Healthy Pets

Show your pet you love it by taking good care of it.

Make sure your pet wears an identification tag to enable him to be returned to you if lost.

To prevent destructive animal behavioral problems, make sure you enroll you new puppy or dog in obedience classes.

Animal behavioral problems can be health related. Make sure your pet has a complete medical exam by a veterinarian at least once a year.

Prepare for disasters. Make sure you have a plan for your pet in the event of a hurricane, tornado, fire, or flood.

Learn how to avoid dog bites, and how to prevent your dog from biting.

Have a heart, be smart and make sure your pet is spayed or neutered.

Pet Health Tips For Hot Weather

Overheating can kill an animal. Never leave an animal alone in a vehicle. Even with the windows open, a parked car, truck or van can quickly become a furnace. Parking in shade offers little protection, as the sun shifts during the day. When traveling, carry a gallon thermos filled with fresh, cold water.

Don’t force your animal to exercise after a meal in hot, humid weather. Always exercise him in the early morning or in the evening.

In extremely hot weather, don’t leave your dog standing on the street, and keep walks to a minimum. He is much closer than you to the hot asphalt, and his body can heat up quickly. His paws can also burn, since they are not protected by shoes.

Always provide plenty of shade for an animal staying outside. A properly constructed dog house serves best. Bring your dog inside during the hot time of the day and let her rest in a cool part of the house. Provide plenty of cool water. Keep cats indoors.

Keep a current license and identification tag on your animal and consider tattooing or micro-chipping as permanent identification.

Avoid walking your dog in areas that you suspect have been sprayed with insecticides or other chemicals, as poisonings increase during the summer months when gardens, lawns and trees are sprayed. These chemicals can sicken or kill an animal. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (1-888-4ANI-HELP) if you suspect that your animal has been poisoned.

Be alert for coolant leaking from your vehicle. Animals are attracted to the sweet taste of coolant, and ingesting just a small amount can cause an animal’s death. Try animal friendly products that use propylene glycol rather that those containing ethylene glycol.

Take your companion animal to the vet for a spring or early summer check-up, including a test for heartworm if your dog isn’t on year-round preventative medication. Have the doctor recommend a safe, effective flea-and-tick-control program.

Never tie an animal outside on a correction collar. He can choke to death. If you must tether him, use an overhead trolley system with a buckle collar.

Never let your animal loose outside. An animal can contract a fatal disease or be injured, killed or stolen. Be sure there are no open, unscreened windows or doors through which your animal can fall or jump.

From the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals www.aspca.org

Pet Health Tips For Cold Weather

Keep your cats inside. Outdoors, cats can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured, or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to fatal infectious diseases, including rabies.

During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes choose to sleep under the hoods of cars, where it is warmer. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed in the fan belt. Before starting the engine, bang loudly on the car hood for a few seconds to give a cat a chance to escape.

If you own a short-haired breed, consider getting a warm coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck for your dog. Look for one that covers the dog from the base of her tail on top to the belly underneath. While this may seem like a luxury, it is a necessity for many dogs.

Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold. The animal could freeze to death.

If your dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take him outdoors only long enough to relieve himself.

Puppies do not tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs and may be difficult to housebreak during the winter. If necessary, paper-train your puppy inside if he appears to be sensitive to the weather.

Antifreeze, even in very tiny doses, is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Unfortunately, because of it’s sweet taste, animals are attracted to it. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle. To prevent accidental poisonings, more and more people are using animal-friendly products that contain propylene glycol instead of traditional products containing ethylene glycol. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (1-888-4-ANI-HELP) if you suspect that your animal has been poisoned.

Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter. Leave the coat in a longer style for more warmth. Remember that such a style will require more frequent brushing due to dry winter air and static electricity. When you bathe your dog, completely dry her before taking her out for a walk.

Make sure your animals have a warm place to sleep far away from all drafts and off the floor, such as in a dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow in it.

Infants and Young Children

Animal Safety Tips

Infants and children less than 5 years old are more likely than most people to get diseases from animals. This is because young children often touch surfaces that may be contaminated with animal feces (stool), and young children like to put their hands in their mouths. Young children are less likely than others to wash their hands well. Objects such as pacifiers may fall to dirty surfaces and then be placed in an infant’s mouth. For some animal diseases, young children are more likely than others to get very sick.

Tips to protect infants and young children from getting sick while handling animals:

• Children younger than 5 years old should be supervised while interacting with animals.
• Children should not be allowed to kiss pets or to put their hands or other objects into their mouths after handling animals.
• Childrens’ hands should be washed thoroughly with running water and soap after contact with animals.
• Handwashing prior to breast feeding or preparation of formula is strongly recommended.