Summer is Here!
Posted Wednesday, 16 November, 2011
How you can have fun and stay safe with your dog this Summer.
Avoid the Heat of the Day:
Dog's pads are easily burnt and dogs can very quickly suffer with heat exhaustion if you exercise your dogs in the heat of the day. Try to exercise your dogs early in the morning or in the evening to avoid over-heating your dog. Maybe incorporate a visit to the beach to help your dog stay cool. Short-faced breeds of dogs suffer more with the heat and may require air-conditioning comfort during the extreme weather days.
Ticks:
Prevention is the best when it comes to ticks. Keep your dog's coats short if possible, regularly use tick prevention treatments to prevent ticks. Check over your dog's whole body daily and remove any ticks that may be present.
Cars:
A car can heat up to deadly levels even on a mild day. Do not leave your pets in cars this summer. Your dog can die from heat exhaustion in minutes. Also be mindful of your dog on the back of a hot ute or truck tray.
When taking your dog out in the heat, start the car first, wind down all windows and get the aircon going. Give it 5 minutes, wind up the windows and allow the aricon to work for a few more minutes before putting your pet in the car. Even a minute flying into a shop with the aircon off can cause major organs to close down in the heat of summer - DON'T leave your pet in the car unattended.
Wasps:
Some states are affected by European Wasps in the heat of summer. These pesky creatures can cause a lot of discomfort for your pet. They are attracted to the smell of meat and sweet food and drinks. If you have wasps in your area, feed your dog inside if at all possible, or supervise their feeding to ensure your dog is not stung by a wasp. A sting to the throat could have disasterous effects.
My Dog Won't Eat:
Many dog owners notice their dog's appetite reduces during summer. This is not unusual. Try putting their dry dog food into a container and filling it with water, add some boiled down vegemite and freeze. Dogs love frozen iceblocks in summer.
Try to feed your dog/s early in the morning and/or later in the evening. Remember, food can spoil very quickly in the heat. Dont leave food out at all unless in a enrichment dispenser such as a kong wobbler.There are also ants and other pests you need to consider when feeding your pet in summer.
Grass Seeds:
Grass seeds are responsible for a lot of pain to a lot of dogs each year and very expensive Vet bills. They can travel all around the body. Keep ear hair short and clip feet short to try to prevent the seeds getting in these areas. Keep hair short around the genital area of your pet - as grass seeds have been known to work their way in there and enter the body. Check daily the paws and ears of your dog and the coat to ensure grass seeds or prickles are removed. Pay particular attention to the areas between the toes, as grass seeds often lodge right in between the toes and cause a lot of pain, discomfort and stress to your dog. Try to avoid exercising your pets in areas where there are a lot of grass seeds.
Skin Care
Many light dogs suffer with sunburn during summer. Please ensure you use dog sunscreen or zinc on any areas on your dog where there is very minimal hair coverage or for dogs with pink skin. This often includes the insides of ears, the nose and the belly on most breeds or on light patches of the body. Some very light dogs like white Bull Terriers will often benefit from wearing a Child's Rashee t-shirt with a high SPF rating.
Water Supply, Shade
Often dogs tip over their water bowls when trying to dig or get into them. You can purchase a cheap child's clam shell pool from any large department store and fill it with water for your dog to stand in should it wish to get cooler. Many dogs like the water and will often dig the water to splash their bodies or will like to lie down in to keep cool. Ensure there are plenty of shady areas in your yard so your dog can get cool. Digging is often used by dogs to create a hole to lie in the cooler earth. If your dog likes to dig, why not make your dog a digging pit, or make one using a separate child's clam shell and fill with bags of play sand.
Summer Means Storms & Fireworks:
Many of us have already been experiencing lightning and thunder storms this year. The storm season is upon us. Many dogs don't like stormy weather. You can help to de-sensitise your dog to the effects of thunder and fireworks by purchasing a CD set called "Sounds Scary". This CD set can be purchased from your local vet. It comes with instructional notes on de-sensitisation and counter-conditioning. You can also help your pet by keeping them indoors, putting on a radio or tv, and turning it up louder than the storm. You can provide a safe spot for your pets to hide if necessary. You can use calming products like ADAPTIL spray - a synthetically replicated pheremone spray or a "Thunder Shirt" which is like a tight body jacket which has been used by many dog owners to help calm their dogs.
Fireworks:
Although illegal to use by householders in most states, fireworks are heavily used during the Christmas and New Year period. There are significant festive shows put on by local shires each New Year's Eve. Keeping your pet indoors and staying at home to provide your pet with enrichment during this time can help to reduce your dog's stress levels. Dogs have been known to run through glass doors and jump 7 foot fences to "get away" from a storm. Dogs can run blindly into the street and be at risk of being run over in traffic. Crate training can be a very helpful tool in these situations.
Identification:
What Identification is on your pet? Is the information up to date? Do you have a Shire Registration Disc, a name tag with your phone number? Is your dog Micro-Chipped? Remember, if you have changed phone numbers or addresses, you will need to let your Local Shire and Microchip Data Base know of these changes. You can prevent your pet becoming unnecessarily stressed by having them returned quickly with the right identification.
Snakes:
Snakes are more active during the summer months. Ensure your property has short grass. Speak to your Local Council about neighbouring properties/reserves if long grass is present. Keep wood piles clean and clear, tidy up any clutter in your yard as they often come to your yard for water. Be very aware of snakes this summer. Do not try to kill or harm a snake as most people are bitten during this process and recognise that some species are protected. If you see a snake, take your animals inside and call a snake specialist to remove the snake.
