Tips to prepare your pets for Spring/Summer
– Make sure your pet is on a heartworm preventative. Pets can become infected with heartworms, a potentially deadly parasite, through a mosquito bite. It is essential that all dogs, even those who live mainly indoors, are on a preventative. Many of those preventatives also protect against intestinal parasites such as roundworms and hookworms, which pets can pick up through the soil or from other dogs. These parasites can also be spread to humans, so it is important to keep your pet protected.
– Start a flea and tick preventative before the warm weather begins. Fleas are always a concern for any pet that goes outside or is around other animals. They can transmit other parasites such as tapeworms and in many pets, cause a lot of itching and discomfort. Ticks have been a growing issue for pets in our area and come out anytime the temperature is above freezing. Any pet that goes outside, is at risk, NOT just those who go to forested areas. Ticks can spread a wide variety of diseases to pets, including Lyme Disease. There are numerous products available, but your veterinarian is your best resource for the latest and safest preventatives. Many products available over the counter at pet stores or on the internet are not as effective anymore for fleas or take longer to kill ticks. This means your pet could still become infected with a disease.
– Double check that fertilizers or lawn treatments are pet safe and keep pets off treated lawns until the product is dry. Most products used by large lawn companies are safe for pets, but we do recommend limiting their exposure during the first 24 hours if possible as they can sometimes cause minor skin irritation.
– Keep pets ears clean and dry. Spring and summer is a great time for pets to enjoy the water, but that can cause problems if water gets into their ears. This is especially true for dogs with floppy ears such as Labs and Golden Retrievers. Clean ears using a pet-formulated ear cleaner after pets participate in any water activity or have a bath. These ear cleaners contain drying agents which help dry out the areas that we can’t reach and reduce the development of ear infections.
– DO NOT LEAVE PETS IN CARS !! We hear this so often but still see it time and again. Even if it is not hot outside, the inside temperature of cars rises very quickly especially if it is sunny. Pets can easily become dehydrated and overheated. Heat stroke can be deadly and is very preventable.
– It is very tempting to let your pet go crazy and run around the first day the weather allows, but for pets that have been less active during the winter months, this can cause injuries. Gradually acclimate them to physical activity again.