Elizabeth Wasserman via Studio One Networks

The hot and sunny stretches of summer can bring with them a whole set of health concerns for your dog. From parasite-spread illnesses to paw problems caused by walking on hot surfaces, a wide range of summer hazards can plague canines. Here's how you can keep your pet safe in the summer sun.

1. Heatstroke

"If we're hot sitting outside in T-shirts and shorts, our dogs are certainly going to be hot sitting outside in a heavy fur coat," says Adam Goldfarb, director of the Pets at Risk program for the Humane Society of the United States. Be mindful of what type of dog you have and how old it is -- these factors may determine your dog's tolerance for heat. Older dogs, puppies and northern breeds with heavy coats may have a harder time withstanding heat.

What to do:

• Walk or exercise your dog in the early morning or early evening, when it's cooler out.

• Never leave your dog in the car. A car can heat up within several minutes to more than 100 F, causing heatstroke or even death, says Lisa Peterson, communications director of the American Kennel Club.

• Don't shave your dog's coat during the summer. "A dog's coat helps insulate them from the heat in the summertime," says Peterson. Without their protective coat, dogs can also get sunburned.

2. Fleas and Ticks

Some dogs have flea allergies that make them scratch until their skin is raw -- or in extreme cases, until they bleed. Ticks are even more dangerous because they carry a variety of diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis and Ehrlichia. Symptoms of tick-borne diseases can range from the fever and swollen joints that afflict Lyme sufferers to possible death, as in the case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever victims.

What to do:

• Find out from your veterinarian what type of anti-flea and tick medication is best for your dog.
• Check your dog for ticks as soon as it comes in from the outdoors, since ticks can cling to its hair. If a tick bites your dog, remove it as soon as possible. (Use a blow dryer on the cool setting to help part the hair, Peterson recommends.)
• Control fleas by vacuuming regularly -- particularly the areas where your dog lies -- to remove any adult fleas or eggs.

3. Paw Problems

The pads on your dog's paws are very sensitive, so the heat on concrete, asphalt, beach sand or other surfaces can be a big problem during the summer. The pads can burn, dry and crack.

What to do:

• Walk your dog on the grass, Peterson recommends. That way, your pet doesn't have to deal with the intense heat of the pavement.
• Try doggie booties. Some pet stores sell booties for your dog to wear in winter, but these shoes may also help protect your dog's paws during the summer.
• Apply a paw balm to your dog's paws regularly to help keep them moist and prevent cracking, which is painful and can increase the risk of infection.

4. Water Safety

Wherever your family goes during the summer, be it the beach or backyard pool, be aware of the risks these bodies of water hold for your pooch. Dogs may drink from stagnant ponds and contract intestinal ailments, such as giardia. Canines may also jump into a lake or pool and panic when they realize they don't know how to get out. What's more, pools contain chlorine, which can be harmful to your dog's health.

What to do:

• If you have a pool, consider using dog-friendly pool chemicals, which are now commercially available.

• Keep a life preserver on hand in case your dog jumps in. Dog life vests are also available.

• Don't leave your pooch alone when there is an open body of water, as you wouldn't leave a child in a similar situation. Make sure fresh drinking water is available at all times.

5. Wildlife Contagions

Dogs can pick up diseases, such as rabies, from infected animals from the wild, including bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks, cattle and coyotes. Rabies is transmitted through saliva, usually after a bite. The virus affects an animal's central nervous system, and common symptoms are erratic movements, partial paralysis and unprovoked aggression.

What to do:

• Keep your dog's vaccinations against rabies up to date. "It's likely that your city or county requires your dog to be vaccinated anyway," Peterson says.

• Don't let your dog roam free and unsupervised, particularly when you are in areas where Rover is more likely to encounter wildlife.

Supervision is the key to summer dog safety. "Be mindful of where your dog is," Peterson says. "If you let them off the leash, keep them in visual contact." That way, the "dog days" might just be some of the best days of the year that you and your dog will enjoy.

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by Margaret Svete

With the news of tropical storms Ana and Claudette and Hurricane Bill churning in the Atlantic, its a good time to make sure you have a hurricane plan that includes your dog. Here are some must haves for your dog's hurricane kit:

• two week supply of food and water.
• food and water bowls
• ID tags with your telephone number
• collar and leash
• dog crate
• medications
• first aid supplies
• favorite toys and treats to comfort your dog
• recent photo
• pick up bags to clean up after your dog
• up-to-date health records

If you find you must evacuate for any type of emergency, don't leave your dog behind. It may be days before you are permitted to return to your home.  If you are going to stay with friends or family, make sure your dog is welcome. 

The next best option is to check into a dog-friendly hotel or motel.  There are many dog-friendly hotels, including large chains such as Holiday Inns and Residence Inns.  Call ahead to see if there are any breed or weight restrictions for dogs.   You can find a list of dog-friendly motels at www.petswelcome.com

As a last resort there are several dog-friendly hurricane shelters. These are the least desirable options as they will be very busy and noisy, adding to your dog's stress.  Also dogs are usually kept in a different area from their owners.  Pet-friendly shelters do limit the number of dogs they accept so its important to check early for availability.


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by Maureen Finn

Ear care is important year round, but with warm weather and water fun on the agenda for the next few months, it’s a good idea to check your canine pal’s ears regularly and be sure to keep up with routine ear cleaning to avoid ear infections. A good ear cleaning can save problems, and money at the vet, and should be part of your dog’s grooming routine.

Of course drop-eared dogs are at higher risk for ear problems due to the “closed” environment, with the ear flap covering the ear canal for a nice warm little breeding ground for moisture loving bacteria. And those with hairy ears (inside), like Poodles and spaniels, are at even greater risk. Keeping the inside of the ears groomed (hair trimmed on the inside of the ear flap, and plucked out of the canal) will help in keeping the ears dry and clean.

Ear cleaning is relatively straightforward, if not easy. Have a supply of cotton balls on hand, and a few paper towels, too. Squirt a small amount of the ear cleaning fluid into the ear canal and massage into the lower ear, then gently swab clean with the cotton ball as far as your finger can reach. Your pet will shake his head vigorously after a cleaning (it’s a good idea to do the cleaning outdoors), which will help to flush the dirt from the ears and expel the excess cleaning fluid from the ear canal. Swab it again with the cotton ball. If you still see a lot of dirt on the cotton ball, repeat the treatment until you feel it’s mostly clean. Once or twice a month cleaning is usually adequate for most animals, but be sure and check in the ears weekly to be sure they're normal--free of any abnormal discharge or strong odor.

After a cleaning, massage in a few drops of mullein flower infused oil into each ear canal. Mullein is a common roadside plant whose flowers have antimicrobial properties and which works especially well with the ears and skin. An oil infusion is the best way to use the flowers, and a few drops will help keep the ears protected against infection and parasites like ear mites.

Even with regular ear care, an ear infection is possible. Some dogs are prone to them due to allergies, poor diet, thyroid problems, or lifestyle (frequent swimming in ponds or slow moving water). It’s important that you get on top of this as soon as possible—ear infections left untreated can cause chronic, ongoing ear problems, including deafness, as well as increasing the possibility of an ear hematoma, where the constant headshaking causes broken blood vessels in the ear and the ear flap swells up like a little pillow due to the trauma.


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via Doggynaire

As a human, flying is sometimes one of the most nerve-wracking experiences, even when you know it is safe, efficient and generally pleasant. If flying can be that troubling for humans, you can only imagine how tough it is on our pets. Both dogs and cats can be transported by plane, as can many other types of pets, providing they are in the correct and approved crates or cages.

Preparing your pet for a safe airplane journey does require some advance preparation that can help minimize the stress that your pet experiences. The tips that follow will work with dogs, cats and most other types of pets. Prior to the trip, a trip to the dog groomers is a nice way to begin

Food and Exercise
It is important to restrict both food and water for approximately 12 hours before a flight. This means that the pet should be fed normally and on schedule and then kept from food or water for approximately half a day. If you only feed once a day in the morning and if you are not flying out until the next afternoon you may wish to adjust the feeding schedule to the evening at least a week before the flight to avoid the pet going for over 24 hours without food or water. Withholding food and water for 12 hours will prevent messes in the carrier and will also prevent vomiting and possible choking concerns while the pet is in the air.




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by Carol McGraw

Pets are living longer, and sometimes presenting care issues for their owners. The average life expectancy of a cat has nearly doubled since 1930, and the average life expectancy of a dog is 12.8 years, but the number varies widely depending on breed and size.

"Pets get better nutrition, better medical care and aren't out wandering neighborhoods having accidents," says Rebecca Ruch-Gallie, coordinator for community practice at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.

Here are some tips on caring for elderly pets, from Ruch-Gallie:

• Schedule regular checkups with a vet, and have blood work done periodically. The tests can catch kidney and other ailments early.

• Make a list of what your animal is capable of when he's young; then watch for signs of deterioration so you can catch problems early.

• Give your pet senior diet products. These special foods contain supplements that help ease arthritis and are good for sensitive stomachs.

• It's essential to provide fresh water.

• Consider giving your pet supplements with glucosamine and chondroitin, which are good for healthy joints. And nonsteroid anti-inflammatories can help keep them moving and manage pain.

• Watch for fearful behavior, which sometimes shows up as aggression.

• Some animals get cognitive dysfunction syndrome, which is similar to Alzheimer's. Symptoms include disorientation, less social interaction, altered sleep patterns and house soiling. Treatments are available to manage the symptoms.

• Continue playing with your pet, and give it regular exercise. But don't overdo it.

• Groom your pet often with natural products. As animals get older, the natural oils aren't distributed as well. This will also help you feel suspicious lumps early.

• Consider treating them to massage, acupuncture and physical therapy, which are good to keep them mobile.

• Don't let them become overweight. It can contribute to diabetes and cause joint pain.

• Dental hygiene is important. Start when they are young by brushing their teeth and getting them regular checkups.

• Keep their environment enriched with interesting things to look at, and which allows them to safely move around — no dangerous stairs or high perches.

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by Stephanie Modkins (Examiner)

Easter is a wonderful time for the whole family. However, it can present a few risks for the family dog. So, here are a few safety tips:

1. Keep yeast dough and chocolate away from your dog.
Yeast dough and chocolate can cause vomiting, bloating and other digestion problems in your dog. So keep your dog out of the kitchen and away from these foods. If necessary, create a diversion - like a special food bowl - that will give your dog his own treat. Also, don’t forget to let your children and visitors know not to feed your dog these items.

2. Store or throw away decorative Easter products.
Your dog will naturally be attracted to colorful Easter ribbon and grass. However, these items can hurt or even poison your dog if he eats them. Also, for tiny dogs, Easter ribbon is big enough for them to get entangled in. An event like this could lead to accidental death. So, after everyone’s opened up his or her Easter baskets, store away your ribbon or throw it along with any excess grass away.

3. Ask visiting smokers to put their butts in the trash.
Tobacco products are fatal to dogs. So ask smokers coming to your Easter festivities to throw their cigarette butts into the trash. Signs that your dog has nicotine poison are excitement, panting, vomiting, diarrhea and salivation. Twitching, depression, weakness and cardiac arrest follow these signs.

4. Watch out for stray candy wrappers in reach of your dog.
Like Halloween, Easter is a big candy day. So, children (and adults) will be tempted to drop candy wrappers on the floor or leaving them on seats and tables. If eaten, candy wrappers can block up a dogs intestines. So be sure to keep an eye out for them and throw them in the trash immediately.

5. Keep the stress level in your home low.
You may want to throw a huge Easter celebration, but if you own a skittish dog this may be a huge mistake. It will either stress him out or create a situation in which he may attack someone. So, you will have to consider how many people you really can have around your dog in order to make sure your Easter is fun. 

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by Johnnie Ortez

Visiting dog parks is fun, and healthy for the dog and it's social development. The one thing that all off-leash dog parks have in common is their rules. The rules are often on display in plain view; most parks even have websites outlining the hours of operations, historic tidbits and once more the rules.

The parks are often filled with regulars and then there are newcomers, new parents and new offenders who break the rules. In an attempt to promote continued peace and safety at the dog parks let me please once again underscore some the universal rules of dog park etiquette.

1. Dog parks do not replace the need for regular and daily exercise. Dog parks are a reward and a treat for good behavior and an opportunity for your dog to socialize with other dogs. Too often people want to substitute a dog park visit for a walk and exercise. Dog Whisper Cesar Milan, and other local behaviorist agree, that dog parks are not to be traded for regular exercise. When an unexercised dog enters a park full of up energy from being at home all day, the risk for a fight or confrontation because of inappropriate behavior is greater than a dog that has been exercised or walked that day.

2. Watch your dog. The dog parks are typically fenced with a double gated entrance /exit as well as separate small and large dog sections. Nonetheless, dog parks can lure owners into a false sense that they do not need to be as a vigilant of their dogs. It is each owner’s responsibility to ensure their dogs are not behaving badly. No one else should have to correct your dog for humping, eating poop or being aggressive because you are on your cell phone and not paying attention to it.

3. Clean up after your dog. Dog parks are public facilities with Department of Recreational staff monitoring them regularly, but the duty belongs to each owner to leave the dog park in the same or better condition in which it was found.

4. Do not bring food or treats of any kind to a dog park. Even the calmest dogs will turn aggressive when treats or food are present. Training your dog with a positive reward association is a good thing, but to do it at a public dog park with other dogs is bad. Training with treats should be done at home or in secure location without other dogs. I do not even recommend having treats on your person because the dogs can smell it and why take an unnecessary risk.

5. Entering and exiting a dog park properly. Most dog parks have a double gated entrance / exit. Remember it only takes a few seconds for Chihuahua or Italian Greyhound to slip through, and if the owner is not watching his dog, the dog could be in danger of being hit by a car in the parking lot, attacked by another dog or lost. Full story...

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