Keeping Your Pet Healthy In Summertime

Remember how I promised to frequently remind all pet owners about how dangerous summer heat can be for your pet?  Well, I am keeping my promise because it can be a matter of life or death for a pet if over-exposed to high temperatures.

Some good suggestions for keeping pets safe have come from the North Carolina State University's Veterinary School.
Some of these are common sense, but sometimes people can be a bit short on common sense.  Please help by getting the word out to your friends and family about how dangerous it can be for our wonderful animals. 

General Safety Tips

-Never leave a pet in a parked car. Even with the windows rolled down, it only takes a few minutes for a dangerous level of heat to build within the interior of a car. Dehydration, heat stroke and even brain damage to the dog or cat can occur.

-Limit your pet's exercise on hot and humid days to early morning and evening.  They really want to please you and won’t want to tell you when they need to stop.

-When exercising your pet, remember that asphalt becomes very hot, which can burn tender footpads. Keep fresh water handy, and ensure that cooling shade is always nearby.

-While all dogs and cats are at risk, older or very young pets, overweight pets, pets with heavy coats, and short-nosed dogs might need extra care.

Symptoms & first aid for heat-related disorders:

-Excessive panting or difficulty breathing
-Increased heart and respiratory rate
-Drooling
-Difficulty walking
-Appears weak or in a stupor


First Aid:

Place the pet in the shade or air conditioning immediately, and apply cool – not cold – water to reduce the animal’s core body temperature. Get help from your veterinarian as soon as possible.  Keep your vet’s phone number and the emergency vet clinic phone numbers in your cell phone so that you can call immediately if you need help.

Summertime pet tips:

-Keep your pet up-to-date on heartworm medication, as well as flea and tick prevention. This summer in particular, cat owners are advised to protect their feline companions from tick-transmitted cytauxzoonosis, a malaria-like infectious disease that when left untreated has a mortality rate close to 100 percent.

-Beware of toxic agents such as plant food, insecticides, fertilizer, coolants, citronella candles, oil products and insect coils that may be around the home and yard.

-Prevent access to compost bins or garbage cans. Ingesting the fungus on decomposing objects can cause a potentially lethal condition known as tremorgenic mycotoxin intoxication. Symptoms of this condition are uncontrolled and non-stop shaking.

-The heat, loud noise and confusion of crowded summer events can be stressful for pets. Unlit fireworks might contain heavy metals such as potassium nitrate, copper, chlorates and arsenic, which are toxic if ingested.  Leave pets at home instead of taking them to holiday celebrations with lots of people.  Make sure your pet is always wearing a collar or identification, such as a microchip.


REMEMBER:  HEAT KILLS!