Summer Precautions For Your Pet

Summer is a great time of year for your pets with warmer temperatures, longer days, and holidays with their owners.

However, there are a few extra precautions during the summer that we need to take for our pets to keep them safe.

Walking

The number one thing to keep in mind while walking your pet is heat and avoiding heat stress for your pets. So, when you take your dog for a walk on the pavement, if you can’t hold the back of your hand or foot on the pavement for 5 seconds, then it’s too hot for your dog and their pads to be walking on the pavement.

Travelling

If it’s a hot day, in the mid-twenties or above, never leave your pet in the car. Parking in the shade - even with the windows down, the temperature still rise beyond a safe level. Dogs rely on panting to cool down and in a hot car, during high temperatures, that's not enough - they will be at risk of suffering heatstroke.

Swimming

During the summer your pet may swim a bit more. This is a great activity for your dog, however, water in the ear if it doesn’t come out can lead to ear infections. Watch for extra head shaking or scratching at the ear. If you suspect your dog has developed an ear infection, visit your vet.

Toxic algae found in waterways across the country are dangerous if your pet ingests it. Keep an eye out for algae in the water – if you are in doubt about the algae in your local water way keep your pet out.

Symptoms of cyanotoxin poisoning in dogs include:

• Panting

• Lethargy

• Muscle tremors

• Twitching

• Convulsions

If your dog is showing these symptoms after being in contact with a waterway, contact your Vet immediately. The LAWA website is a great resource for checking which waterways are safe nearby for you and your pet.

Barley grass

There is a lot of barley grass around in the summer. Barley grass and foxtail awns stick to fur and can pass easily through the skin. Because of the orientation of the minute barbs on the bristles, the awns can travel relatively quickly through the body.

The best thing to do is to avoid it altogether. If you can’t, thoroughly examine your pet regularly, check coats, around foot pads and ears, clip fur as short as possible, brush and trim these areas frequently.

Pay attention to your pets’ behaviour:

• Watch for shaking of the head

• Investigate excess licking

• Check for any abnormal holes and swellings

• Keep an eye out for secretions or draining tracts.

If you suspect your pet has barley grass, contact your vet immediately.

Bee Stings

Just like people, pets can have allergic reactions to bites and stings. Although the risk of bee stings is present year-round, spring and summer bees are more active.

If your pet has been stung, you might see bumps, swelling of the skin, itchiness, and in severe cases vomiting or drowsiness.

In cases where your pet is showing signs of distress from a sting, they really need to be checked out by the vet as soon as possible.

For severe swellings, or if your pet is very distressed, the vet can prescribe an antihistamine or a steroid which can help to alleviate the effects of the sting.