Summer is without a doubt my favourite time of year. I crawl out of my winter cave and emerge with a renewed energy for life. I socialise more, I exercise more, I eat healthier food and I just love daylight savings- more time for dog walks!
These days we are aware of the dangers of too much sun and the problems it can cause us humans. We take measures to protect ourselves from the sun’s harmful rays and know how to look after ourselves in the heat. But, we often overlook our pets who rely on us to protect them.
Here are a few simple points that will help make your pets lives more comfortable during summer.
1.Always have fresh water available. Don’t use plastic bowls that can be easily knocked over, but heavy bowls instead. You should leave two bowls in case one gets finished and you can add ice cubes to keep the water cool.
2. You must be sure that there is some shade in the yard all day. Don’t forget that the sun moves so a shady area in the morning possibly wont be in the afternoon.
3. Never leave your dog in your car, even for a few minutes. A dog can die in 5 minutes on a hot day. Even with the windows down the temperature can rise to deadly levels quickly.
4. Always walk your dog in the early morning or late evening, not during the heat of the day. Many dogs get stressed by exercising in extreme heat.
5. Don’t forget that pavements and roads can get extremely hot and can burn the pads on your dog’s paws.
6 Dogs and cats also suffer from skin cancer and sunburn. This is most common in white animals with pink skin on their noses and ears. Prevention is the best cure and dogs should be kept out of sun between 11.00am and 3pm. You can try applying zinc to the nose and also using protective sunsuits if your dog likes to bake belly up.
7. Many pets suffer from allergies to grasses and wandering dew in summer, resulting in red, itchy skin. Try to keep your pet out of the garden and remove as many weeds as possible
8.Fleas thrive in warm moist climates and can be a terrible summer problem for both pet and owner. These days, it is easy to control fleas with topical products like Advantage. Advantage is simple to use- you just squeeze the contents of a pre-measured tube onto the skin on the back of the pets neck and within 12 hours, 98-100% of fleas on your pet will be dead. Be sure to thoroughly clean your pets environment too and this includes washing bedding, cleaning your furniture and vacuuming your floorboards etc.
For more information on fleas click here
9.Paralysis ticks are deadly and are found on the eastern seaboard from North Queensland to Northern Victoria. In Northern Australia they can be found all year round but in the southern areas they are found during the warmer months of the year. It is essential to take precautions if you are travelling up the coast this year.
Advantix applied every 14 days offers protection against ticks. Once applied to your dogs skin, it spreads readily over the outside of your dog, remaining on the skin and is not absorbed into the dogs bloodstream. I also recommended searching your dog daily paying attention to around head and ears, between toes and under the tail.
For more information about paralysis ticks click here
10. Many dogs drown in swimming pools in summer as most dogs can swim but not all dogs can find their way out of the pool and can drown. Puppies exhaust themselves very quickly. Do not leave a dog or puppy unsupervised near water.