Summer is here! Beaches, dog parks, vacations, lakes, and tons of fun in the beautiful sunshine! Summer ‘tis the season to be jolly, right? Maybe, you just need to make sure that your dog is safe – summer can actually be dangerous believe it or not. Here a couple things to keep in mind…

Sunscreen for my dog?

Yep! Dab some sunscreen on your dogs nose and ears and even their belly if it will be exposed during your summer adventures. For short haired dog you may want to put some loose fitting clothing on, to also prevent bodily sunburns and possibly heatstroke.

Grass, Grass, Grass!

Dogs absolutely love grass; it’s soft ‘n cuddling and cool on their feat! Yet fertilizer can be harmful to your dog…wait, so what do we do? Try keeping your dog in the dog designated area – they don’t use fertilizers there. If you’re out on a hike in some grassy fields it can be a blast to watch your dog frolic in the fields, just keep in mind it is  tick & flea season so your dog may get a couple. Make sure you’re up-to-date on your preventative medication and you scour for ticks when you get home. Don’t know anywhere to go that’s for pets? Check out GoPetFriendly.com!  I’m sure you can sniff something out.

Car Rides & Errands – Oh My!

Summer is just a blast all around; we love getting out of the house and especially with our pets. Sharing the joy is the best part! Just make sure you don’t leave you pooch in the car while you run in somewhere – your car, with very little airflow, can rise to lethal temperatures within a matter minutes. So as much fun it would be to take Spike to the store with you, if he can’t go in – just leave him at home and save yourself the hassle.

Heatstroke

Heatsroke is not something everyone wakes up looking forward to – especially if it’s your dog! Luckily heatstroke is fairly easy to avoid. Are you going for a long walk, hike or bike ride? Shoot your dog with the hose before you leave – the evaporation of the water will keep ‘em cool. Also, make sure you make some frequent water stops and dip your dogs feet into the water. Dogs cool off through panting and their feat. Heatstroke can easily be overlooked, keep and eye out for:

• Rapid Pulse
• Fever
• Panting (excessive)
• Salivating (excessive)

Boats, Lakes and Rivers! Woohoo

If you plan on taking your dog on any boating trips they better know how to swim AND has a life-jacket or things could quickly turn catastrophic…Tides, currents, waves, other boats can all be dangerous to a lone dog in the water. Teaching your dog to be a good swimmer will allow ‘em to stay above water in strong currents and waves. The lifejacket will provide some visibility and help the dog stay afloat even when out of energy.

Antifreeze? What about the Antimelt?

We just had to toss this one into the mix! Antifreeze is poisonous to your dog in very small amounts. The catch? If you’ve ever had an Antifreeze smoothie you would know that it’s VERY sweet. Hmm, so a sweet tasting, everyday item that is poisonous – sounds like fun right? Not! In the summer fluids in cars expand and tend to leak a lot more frequently, keep an eye on your dog when you’re around where cars have been. A misplaced lick could have you sitting in the animal hospital!

Okay, lets wrap this up and get to the fun…

Dogs can get excited and you can get distracted. Make sure your dog has tags on so if you lose track of ‘em people can identify him and return him to you.

Try to avoid the heat of the day with your dog, try going out in the morning or evening when it’s a bit cooler and you don’t have to worry about all that fur catching fire!

Once again, flea and tick meds are a must! Even if they’re just playing in the yard – ticks and fleas come out full force during summer. Why would they miss the fun?

So, summer fun for you and your pooch should be more than easy going now, it should be plain ol’ easy.