Summer Pet Safety Tips

It’s important to know what risks your pets may face this summer, so you can know how to keep them safe. I discussed ways to keep your pet safe and healthy while traveling in my post ‘Tips to Keep Dogs Safe on Vacation’.

But now let’s discuss what you can do all summer long to keep your cats and dogs healthy.

Use Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm is a nematode parasite called Dirofilaria immitis which can infect both cats and dogs. It is spread to canines and felines from the bite of a mosquito. These mosquitos are first infected when they bite another wild or domestic animal which is infected with heartworms. The mosquito ingests the heartworm larva which are circulating in the blood stream. The mosquitos are then able to infect other animals when they bite them to take their next blood meal.

Heartworm preventatives work by killing these larva before they have a chance to develop in to the next life stage of the heartworm life cycle. It takes approximately 45 days for the larva which have entered a dog or cats body to develop to the next life stage. If you give heartworm prevention every month to your cat or dog you will successfully kill the heartworm larva before it has developed to the next life cycle.

These preventative medications, which contain products like Ivermectin or Milbemycin, do not work once the parasite has progressed past the larva stage and in to the immature adult stage. Once there are immature, or mature, adult heartworms in a dogs body the only drug which can kill them is at least 2 injections of melarsomine.

This injection is also not safe in cats, so even if they are infected with heartworm there is no immediate treatment which can be given. If they survive the damage done to the heart and lungs their only option is to allow the worms to die naturally. And both cats and dogs can continue to be re-infected if they are not kept on a monthly preventative.

The American Heartworm Society recommends year round prevention even in regions of the country where winters are cold

For cats a product like Revolution Plus or Advantage Multi are safe and easy to apply medications which can safely protect your cat. I frequently find mosquitos which have been let in to the house because my children do not know how to open and go through a door quickly. So even indoor only cats should be on prevention.

Dogs also need to be on monthly heartworm prevention. Sometimes clients will tell me their dog never leaves the yard so they don’t need it. In these cases I know I need to educate on how it is spread, because no fence has ever kept a mosquito out of a yard.

There are topicals for dogs as well such as Revolution, but many owners prefer to give a monthly chewable treat such as Interceptor or Heartgard Plus.
For more information on the life cycle and damage heartworm can do to cats and dogs please refer to the American Heartworm Society website.

Use Flea and Tick Prevention

Fleas can of course cause itchy skin and secondary skin infections. They can also be difficult to completely eradicate from the environment so it’s easier to prevent them with a monthly products.

But in small kittens and puppies they can also cause severe anemia (decreased red blood cells) when the fleas are present in very large numbers.

Ticks are also becoming an ever increasing health issue in the United States. They are carriers of serious diseases such as Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Tick borne illness can sometimes be severe. Lyme disease, which is becoming endemic to multiple areas of the United States, can cause fever, joint pain, and in rare cases a fatal kidney infection. Known as lyme nephritis, it unfortunately rarely responds to treatment.

Ehrlichia canis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are both rickettsial bacteria which can infect the cells which line blood vessels. This can cause vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels). They both can also cause an immune-mediated destruction of platelets which can then cause bruising and bleeding disorders in patients.

Cats are more resistant to tick borne diseases but they are a serious issue in our canine patients. Please use one of the veterinary recommended products. Options include topicals like Advantix II, a chewable such as Nexgard or a Seresto collar. All of these products protect against both flea and tick infections.

There is also a safe and effective vaccine against lyme disease which I recommend to patients who live a higher risk life style. These are patients who spend a lot of time outdoors in areas where ticks are prevalent.

You can also protect your dogs by doing a thorough body check after spending time outdoors. Most tick borne diseases require the tick to be attached to the body for over 10 hours for the bacteria to spread in to the body. If you do a body check and remove any ticks you find at the end of the day after spending time outdoors in high risk areas, you can greatly reduce the risk of infection.

Reduce Risk of Heat Stroke

A normal body temperature for a dog and cat is between 99.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. During heat stroke these animals are sustaining body temperatures greater than 105.5 degrees. Heat stroke is different form a fever because it’s due to an inability to effectively cool off.

With a fever the body temperature is elevated due to an increase in the set temperature point set by the hypothalamus. In these cases a temperature of 104-105 is a sign of serious illness, but does not due the same kind of acute damage to the body as heat stroke.

There are some breeds who are at greater risk for heat stroke including brachycephalic breeds (smush faced dogs), Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.

The most common causes are being left in a car or enclosed space without AC or proper ventilation, strenuous exercise during the heat of the day, or exercise during very humid conditions.
Heat stroke can occur during lower temperatures if the environment is very humid because natural cooling measures such as panting do not work as well.

Side effects of elevated body temperature includes dehydration, kidney damage, coagulation disorders, damage to the GI tract and changes in the central nervous systems. Many dogs with heat stroke will have had seizures prior to presentation.

Treatment initially involves cooling measures which can then lead to secondary hypothermia. Other treatments include IV fluids to correct dehydration and attempt to salvage the kidneys. We also will place these animal on antibiotics and medications to protect the gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes the damage to the intestines is so severe bacteria from the intestines can move in to the bloodstream causing sepsis.

In severe cases these animals may also need more intensive treatments such as anti-seizure medications or platelet transfusions.

You can protect your animals by making sure they have access to plenty of food and water. Do not leave your pets unattended in the car for any period of time as the temperature will increase rapidly.

Keep your dog indoors during the hottest parts of the day and do not take them for long walks or runs when it is hot out. Also be aware that in humid weather they can not pant and cool as efficiently so even if the temperature is lower they can still develop heat stroke.

Protect their Paws on Hot Surfaces

For the most part dogs can handle walking on the sidewalk during the summer. But I occasionally see blistered paw pads due to extended running outdoors.

Very hot surfaces like the sand on the beach or black asphalt can causing blistering to the paw pads if they are allowed to walk for extended periods.

But more often I see damaged paw pads when they run on hot and rough surfaces. Many people will take their pets to tennis courts to throw a ball because it seems like a safe fenced in area. Be aware that the surface of the court, as well as the rough surfaces often used around a pool, can cause damage to the paw pads.

The repeated friction when running on these rough surfaces can cause the skin of the pad to blister and peel away. This leaves raw tender skin underneath which is painful to walk on and can become infected if not kept clean and covered. These paws will heal within a couple of weeks but will require bandages to protect the tender skin while it callouses over.

Monitor for Swimmer’s Tail

Also known as limber tail or limp tail, this is a painful injury to the muscles at the base of the tail. One common cause is extended periods of swimming, especially if the dog is not used to it.

It is believed to be due to inflammation of the muscles at the base of the tail. Swimming is an activity where dogs actually use their tails for stability, so the muscles of the tail are used more and can become sore.

It is believed that there is a degree of ‘compartment syndrome’ with this condition. This is where there is swelling of the muscles similar to what happens when you exercise or lift weights. But due to a lack of space for swelling in this part of the body it causes a tourniquet like effect. This is known as compartment syndrome.

These dogs will often present with their tails hanging down limp. They do not want to wag their tails and if you gently squeeze at the base of the tail they are very painful.

Thankfully rest and anti-inflammatory pain medications can usually quickly and easily treat this condition. But it can be very concerning for owners to suddenly see their happy pets unable to wag their tails!

I hope you have fun with your pets this summer! There are so many fun activities you can do with your dogs. And a lot of cats even love getting outside for some fresh air.
But do what you can to keep them safe from parasites, infections and injuries. No one enjoys an emergency trip to the vet.