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Local vet stars in new RTÉ series on dogs

February 3rd, 2023 4:00 PM

By Southern Star Team

Vet Ellen Hegarty, right, and one of the stars of Madraí, Bob the terrier and, left, his owner Kate.

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A BANTRY vet is once again taking to the small screen in a bid to solve animal issues.

Vet Ellen Hegarty, along with behaviourist Paula Doohan, features in the TV series Madraí, which starts on RTE1 this week.

 The pandemic puppy boom brought a whole heap of canine cuteness through our doors – but with puppies come problems. 

While filming for the hit show Peataí in 2020, vet Ellen Hegarty heard the howls for help from the nation’s dogs and a callout was launched last summer, inviting families who were finding it hard to cope with their canines to get info and advice from animal experts. They were inundated with videos and pleas for help from all over the country detailing every type of dog distress – from separation anxiety to lead-pulling; non-stop barking to furniture-chewing; food allergies to medical anomalies.  

They selected a variety of different cases which span a range of common – and not-so-common dog issues. On a case-by-case basis, the experts observe the behaviour, diagnose the cause of the problem, and give advice and recommendations. In the weeks and months after Paula and Ellen worked with each family, they revisited them to find out how things were working out with their madraí – and what may have changed for better, or worse.  The new series of Madraí starts this Friday February 3rd at 8pm on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player. 

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