Hard to believe, but summer is on the way and with it, warmer weather. Warmer temperatures often mean trips to the beach, more hiking and other travel adventures, and a lot of family time with the kids out of school. Seems like a good time to go over a few tips to make your pet's summer safer and happier overall. Let's start with these five:
1. Water Safety: Even if your dog is a good swimmer, I believe a life vest is a must. Currents and tides can change quickly, exhausting and disorienting even the most accomplished swimmers. Plus, a vest will make it easier for you or a lifeguard to pull your dog to safety. If your dog loves to dig in the sand, or loves chasing a ball that gets coated with sand after each throw, take care to make sure that they aren't ingesting large quantities of sand which can lead to a condition called "sand impaction." Rinse off that sand covered ball between throws and consider using a basket muzzle on your digging dog to prevent the ingestion of excess sand. And most importantly, watch your dog closely for water intoxication during water play and other water-centered activities. Water intoxication is a risk for any dog, including dogs who just like to attack the sprinklers with wild abandon, but none more so than dogs who routinely ingest water while retrieving toys or swimming in any body of water. Watch your dogs for signs of water intoxication (loss of coordination, lethargy, bloating, vomiting, glazed eyes, excessive salivation, difficulty breathing, and seizures) and get veterinary care immediately if you suspect they've taken in too much water. Insist on breaks for any dog who spends time in and around water.
2. Hikes & Outdoor Exploration: If you and your dog are planning any hikes or extended walking adventures this summer, it's good to begin training ahead of time. Start by extending the length of your walks now, and include inclines and descents to get your dog (and yourself!) ready for those terrain variations. Remember you will need a water bottle for yourself, as well as one for your dog, so you both have adequate water to stay hydrated. If you will be walking on rough or uneven surfaces that could damage your dog's foot pads, consider training them to wear booties designed for climbing, or at a minimum, add something like foot wax to their foot pads to increase traction and provide some protection from hot, uneven surfaces. Training your dog to wear a backpack can also be helpful so that they can carry their own supplies. You will need to have them acclimate to wearing the pack, however, so start with an empty pack on your daily walks, gradually filling it with the supplies they will need when you start hiking with them regularly. I love the booties, backpacks, hiking harnesses, and life vests available from www.ruffwear.com. And, no, I'm not getting any kickback for recommending them, but I have used their products for years with my own dogs and their stuff is durable and well-made. Please make sure your dogs are up to date on their vaccines, as well as their flea and tick preventatives. You will still want to check your dogs for ticks post-hiking, as well as yourself! Finally, rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes may be found in the areas where you hike. I've put my own dogs through rattlesnake avoidance training and can't recommend it enough. If you live anywhere within driving distance of the San Francisco Bay area and want information on rattlesnake avoidance training in this area, message me for details on an upcoming clinic I know and trust. I'm planning on enrolling Henley this time around and Ozzie is a past graduate of this clinic and the best rattlesnake spotter of any dog I've ever had the pleasure of hiking with.
3. Car travel: If you will be traveling with your dogs by car or motor home, it's a good idea to be prepared for that as well. Even if you don't crate your dogs in the car normally, bringing along collapsible/folding crates when you travel is a good idea. If you have to make unplanned stops, having those crates can be a godsend. I recommended this to a client one time and she thought it was overkill until her car died on the side of the road and it took forever to find a tow truck that would allow her dog to ride along as well. And then the rental car company didn't want an uncrated dog in any of their vehicles! She now carries a collapsible crate in her car at all times. She learned her lesson! Always carry water for your dog on car trips, and snacks if they will be in your car for longer than a 6-8 hour stretch without meal breaks. If your dog gets carsick, or you think they might get carsick on a windy road portion of your trip, remember to bring something with you to prevent nausea. I like Nabisco Ginger Snaps Cookies as they work for nausea in people and dogs. If you need something stronger than that, consider CBD oil made for dogs, giving them a dose 30 minutes in advance. And if that still isn't enough, talk to your veterinarian well ahead of your vacation about other alternatives such as Cerenia or Ondansetron.
4. More time with children: Even if your dog loves your kids or grandkids, a lot of extra time spent with children can be exhausting. Make sure your pets have safe spaces to escape (crates or doghouses for dogs, perches and hiding spaces for cats) and remind those kids to leave dogs and cats who are resting alone. Encourage your pets to seek out those spaces if they seem overwhelmed and enforce time alone, especially for puppies who need those daily naps in order to behave appropriately. Finally, while it's nice that kids like to share snacks with the pets, make sure those snacks are healthy and safe for your pets. Encourage kids to share healthy snacks like carrots, apples, and zucchini with your pets rather than popsicles, chips, or cheese.
5. Fireworks: The 4th of July will be here before you know it, and most pets would prefer that they didn't have to deal with fireworks every single year. While there are certainly some pets that seem to ignore fireworks, most are sensitive to them at best, and terrified of them at worst. If your pet is terrified of fireworks, it may be best to take them somewhere that fireworks are illegal or an area that is so far off the grid that fireworks are a non-issue. If you plan to be gone on the 4th, but will be leaving your pet home alone, make sure they are indoors and safely confined, before you leave the house. You don't want them jumping through a window or digging through a door to escape. Leave music or the TV on, with fans and white noise machines, to blot out some of the sounds, and pull curtains or window blinds to block flashes of light. If you plan to stay home with your pets, you can still use music, TV, white noise, and fans, but encourage your pets to seek refuge in your bathroom. Bathrooms are the most soundproof spaces in our homes, particularly inside shower stalls or bathtubs. These spaces are also cooler and darker and less likely to experience those flashes of light. Encourage your pets to sit or lay in the tub or shower, or even between the toilet and tub, for best sound and vibration protection from those fireworks. Check on your pets in the bathroom frequently to make sure that they are okay. If your pet is mildly disturbed by fireworks, you might be able to get by with CBD oil given throughout the day on the 4th. If that isn't enough, however, or if your pet is profoundly anxious, talk to your veterinarian about more serious alternatives like Trazodone or Xanax.
Hopefully, this gives you a head start on making this summer the best one yet for you and your pets. As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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