Nursing Care

At Arena, we have a team of four dedicated and experienced nurses who offer a range of services for your pet.  

Our nurses can perform blood sampling, blood pressure measurements, pre-dental checks, pre-neuter checks, puppy and kitten 6-month health checks and routine injections such as librela, cartrophen or cytopoint.  

If you would like more information on our nursing consults, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  

A microchip is a small implant that is inserted under your dog or cat’s skin, like an injection. The microchip has a unique identification number programmed into it. This number can be read by a microchip scanner. If your dog or cat were to go missing and then was found, the microchip can be read and it can be determined who the owner is so you can be reunited with your pet.

Since March 2016, it is compulsory for all dogs in Ireland to be microchipped. If your dog is not yet microchipped, it is important that you arrange to have this done as soon as possible.

Clipping your pets nails can sometimes be more tricky than it sounds, especially if the nails are black. Similar to us, pets have a nerve and blood supply to the nail. With white nails, this is quite easy to see but with black nails, it can sometimes involve a bit of guess work!

If you are unsure about clipping your pets nails or would like a bit of guidance, just book an appointment with us and we would be delighted to do it for you.

From 22nd April 2026, we can only issue Pet passports to EU/EEA residents. It is now the case that persons who are not ordinarily resident in the EU/EEA will not be able to use previously issued Pet passports for entry into the EU and instead must have a valid EU Health Certificate issued in their country of origin.  

We can also provide your pet with the required Rabies vaccination for travel and/ or pre-travel worming treatments, however we would like to note that it is up to the owner's discretion to have the correct timing and dates of vaccines, wormers etc. that is required. 

If you have any questions regarding Pet Passports and the requirements that must be met to travel with your pet to the EU, we advise that you visit the DAFM website or contact them directly. 

DOGS: 

The routine (core) vaccination protocol protects your dog from several infectious diseases including distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvo and leptospirosis. Some of these diseases can cause serious illness and can sometimes be fatal, so keeping up to date with vaccine coverage is crucial.  

Bordetella Bronchiseptica is a highly contagious disease more commonly known as kennel cough. The vaccine against kennel cough is required by most boarding kennels when looking after your pet, however the virus is not exclusive to kennels and can be picked up anywhere, which is why we recommend annual vaccination.  

Puppies can be vaccinated from 8 weeks of age, with the primary course of vaccination usually involving 2 injections given 3-4 weeks apart.  

We would like to advise owners that we recommend giving a 3rd injection in cases where your pet is younger than 16 weeks old when receiving their 2nd vaccine in the primary course. This is to ensure that your pet will be fully covered. Please be aware that if you allow more than 4 weeks between these injections, a re-start may be required.  

After the initial primary course of vaccination, your dog will then require annual booster vaccines to keep their immunity up to date. Please be aware that if you allow the vaccines to lapse by 6 weeks or more, a re-start may be required.  

For dogs travelling to the UK or Europe, they will need to be vaccinated against Rabies and hold a valid Pet Passport. (See further information under the Pet Passport section).  

CATS:  

For cats, there is the option of two vaccines.  

The Tricat vaccine covers panleukopenia, herpes and calici viruses.  

The Leucofeligen vaccines covers the above 3 viruses, and FELV (feline leukemia). 

It is completely up to you which vaccine you would like your cat to receive, however we would like to mention that feline leukemia is a viral infection that we still diagnose quite frequently and is present in the stray/ wild cat population, and we would strongly recommend vaccinating against it.  

Kittens can be vaccinated from 8 weeks old. The primary course of vaccination usually requires 2 injections, 3-4 weeks apart.  

When opting for the Tricat vaccine, we would like to advise owners that we recommend giving a 3rd injection in cases where your pet is younger than 16 weeks old when receiving their 2nd vaccine in the primary course. This is to ensure that your pet will be fully covered. 

After the initial primary course of vaccination, your cat will require an annual booster to keep their immunity up to date. Please be aware that if you allow the vaccines to lapse by 6 weeks or more, a re-start may be required. 

If you have any questions or queries regarding our vaccination protocol, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Obesity in pets is a growing problem.

Did you know?

Pets as little as 20% overweight, are at an increased risk of diabetes, arthritis and heart disease.

By managing your pets weight, you can decrease your pet’s risk of future, weight-related health issues and the medical costs associated with treating them.

If you are unsure if your pet is overweight, perhaps arrange to come in to us and we can do a weight check and give you a target weight recommendation and advice on where to start as regards getting your pet back into shape.

For most routine surgical procedures, the post-operative recovery period is about 14 days. Orthopaedic procedures tend to have a longer recovery.

We usually see our surgical patients back at 4 days after their surgery, for a routine check-up with our nurse. We will see them back again 14 days after their surgery for another visit with the nurse, to have healing of the wound assessed and stitches removed.

Post-operative care involves ensuring your pet is adequately covered with pain relief, and isn’t suffering any unnecessary discomfort. We sometimes need to prescribe antibiotics to ensure your pet won’t get an infection. This is especially the case after a bite wound or a road traffic accident, or in a case where infection would be a concern. In the post-operative period, we assess wound healing and as it is vital that your pet doesn’t lick at the wound (which could introduce infection or remove sutures). We usually advise that your pet wears an Elizabethan collar for a full 14 days after his or her surgery, until the wound has healed and stitches have been removed.

Bandages and dressings are sometimes needed in the care of wounds, burn injuries or orthopaedic cases. Bandages need to be looked after, as a wet, neglected bandage can be worse than no bandage at all.

If your pet has a bandage in place, they will need to come back regularly for bandage checks and re-bandaging or re-dressing. At bandage checks, your pet’s bandage will be assessed to ensure it hasn’t slipped and is still in good condition. It may be decided to leave a clean bandage in place, or we often decide to replace a bandage.

It your pet has a bandage, and you have noticed that it has got quite wet or dirty, or looks a bit different, we advise that you come in to us to have it checked. Neglected bandages can cause infection, nasty wounds, swelling and discomfort, so regular checks are really important.

Stitches are usually removed about 14 days after a surgery.

Getting your pet's stitches removed just involves a quick visit to the nurse. Healing of the wound will be assessed and the stitches removed, by simply cutting them and pulling them out.

Pet insurance can help alleviate some of the cost associated with your pet’s veterinary bills. It provides cover for work involved in treating a pet for an unexpected illness or injury and unfortunately, illness and injury can be just that...unexpected.

We strongly advise Pet Insurance, and as there are more competitors in the market now, you can get a policy at a more competitive price. Please bear in mind that the cheapest policy quote may not be the most suitable for your pet and it is extremely important to read the small print.

Having pet insurance is “peace of mind”. Pets are part of our family. It is an extremely worrying time when your pet is ill. This can be heartbreaking when financial restraints mean we can’t provide our pet with the care they need to get them well.

Our pets age at a rate approximately seven times faster than us, and as they do, they become increasingly susceptible to a variety of different health conditions. A wellness screen is used to get a clear picture of your pet’s overall health and wellbeing and is a great way to detect and treat some underlying conditions that your pet may have. The screening is carried out by our experienced nurses and includes a physical examination, complete clinical history, biochemistry and hematology blood tests, urine tests, and blood pressure measurements.  

A member of our team will call you with the results of the screening within 10 days. If the results are normal, we will recommend repeating the screening in another 12 months. If the results are abnormal, a vet will then discuss further investigation/ treatment and make a plan for your pet going forward.  

In order for your pet to qualify for the wellness screen they must meet certain criteria;  

-clinically healthy adult cats and dogs  

-has been seen by a vet in the last 12 months  

-cats over 7 years 

-dogs over 5 years (giant breeds over 3 years)  

For more information on our wellness screening please don’t hesitate to give us a call.