Prairie Ridge Veterinary Clinic

For many pet parents, celebrating summer without our four-legged friends is out of the question. However, dehydration, heatstroke, and a slew of other complications can quickly turn summer fun into a summer emergency for our pets if we aren’t careful.

Take a moment to bone up on summer pet safety, and what to do if things take an unexpected turn for the worse.

Keep Your Pets Cool And Safe This Summer!

Overheating and heatstroke are two of the most common summer dangers for pets. A little preparation and observation can go a long way toward preventing a potentially tragic situation.

Signs your pet is overheating include:

• Excessive panting or drooling
• Disorientation, confusion, abnormal response to commands
• Vomiting
• Bright red gums that are “tacky” to the touch

Call us immediately if your pet is showing these symptoms, as they should be considered life threatening.

Shoo fly! And ticks, and fleas, and mosquitoes!

You probably don’t need to be reminded of the abundance of tiny pests in our area. The extra rain we’ve had this summer has made the environment especially friendly for mosquitos, ticks and fleas, which means we need to pay extra attention to parasite preventatives for our pets.

Mosquitos, ticks and fleas carry disease that can transmit to our pets (think heartworm, Lyme disease, the plague, etc.) Since there’s no way to escape these potentially dangerous pests, we recommend annual heartworm screening for your pet, as well as keeping him or her on year-round flea, tick and heartworm preventives.

Mr. Yuck

Speaking of barbeques and backyard parties, there is an abundance of tasty temptations that await your four-legged companion. Unfortunately, many of the foods we associate with outdoor eating can be toxic to our pets. These include:

• Onions
• Avocado
• Chocolate
• Alcohol
• Cherry and peach pits
• Corn cobs
• Grapes
• Raisins
• Xylitol (a sweetener found is some foods)
• Walnuts
• Macadamia nuts

Take care to ensure that your pet is not sneaking table scraps and keep all uneaten food and garbage covered.

Safe and Cool Pet Fun

So what activities can you safely do with your pet this summer? We’ve compiled a list of fun ways to keep cool and keep safe with your furry friends:

• Break out the wading pool or sprinklers for your pet, and for yourself if you’re so inclined!
• Treat Fido to a specialty doggy delight such as Frosty Paws, or make your own DIY frozen dog treats.
• A dip in the river or one of the many lakes at our fingertips is a great way to cool off with your pet. Just make sure to supervise swimming and rinse him or her in fresh water after.

Wishing you and your pet a safe and fun summer from all of us at Prairie Ridge Veterinary Clinic!