy
• I have a 14 year old blind sneezy female cat. Don’t know her full history as she was initially a stray. She sneezed daily for the first few years. Several visits to the vet didn’t really help. About 4 years ago she stopped and then about 18 months ago she started again sneezing on a daily basis. The discharge is yellow/green. The vet has tried 2 antibiotics and steroids but no help. Is there anything else I can do or is there a dietary option?
• My Tom cat keeps biting me this can be very gentle or it might be very rough what can I do ? John ,Dublin
• Is it cruel to terminate a cat’s pregnancy? Two weeks ago I took in a stray cat and her 5 1 month old kittens. The vet has told me that she may be pregnant again and I’m just not sure what to do. Kittens are almost weaned and are really healthy.

To listen to the podcast, click on the play button below.