Pet Care - Summer

Summer weather and holidays provide special concerns for the pet owner. Before these times are here you need to take certain precautions to make sure your pets don't suffer.

Dog Daze of Summer

   It's a quick ten minutes change from panting, to a dazed and confused expression, to coma, brain damage, and even death. This is what quickly occurs when your pet is left in the car, even with the windows down a little. The temperature inside the car can quickly climb to 160° and cause heat stroke in your pet. At this point it is imperative to lower the body temperature by immersing in cool water and then quickly getting to your veterinarian.
   If you can't take your pet with you into a cool place, leave her at home, either inside with the air conditioner on, or outside with plenty of shade and cool, fresh water. It's a small thing to do for a friend!
   Your dog's exercise should be restricted during the hottest parts of the day. If you want to go jogging, or toss a Frisbee at the beach, remember all athletes need conditioning. Work up to our pet's exercise program gradually and avoid strenuous activity between the hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Overweight dogs should be put on a supervised restricted, low fat diet. And if your pet hasn't had a nose to tail examination in a while, schedule that now. Strenuous exercise can be deadly to a pet with a serious underlying health problem such as heart disease, which in its early stages is often symptom-free.
   Resist the temptation to shave your pet's coat during the summer. Your pet's fur acts as protection against the summer sun. Brush your pet regularly to remove any dense undercoat. Some dogs also appreciate a kiddy pool to cool off their tootsies-this is one important area for heat exchange and sweating in the dog.
   Lastly, watch out for the hazards of electric fans. Your curious cat may get his tail caught in the blades, or your bird may accidentally fly into your ceiling fan.
   With a little caution and planning, your pet's summer can turn into the calm, and languid "dog days" of summer, which is vastly preferable any day to "dog daze"!

	Heartworm Disease Heartworms, a potentially deadly problem, are spread by the pesky mosquito, and you know we have plenty of those! You have a choice of either a daily medication (Filaribits), or a monthly such as Heartgard and Interceptor. There're even products that combine monthly heartworm prevention with monthly flea prevention (Sentinel, a tablet; or Revolution, a topical). Ask us to test your pet today and then start on prevention right away. It's the least you can do for a friend. What is Heartworm? Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis or D. immitis) is transmitted by mosquitoes It can be found in most areas of the country where mosquitoes breed When a mosquito bites an infected animal, the heartworm larvae are ingested along with the blood Larvae mature to the infective stage within the body of the mosquito then are transmitted to a dog or cat through another mosquito bite Once inside the host animal, heartworms travel to the lungs and the right side of the heart, where they can grow and mate for several years Adult heartworms reside in the pulmonary arteries, or right heart if large amount of worms are present and can grow to a length of 5-to-12 inches in dogs and 5-to-8 inches in cats.
	The early signs of heartworm disease in dogs: Fatigue Nonproductive cough Difficulty breathing Exercise intolerance Weight loss	The signs of heartworm disease in cats: Difficulty breathing Coughing and chronic vomiting Occasional collapse Weight loss Lethargy Rapid heart rate Convulsions Sudden death

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