| |  | Thursday, June 27, 2024 | |
| | 7 Expert Tips for a Safe Summer with Your Pet | | | Having fun outdoors is a great way to spend the summer months with your pet. However, the intense heat can be uncomfortable, even dangerous, potentially causing tragic results. Follow these 7 expert tips and have a great summer with your furry friends! | |
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| Beat the Heat: Keeping Your Pet Cool and Safe | | | Summertime comes with extreme temperatures, which put our pets at risk for heatstroke. Animals are at particular risk for heat stroke if they are very old, very young, overweight, not conditioned to prolonged exercise, or have heart or respiratory disease. Along with heatstroke, comes the risk of leaving your pets in a hot vehicle. NEVER LEAVE YOUR PET IN A PARKED CAR! On a warm day, the temperature inside a parked car with the windows opened slightly can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes, which may cause your pet irreversible organ damage or death. (1) | | | |
| | | | Quenching Thirst: Hydration Hacks for Your Pet | | |
| Keeping pets hydrated with fresh water is also a great way to keep them safe from parasites and diseases. Leptospirosis (Lepto) can be found in rivers, lakes, or streams, infected water, and standing water. Signs of leptospirosis may include fever, shivering, muscle tenderness, reluctance to move, increased thirst, changes in the frequency or amount of urination, dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes), or painful inflammation within the eyes. Keeping your dog's Leptospirosis vaccine up to date doesn't just protect them, it protects the whole family! (2) | | |
| Armor Up: Preventative Vaccines to Protect Your Pets | | |
| When the weather is hot, you probably spend more time outdoors, which means your pet does too. Keeping them vaccinated against diseases and parasites is another great way to keep them safe. Lyme disease can be transmitted through tick bites and may cause fever, loss of appetite, joint swelling, and decreased activity. Dogs with Lyme disease may not show these symptoms for 2-5 months after being infected, so prevention is key. Different parasite preventatives protect against different creatures and it's important to know what your dog is going to need. Treating your pets against heartworms and other intestinal parasites, fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and lice are also great ways to prepare them for the great outdoors. (2) | |
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| Make a Splash: Dive into Pool Protection for Pets | | |
| As summer approaches, the risk of pets drowning in backyard swimming pools, and other water hazards, are on the rise. An estimated 5,000 family pets drown in backyard swimming pools annually. (3) Some pets are natural-born swimmers, others are not. Make sure your pet is comfortable with water before letting them dive in directly. DO NOT leave pets unsupervised around a pool. In addition, if you plan on spending time near a lake, or beach with your pet, avoid letting them drink from the pool, or ingest ocean or lake water. Be sure to rinse your pet off to remove chlorine or salt from their fur. Lastly, in addition to water safety, it is imperative to keep all unscreened windows or doors in your home closed. Open or unscreened windows pose a real danger to pets, who often fall out of them. (4) | | | | |
| Nature's Playground: Keeping Your Pet Safe Outdoors | | |
| Being outdoors means more exposure to different types of plants—both ornamental and garden plants. It's important to familiarize yourself with the plants in your yard or garden and the potential hazard they may pose to your pets. Always keep an eye on your pet when they are outdoors as even non-toxic plants can cause stomach upset if ingested. Use caution when using herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizer as they may cause risk to your pet's health, i.e., upset stomach and should still be treated seriously. Be sure to keep fertilizers out of reach and your pet out of the treated area until it is dry. Additionally, keep citronella candles, tiki torch products, and insect coils out of your pet's reach. (4) | |
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| Summer Soirees: Ensuring Your Pet's Safety and Enjoyment | | |
| Food and drink can pose one of the biggest threats to pets – especially those found during summer festivities and outdoor gatherings. Keep them from having food that is too high in fat or ingesting a food or drink item that may be toxic. Lastly, summer celebrations may bring about the use of fireworks. Exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns or trauma, and even unused fireworks may contain hazardous materials. Many pets are also fearful of loud noises and can become lost, scared, or disoriented, so it's best to keep your pet safe from the noise in a quiet, sheltered, enclosed area. (4) | |
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| Fur & Paw Defense: Shielding Your Pet's Skin and Paws | | |
| Dangerous temperatures from the sun and asphalt may present dangerous conditions for our pets. Don't let your pet linger on hot asphalt when the temperature is very high. Being so close to the ground, your pet's body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn. (4) Also, make sure to keep your pet's skin and fur protected during times of extreme heat and hot weather. The layers of dogs' coats protect them from overheating and sunburn. If needed, consult with a grooming professional or veterinarian on appropriate fur lengths or hair trimming for your pet. Lastly, when applying sunscreen or insect repellant to your pet's skin, be sure the product you use is labeled specifically for use on animals. (5)" | |
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| The information, opinions and recommendations expressed in the article are for informational purposes only. Information has been obtained from sources generally believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, or any other, Synchrony and any of its affiliates, including CareCredit, (collectively, "Synchrony") does not provide any warranty as to the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information for its intended purpose or any results obtained from the use of such information. The data presented in the article was current as of the time of writing. Please consult with your individual advisors with respect to any information presented. | | |
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