The phone call announced the long awaited good news about the birth. Labour had lasted only four hours, and had been straightforward, with no complications. The mother and the new-born were healthy. She had given birth to eleven perfect puppies.

Animal reproduction has many similarities to the human situation - the basic processes are the same. A veterinary surgeon often has to play the roles of gynaecologist, obstetrician and paediatrician, and it can be one of the most rewarding aspects of working with animals.

The normal pregnancy of a dog lasts 64 days. Owners usually want to know as soon as possible if puppies are on the way, so that they can prepare for them in advance. The most simple form of pregnancy diagnosis is by direct physical manual probing of the abdomen, known as ‘palpation of the abdomen’ by a vet. Diagnosis can also be made from a blood sample, but the DIY test kits using urine samples are not available for animals. It is possible to investigate the pregnancy further by carrying out an ultrasound examination, in the same way as pregnant women are ’scanned’. The ultrasound machine ‘looks inside’ the abdomen, and shows not only the enlarged uterus, but also the contents of the uterus. Tiny beating hearts can usually be seen, as well as moving heads, bodies and limbs.
When a pregnancy is confirmed, preparations for the birth begin. The mother’s feeding is increased gradually, feeding up to three or four times a day as the delivery (’whelping’) approaches. A delivery box should be set up in a quiet, warm room, and the mother should be encouraged to sleep there routinely. It is best to calculate exactly when the pups are due to arrive, so that around the clock observation can start when needed.

The delivery is a very natural process, which only rarely requires human help. It is worthwhile discussing the process with your vet beforehand, so that you know what to expect. Even if all goes well, it is useful to ask the vet to carry out a house call soon after delivery is complete. Apart from ensuring that mother and puppies are in good health, this visit will give you a chance to discuss any queries you may have about rearing the new puppies. Those tiny and lovable bundles are going to become an important part of your life over the next six weeks at least.

Q: Our one year old cat has very smelly breath, and he keeps having fits of sneezing and coughing. He is fed dry food only, but he has been a fussy eater recently. What could be wrong?

A: Your cat may have gingivitis. This is inflammation of the gums, and can be associated with a viral infection such as cat flu. His mouth will be quite uncomfortable, and so you should give him soft, tinned food rather than hard dry food. A vet will be able to provide medication which will help his gums return to normal, but this can be a difficult, chronic problem to treat.

Dog and cat veterinary knowledge and skills are advancing rapidly. Whilst the average pet owner may not feel that the latest technological developments have any relevance to old Mopsy lying asleep in the corner of the kitchen, it is surprising how rapidly new surgical techniques and medicines filter down to the vet in practice.

The new knowledge is passed on in three ways - in journals, at conferences, and through textbooks.

A recent edition of a ‘pet vet’ journal contains a typical article which demonstrates how journals keep vets up to date. The article is a ‘State of the Art’ summary of hip replacement in the dog. Certain breeds of dog can suffer from severe arthritis of their hips when they are young, so that they are crippled by early adulthood. Hip replacement involves cutting out the diseased hip, and inserting a specially made artificial metal hip.It is only recently that this technique has become consistently successful. Statistics now show that 95% of cases can return to almost normal function of the hip after the operation. Whilst this type of surgery is still rarely carried out in Ireland, it will become more common-place in the future. Veterinary journals ensure that vets are kept well informed about such possibilities.

Veterinary conferences are designed to teach vets in practice how they can apply the latest advances of research to their own general veterinary work. Conferences cover every aspect of pet illness. Vets who attend come home full of enthusiasm, buzzing with ideas about new ways of tackling difficult disease problems.

The veterinary textbook is the most accessible form of new knowledge. It can be difficult for vets in busy practices to take time off to attend seminars.Home-study of a book can be the fastest way to learn. Textbooks are expensive, but they provide a distillation of the most essential advances in veterinary science. Good textbooks make it possible for a vet in a one man practice in the bogs of Ballybunion to remain as knowledgeable as a whizz kid veterinarian attending pampered poodles in Kensington.

And finally, the modern version of the textbook is the CD-ROM. Brayvet has invested in a range of computerised text books known as CD canis, CD felis and CD lapis, about dogs, cats and rabbits respectively. Each CD is an encyclopaedia covering all aspects of medicine and surgery, and each is updated every 3 months, ensuring that we have constant access to the ‘latest and best’ information.

Information is the key to good treatment, and the great news for pet owners is that vets now have access to more information than ever.

Q: I bought a budgie 6 months ago, called Jacko. I was told that budgies could talk, but he only whistles and squeaks. How can I get him to talk, even if it is just one word?

A: Budgies do not talk like parrots - they do not exactly mimic the human voice. However, they can learn to repeat sounds, and if you repeat one word often enough, Jacko will begin to make a sound similar to that word. Make a tape of yourself repeating one word over and over, and leave it playing beside the cage..

The Byrne family arrived at the clinic with their first ever puppy. The children had been looking forward to this day. It was a pleasure to see the delight in their faces as they carried in their new friend. Tiggy was a seven week old puppy, who seemed overawed by all the attention.

I gave him a thorough physical check over to make sure that he was as healthy as he seemed. Sometimes young puppies have problems which an owner might not notice. Congenital problems such as heart murmurs or hernias are quite common. Other puppies may be carrying diseases such as skin parasites or ear infections.

After the physical examination, Tiggy was given his first vaccination against the serious viral diseases which are commonly found in Ireland. He will return to the clinic when he is twelve weeks old for his final injection. The Byrnes were advised not to take him out on the streets before then, since he would not be fully protected. He could easily pick up an infection by sniffing an area of ground where another dog had soiled.

However, I also stressed to the Byrnes the importance of ’socialising’ their new dog. Puppies are very impressionable between the ages of 6 and 12 weeks, and it is important that they are not kept in complete isolation. They should be shown as much of the world as possible, without exposing them to any risk of viral infection. They should be taken out in the car for short drives, carried down a busy street in a safe pair of arms, and introduced to any (fully vaccinated) dogs and cats in the neighbourhood. If puppies experience a wide variety of life’s wonders at an early age, they are more likely to be relaxed, confident adult dogs.

The Byrne children left the clinic in an excited babble, jostling each other to give Tiggy another cuddle. The start of Tiggy’s new life as a family pet had begun, and everybody was enjoying him.

Q: How can a cat be trained to catch mice. We have a big lazy tom cat aged 2 years, and although we regularly see mice in our kitchen, the cat doesn’t even seem to notice them, never mind hunt them! We have tried not feeding him to make him hunt out of hunger, but he just starts raiding the bins! Any ideas?

A: A cat is either a born mouser, or he is not.You can try encouraging him by playing with toy mice on strings, but it is difficult to teach a cat such an instinctive skill. By the way, it makes no difference starving him - domestic cats hunt for pleasure, not for nutrition - they know that there are easier ways to fill their stomachs!

Hedgehogs are popular animals. They are attractive creatures - busy, bristly spines with a long, inquisitive nose poking out. They are sociable - they can be trained to turn up at regular times for an evening meal in the garden, and they do not have the same fear of humans as many wild animals. They are not aggressive, and even when cornered, they respond passively by curling up into that impregnable ball of spikes.

A hedgehog is the most natural ‘pesticide’ in the world, consuming large quantities of slugs, beetles, caterpillars and other garden pests. Most people are happy to find that their garden is being visited by a hedgehog, and often food is left out to encourage these helpful creatures to stay around. Bread and milk was the traditional fodder for hedgehogs, but recent studies have shown that cow’s milk can cause diarrhoea. The modern advice is that a saucer of cat food is much healthier.

Hedgehogs have adapted well to urban areas, and they thrive living in close proximity to humans. However, the car is a serious predator of hedgehogs. The instinct of curling up when threatened is not a useful way to react to a rapidly approaching car, and many hedgehogs die on the roads. In recent years, natural selection has resulted in strains of hedgehog which have developed the more effective reflex of running away when confronted with an oncoming vehicle.

In winter, the food supply is scarce and the weather is cold. Hedgehogs usually avoid these problems by hibernating. They make themselves a nest in a bed of leaves, and they sleep between late October and March. However, to hibernate successfully, a hedgehog needs a thick layer of body fat. If he is too thin, he will not have enough energy to survive. Sometimes thin hungry hedgehogs are seen roaming during the winter months. If you find one, take him inside, to a shed or garage. If you give him a nest box, and a regular food supply, he may survive till the spring. And if you are lucky, he will stay around your garden for the summer, helping to keep your plants healthy by enjoying feasts of garden pests!

Q: My tom cat has started to spray urine in a certain corner of the kitchen. He is 8 months old, and he had been perfectly house trained until recently. The smell is disgusting! What should we do about it?

A: Your cat is simply marking his territory, as all male cats like to do. The easy answer is to have him castrated - by removing the male hormones from his system, you will remove his urge to spray. But you must do this as soon as possible - otherwise the urination will become a habit, and it may not settle down so easily.

Poisoning is commonly seen in pets, and it can be accidental or malicious. The latter is rare, but it is especially distressing. Typically, the poison is hidden in an attractive bait, such as a lump of meat. This is an appalling type of cruelty to animals. Whenever malicious poisoning is suspected, the police are informed and all efforts are made to prosecute the culprit.

It is far more common to encounter accidental poisoning. Most households possess substances which are dangerous to animals. Examples include rat bait, anti-freeze, slug pellets and weed killers. These substances are safe if used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and if kept out of the reach of pets. But accidents do happen.

If an animal is suspected to have eaten a poison, you must contact a vet on the telephone immediately. Poisons will only cause harm if they are absorbed into the bloodstream, and so the first aim is to minimise the amount which is absorbed. The vet may advise you on the telephone to immediately make your pet vomit. Squirting a strong solution of salty water over the throat may be enough to do this.

The vet will often also advise you to rush the animal to the surgery as soon as possible. Drugs can then be given by injection, which will again cause vomiting. It may be necessary to give a general anaesthetic, and to flush out the entire stomach contents.

If it is more than a few hours since the poison was taken, it may be too late to remove the poison from the stomach, since it will already have moved down the digestive tract. In these cases, it is necessary to commence other treatments for poisoning.

A few poisons have direct antidotes but in most cases, there is no easy answer. General supportive treatment must be used to keep an animal alive until the body has metabolised and excreted the poison naturally. Sometimes this treatment is in vain, and, sadly, the patient may die.

It is far better never to need to treat an animal for poisoning. Pet owners should be very careful with the storage and use of poisonous substances.

Q: We have a black Labrador pup, who chews everything. Last week he was behind the settee, when there was a bang, and he rushed out squealing. He had chewed through a live electric cable! He seems OK, but we worry that he will do it again and not be so lucky. What can we do?

A: Pups are worse than toddlers! It is impossible to completely “neutralise” a house - there are always potential hazards for curious puppies. Most pups settle down at around 6 - 8 months of age, and you will just have to hope that the puppy learns from his mistakes, and avoids serious accidents until he matures.