Pets

SlaNey petS MOYNE VETERINARY HOSPITAL

Old Dublin Road, Enniscorthy. T: (053) 9233187, 9236674. F: (053) 9236674. E: moynevet@gmail.com

VET DIARY FOR APRIL

with Joe Kavanagh of the Moyne Veterinary Hospital

For almost as long as I can remember, Larry Wall has been working in the practice. As a chap, I remember him working in the old yard in Templeshannon in Enniscorthy lambing ewes, dripping calves, operating on dogs, treating sick animals big and small, and seamlessly seemed to move from one job to the next with endless energy, enthusiasm and good humour. By today's standards, in that yard a whole team of vets worked out of a 'hole in the wall'. It was the focal point of the practice but of course the work radiated out from there onto farms of all types from stud farms, dairy, beef, sheep and pigs too. It was an eclectic mix of every type of farm animal, greyhounds, pets included... and it was busy. On any given day the phone would start ringing from early and finishing times were very varied but seldom done by office hours. It wasn't just the vet that was busy either, whoever was at home had to answer the phone, take the calls at night, relay them on to who was on night duty, and to a newly married spouse being landed with this responsibility was just another challenge to contend with living with a country vet. The onset of mobile phones revolutionised things for vets back in the late 90s as you might be out in one area of the practice on a call and a neighbouring farmer might ring to say he needed you too so it saved time, money and streamlined work. Larry worked alongside my father Simon, Martin Kent and Michael O’Shea as a partner, building up and reshaping the whole practice when we moved from the 'old yard' to our purposebuilt clinic. While contemporaries of his were bowing out of practice, some heading to the Department, Larry forged ahead

reinventing himself time and again, adapting to whatever challenge practice brought him. This ranged from doing orthopaedic operations on dogs, tricky operations such as urethrostomies on lambs and bullocks, to his specialisation of spastic paresis ops on cattle within the practice... He then moved his interest in working with horses to a new level in the early 2000s and made this his own over the next 20 years. He helped steer the practice into a new era by gaining hospital status in 2017 and has always Larry and Ann Wall. been a stalwart, ready to jump in and give a dig out even when he was officially off duty... His career has spanned over 45 years and he has finally bowed out of practice in the recent past. His legacy continues as even when I'm out on calls the farmers all still enquire about Larry and often recount stories of when things didn't quite go to plan and how he navigated it all back to a resolution with ease and delivered with a smile. The vets and office staff alike remark about the craic and banter he brought to the place. Larry is one of life's colourful characters and it has been our pleasure to work alongside him for a fair chunk of those years. We wish Larry and his wife Ann many happy and healthy years in retirement. From all at the Moyne Vet Hospital, we owe Larry a huge debt of gratitude for his professionalism, his care and attention and the kindness he showed to his colleagues and clients alike. Thank you Larry. n

OPENING HOURS (6 DAYS A WEEK):

9.00am–1.00pm and 2.00pm–6.00pm Small animal clinic (please tel. for appointment): Daily 9.30–10.30am, 2.30–3.30pm, 5.00–6.00pm. 24-hour, on-call, Emergency Service: (053) 9233187.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:

Full blood analysis (haematology, biochemistry) Gas anaesthetic – Digital X-rays – Ultrasound – Bioenergy Dermatological testing – Kinesiology – Prescription diets

Herbal remedies – Homeopathy – Allergy testing

Practice partners in the 1980s, L-R: Michael O’Shea, Larry Wall, Simon Kavanagh, Martin Kent.