Pets

C&R Print sponsorship for dog charity is potentially worth over €100,000

The Dogs for the Disabled charity is set to benefit by over €100,000 thanks to the generous sponsorship of their calendar by Enniscorthy’s C&R Print. C&R annually sponsor the production of calendars for Dogs for the Disabled. This year they have produced 12,000 of the cutest doggie calendars, graciously sponsoring the entire cost of the project. “What an amazing company they are!”, said a spokesperson for the charity. “Thanks to their continued support, 100% of the funds raised from the sale of each 2023 calendar goes towards funding our services and our precious, life-changing dogs/puppies.” This calendar will bring joy to any dog lover. The cost is €10 (plus €2 p&p). Order online at: https://dogsfordisabled.ie/product/our-2023-calendar/ Tel: 021 431 6627. n

Funding for Wexford animal welfare charities

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne has confirmed that five County Wexford animal welfare charities will receive over €200,000 in funding in a record round of national funding for the sector.

Wexford SPCA will benefit from a grant worth €92,375 while North Wexford SPCA will receive €46,500. Seal Rescue Ireland based in Courtown Harbour will receive €33,906 in funding. New Ross SPCA will receive €24,400 while Chipper’s Sanctuary in Gorey will receive €6,175.

Nationally, the Department of Agriculture has allocated €5.8 million to 99 animal welfare charities nationwide –an increase of more than €2 million on last year. The funding announcement was made on the second Annual Animal Welfare Awareness Day. Commenting on the record funding, Minister Browne said: “Animal welfare is important to all of us and is a priority for me and my government colleagues... This money will go to support organisations across the country working to protect and take care of animals. The additional funding provided this year will make a real difference by improving the welfare of animals in Ireland.

“Those who work for Co. Wexford’s animal welfare charities are frontline workers and treat it as a vocation. We know the importance of their work and we are extremely grateful for the tremendous work they do in keeping pets and animals safe,” Minister Browne concluded. n

Slaney petS MOYNE VETERINARY HOSPITAL

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

VET DIARY FOR JAN

with Joe Kavanagh of the Moyne Veterinary Hospital

It’s the dawn of a new day, a new year and a new beginning. Each day we take roughly about 25,000 breaths. The Chinese have a saying that we only have a certain number of breaths given to us for our lifetime and if we breathe shallowly we will use up those allotted breaths much quicker. In many of the ancient traditions they put huge focus on breath work, from Buddhism, to Ayurveda to Chinese medicine. These traditions extend back up to 5,000 years and so have the experience and wisdom ingrained in them.

It turns out from a scientific perspective that the different types of breathing work on the physiology of the body in a very positive way. The autonomic nervous system is what governs all the unconscious work of the body i.e. the digestion, peristalsis, secretion of enzymes, respiratory.... remembering to take a breath etc. It is made up of two parts – the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. The 1st is 'flight or fight’, the 2nd 'rest and digest'.

The reason I mention these is that it is critical to our health but also to the animals... Many dogs and cats suffer from anxiety, get stressed by being left alone or can often pick up on the stress in the household from other animals or sometimes fractious situations going on in the home... This can play out in poor behaviour, aggression or in more subtle ways such as poor digestion, weight gain or loss, even skin conditions. This is partly due to the suppression of the parasympathetic nervous system – 'the rest and digest' bit, because of the overload of 'flight or fight’ hormone – Adrenaline.

Whereas humans can address this in various ways from lifestyle changes to breathing techniques, it’s a little more different for animals but there are ways to address and combat this and many of the most effective remedies to help combat these, to my mind, are natural remedies. They are safe, usually gentle on their system and generally very well accepted by the animals.

Working with the underlying reasons of any malady helps get a longer-lasting result and this is what we aim to achieve in Integrative medicine.... Using the best of both worlds to gain the best results long term.

Like people, this might entail lifestyle changes such as more exercise, better diet and addressing the stressors in the animal’s life. The body always wants to return to homeostasis... balance, and through looking at the bigger picture hopefully we can allow this to happen. This is part of what we do at the Moyne Veterinary Hospital.

I hope 2023 is a great year ahead for all our readers and clients. May it be magical. n

If you have a topic you’d like Joe Kavanagh to address please email Slaney News at: slaneynews@gmail.com

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