SUMMERTIME TIPS

 

HEAT & HUMIDITY

Summer in Minnesota can be cool and comfortable, or it can see extremes of both heat and humidity. Combined, they can be detrimental to the health of your pet. If it seems too uncomfortable for you to be outside, your cat or dog will also be uncomfortable. Without the ability to sweat for evaporative cooling pets are left with panting to dissipate body heat. High heat and humidity make this less effective, increasing the risk of heat stroke.  In some cases, heat stroke can become severe very quickly and even be fatal.  Always exercise your dog in the cooler morning or late evening hours.

 

OUT AND ABOUT

Warmer weather means more trips to the park, longer walks and more chances for your pet to wander off! Make sure your dog or cat has a microchip for identification and wears a tag imprinted with your home address, cell phone and any other relevant contact information. Canines should wear flat (never choke!) collars, please.

****Never leave an animal in a car unattended.  The internal temperature can rise very rapidly and quickly endanger an animal trapped inside.  Dogs and cats can develop fatal heatstroke from being inside a car in the summer, even for a short time.  Don’t take the risk!

 

MUSHROOMS

Summer is the start of mushroom season. Only a small percentage of wild mushrooms are highly toxic and can cause life-threatening problems in pets. Unfortunately, most of the highly toxic mushrooms are difficult to distinguish from the nontoxic ones, so the best way to keep pets from ingesting poisonous mushrooms is to keep them away from areas where any mushrooms are growing. Contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately if you witness your pet eating a wild mushroom.

 

IDEXX 4DX TEST

In addition to Heartworm, this annual test also checks for exposure to the tick transmitted diseases of Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, and Ehlichiosis. If you have questions about ticks or tick transmitted disease, just ask.

 

PARASITE PREVENTION

While springtime sees the reemergence of the Minnesota State Insect (the mosquito) and renewed concerns regarding heartworm disease transmission, we encourage the year-round use of oral parasite preventatives. Whether you have known it or not, each month when giving your pet its heartworm preventative pill you have also been deworming the intestinal tract or the common roundworm, hookworm and whipworm.

 

FLEA AND TICK PREVENTATIVES

Although external parasites can be a risk year-round, summer is often the peak of fleas and tick season. In most cases our recommendation is to use the highly effective oral flea and tick medications available by prescription, such as NexGard.  Topical application of Frontline Plus is also an effective preventative against flea and tick infestations. Please stop in or call if you have any questions about your specific needs or concerns with external parasite control.