Summertime pet safety tips
June 20th, 2019
Summertime + sunshine = a great chance to spend quality time with your pet, but the hot weather can also pose some dangers if you’re not careful. Follow these summertime pet safety tips to ensure you and your furry family members have a safe and fun season!
1) Beat the heat!
- Bring your pets inside and keep the air conditioning running when you’re away from home. Not only will you return to a cool, breezy house, your chilled-out pets will thank you!
- NEVER leave your pet in a hot car, even with the windows cracked. The temperature can increase rapidly inside a car, even on a seemingly cooler day.
- Walk your dog(s) early in the morning or later in the evenings: Exercise during hot temperatures can be a recipe for heatstroke and burnt paw pads, so try and schedule activity times closer to dawn or dusk.
2) Be water wise!
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Make sure your pet always has fresh, clean water. You can even add ice cubes to your dog’s water bowl to keep it cool!
- Never leave a pet unsupervised around a pool or body of water, and provide your pet with a lifejacket if you know they have problems swimming.
- Is your dog a river hound or an ocean paddler? Watch out for strong currents and waves, and limit how far away your dog will swim from you, especially if you can tell that he’s getting tired.
3) Send parasites packing!
- Make sure all of your pets are current on their vaccinations as well as their flea, tick and heartworm preventatives.
- Leptospirosis and heartworm disease can be carried by mosquitos that like to hang out in stagnant water. Keep your pets away from swampy ponds and other standing water.
- A thirsty pup might want to drink from a puddle, but try and get him to a fresh water source before he has a chance. Diseases like giardia and coccidia can be spread from wild animals using puddles, fountains and standing water as drinking sources.
