RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP
Before you bring your new friend home, you will need to have purchased a cosy bed, good quality food, food bowls, drinking bowls a collar (and lead if a dog), an ID tag and some toys!
Then you are ready to spend some quality time together! Your new pet will need you to do some things to make sure they stay fit and healthy. Below is a list of the things you will need to do to help!
Keeping Your Pet Healthy
Spaying/Neutering: If you adopt a young cat or dog from Limerick Animal Welfare, it will need to be spayed/neutered at the earliest opportunity. Your vet will be able to advise you, but we generally recommend spaying/neutering as early as possible, and generally at four and a half months to six months of age.
Checkups: Every cat or dog should attend a vet at least annually for a general check-up and to have their booster vaccinations.
Worming: A dog also needs to be wormed approximately every three to four months and to be flea-treated as necessary. Your vet will be able to advise you.
Kennelling: If your dog needs to stay in boarding kennels while you are on holidays, it will need to be up-to-date on all its vaccinations, including kennel cough. Limerick Animal Welfare can recommend reputable boarding kennels in your area.
Pet Insurance: Treating a dog for injury or illness can be very expensive and we therefore strongly recommend that you purchase pet insurance. This costs approximately €10 to €15 per month. Application forms are available from your vet or you can purchase online.
Microchipping: We urge all adopters to microchip their pets. This involves a quick and relatively painless injection of a very small chip under the animal's skin. In the event that your pet is lost or stolen, a dog warden or vet can read the chip using a scanner. This brings up all of your contact details so that you can be immediately contacted to reclaim your pet. Microchipping involves a once-off cost of approximately €20 to €50
Food: We recommend that you feed your pet a high-quality food. The better brands are mostly available through petshops or vets rather than the supermarket, and may cost more than supermarket brands. Limerick Animal Welfare are happy to recommend a quality food for your pet. Expect to pay €50 to €70 for a 15kg bag of high-quality dry dog food. As a rough guide, a 15kg bag would feed a medium-sized dog for approximately eight weeks.
Grooming: Dogs need regular grooming to keep them looking and feeling their best. If you adopt a dog with a non-shedding coat or a coat that requires stripping.
Dog Licence: By law, you must have a licence for your dog. These are available from post offices and cost €12.70 per year per dog. Your local dog warden can issue you with an on-the-spot fine if you do not have an up-to-date licence for your dog.