You've all heard the jokes: COVID-19 keeping pet owners home-bound is a dog's dream come true, a cat's worst nightmare. While our canine and feline friends may disagree on whether having us home all day is a good thing, a quieter Halloween may be a silver lining of this pandemic that they can both enjoy!
If you do plan to answer the door with your dog, keep your pooch on a leash. This will prevent a nervous dog from becoming aggressive with a trick-or-treater or unexpectedly bolting out the door. If your pet does escape from the house, slip a leash, or somehow become lost, having an ID tag worn on their collar and a microchip dramatically increases the odds that you’ll be reunited with your pet. Make sure your pet’s ID tag has up-to-date contact information and that your microchip manufacturer has your current address and phone number. Though the terrifying “ding dong” of Halloween might be missing for most pets this year, there are a few other dangers pet owners need to be aware of. Here are Concord Animal Hospital’s top three safety tips to keep your pet healthy & happy this Halloween.
PET EAT SOMETHING QUESTIONABLE? Call us at 978-369-3503 immediately to determine if your pet needs medical attention. If this happens when we are closed, visit our Emergency Services & Resources page for a list of 24-hour hospitals or the Poison Control Center.
With a rainy spring behind us, we’re pumped for warm weather! At Concord Animal Hospital, we know that means it’s time to prepare our clients with pet health and safety advice apropos to the coming hazy, hot, and humid season. What Is the Biggest Warm Weather Danger for Pets? As the thermometer starts to climb, the biggest danger posed by the warm weather for pets is hyperthermia, or heat stroke. Activities you might normally do at other times of year--an exuberant session at the dog park with an active pup, taking a longer walk than usual with an older or overweight pet, or leaving your four-legged friend in your car while you do a few quick errands--can put them at serious risk for heat stroke.
What Are the Risks of Heat Stroke for Your Pet? Damage from heat stroke can range from impacted eyes or GI tract, to brain damage and death. Dogs considered at higher risk for heat stroke include:
Time is of the essence and mortality rates in dogs with heat stroke are a lot lower when their owners cool them before they arrive at the hospital." How Can You Help a Pet with Heat Stroke? With the risk of heat stroke especially in dogs on the rise, Concord Animal Hospital’s Katherine Wilson sat down with Dr. Caleb Murphy, Emergency Clinician at BluePearl Specialty Hospital in Waltham to get his suggestions for first aid steps you can take to save your dog’s life. BluePearl is a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital and one of the emergency hospitals we suggest to our patients for urgent medical assistance when our office is closed. Katherine: Can you describe what happens to a pet suffering from heat stroke? Dr. Murphy: Heat stroke, also called hyperthermia, is a failure to regulate the body’s temperature. A pet suffering from heat stroke is having an inflammatory response which leads to multi-organ dysfunction. This overheating can be a result of the pet’s own activity or metabolism or heat gained from the environment, such as on a hot day or in a warm car. Katherine: How does hyperthermia effect a dog? Dr. Murphy: Dogs lose 70% of their body heat through the skin. But when the air temperature is higher than their body temperature, dogs also lose heat through evaporation from their respiratory tract via panting. If they are suffering from hyperthermia, your dog will begin panting excessively to maximize heat loss. Internally, blood will increasingly circulate to the skin at the cost of blood flow to the internal organs, which has the potential to cause long term damage.
Katherine: What can a dog owner do if they think their dog is suffering from hyperthermia? Dr. Murphy: A lot! Time is of the essence and mortality rates in dogs with heat stroke are a lot lower when their owners cool them before they arrive at the hospital. In one study, mortality rates were 50% in dogs in the total sample, but 100% of dogs that were cooled by their owners before being admitted to the hospital and brought in to a hospital within 90 minutes of exposure survived.* If you think your dog is suffering from heat stroke, you need to get to your veterinarian immediately. Before you go, wet the dog with cold water with a hose or in a bath or sink. I advise against putting wet towels on the dog, because the towels will quickly become warm and prevent the transfer of heat away from the dog’s body. If you have ice packs, place them in your dog’s armpits and around the belly after placing your dog in the car. Turn the air conditioner on high or roll down the windows and call the vet to let them know you’re coming in while you are on the way. Stay Safe in the Heat When the sun is shining, we all want to enjoy the warm weather with our pets! By making seasonal adjustments to our activities, we can help prevent overheating and heat stroke in our pets. Doing things such as always bringing a water bottle and putting out fresh water for your pet, avoiding walks during the hottest times of day, and leaving your pet at home and not in your car when you go out to shop will go a long way to keeping your pet safe. And if your dog exhibits any of the symptoms of heat stroke noted above:
Special thanks to Dr. Murphy and BluePearl for contributing to our efforts to keep our patients happy and healthy!
*Heat Stroke in Dogs, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Journal of Internal Veterinary Medicine. 2006.
What Kind of Ticks Are in Our Area? There are three main types of ticks in the Concord, Massachusetts area:
How Can I Keep My Dog Safe from Tick-Borne Diseases? Our veterinarians at Concord Animal Hospital strongly recommend using tick preventatives such as Bravecto or Simparica. Some clients double-up with a chewable preventative and a repellent collar. Talk to one of our veterinarians to determine the best product for your pet given their health history, potential exposure to ticks and lifestyle. Use your preventative all year long! Please use a tick preventative year-round! Frost and freezing temps DO NOT kill ticks. Ticks are dormant but come back to life in only 40 degrees - a high often achieved even in the coldest months. Our veterinarians see plenty of dogs with tick-borne illnesses throughout the winter. Our vets also suggest taking added precautions such keeping your dogs out of long grass or and away from undergrowth. These areas are where dogs like to sniff and explore, but they are also prime hangouts for ticks. After a walk, the American Kennel Association recommends checking some spot you might forget to look, such as inside ears and between toes, just to make sure your pet didn’t bring any ticks home with them. Keep a running list of questions on ticks and any other concerns to ask during your next vet visit! What Do I Do If I Find a Tick on My Dog?
If you find a tick on your dog, remove it as soon as possible! If it hasn’t attached itself yet, there is no risk of tick-borne illness for your pet. If it has attached, grasp the tick with a pair of tweezers as close to the site of attachment as you can and pull straight back. If you have found an attached tick, particularly one that is engorged, the MSPCA advises noting the date and time to discuss with your veterinarian. Continue watching for the following symptoms*:
Concord Animal Hospital's 5 Tips to Keep Your Pet Healthy This Winter
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