Sunburn

Pet suffer from sunburn too, especially pets that have hair loss due to allergies, hot spots, surgical preparation, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.  In pets, sunburn can appear as red skin or hair loss.  Sunburn can irritate or exacerbate existing conditions, such as allergies or hot spots.  Many people have their pet’s fur trimmed to help them manage in hot weather but this can make them more susceptible to sunburn, groomers should warn pet owners of this possibility.

Provide protection from the sun – sunscreen can and should be used on our pets.  Sunscreen can be applied to the bridge of the nose, ear tips, skin surrounding the lips, and any area where pigmentation is low.  Animals that have white fur, pink skin, light coloured noses or thin, very short or missing fur are most in need of protective sunscreen or sun block.  The groin, inside legs and abdomen may also need sunscreen because hair tends to be very thin in these areas and ultraviolet light can reflect off of certain surfaces to affect that skin.  There are sunscreens  created specifically for pets. 

 Heatstroke

Cats, dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs do not sweat through their skin like humans, so they are not as efficient at cooling down.  They pant to release heat and they sweat through the foot pads and nose.  Limiting the amount of time a pet spends outdoors during the hottest hours of the day is important.  Certain types of pets are more sensitive to hear and therefore, more susceptible to heatstroke including overweight and obese pets, very young and very old animals and brachycephalis (short-nosed) breeds of cats and dogs such as Persians, Pugs, Bulldogs and Boston Terriers.  Signs of heatstroke include excessive panting, dry or tacky and dark red tongue and gums, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy or collapse of body temperature of greater than 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Farenheit).  In rabbit, laboured breathing , flaring of the nostrils and distress are all signs of heat stress.  Some animals can recover fully from heat stoke if it is caught early enough and treated appropriately.  Others may suffer from seizures and permanent organ damage and require lifelong treatment.  Sadly, many pets do not survive heat stroke.  Prevention is the key.

How to prevent heatstroke – take early morning and evening outdoor play and walks and avoid vigorous exercise on warm days.  Ensure there is plenty of fresh drinking water, even ice cubes.  Reduce a pets body temperature using chilled wet towels.  Never leave an animal alone in the car even if the weather is not hot, the inside of the car acts like an oven and the temperature can rise to dangerously high levels in a matter of minutes.  Ensure there is access to cool shady areas to escape from the heat, even indoors.  Do not confine a pet to any room where the temperature may be especially high, such as a sunroom.  Groom more frequently in summer months to help remove excess hair.

Avoid Water Hazards

Even dogs that are good swimmers need to be protected around water. Animal life jackets can aid flotation and retrieval.  A ramp is an excellent accessory on a boat or a pool and could save the life of a pet that has fallen into the water unattended.  Toxic waters – blue-green algae can be found on the surface of warm, slow or still lakes, ponds and wetlands.  If faced with an accidental ingestion of toxic algae water, immediately wash off the pet’s coat (to prevent self cleaning contamination) and take to the vet if there are any troublesome signs.

Parasite Infestations

Fleas, ticks, lice and mites are just some of the parasites that are abundant in the summer.  Adult fleas spend most of their time on an animal, but flea eggs, larvae and pupae are most often found in the pet’s environment. 

Prevention is better than cure but the steps are the same for a successful flea control programme.  You must treat the environment as well as the pet.  Ticks – as the weather gets warmer, people spend more time outdoors and ticks become more active.  Ticks can carry a number of infective organisms that can sometimes make people and pets ill and potentially cause serious medical problems.  How a tick is removed is extremely important.  There are a number of tick removal tools on the market.  All claim to be safe and efficient but proper use is vital. 

Thursday, April 7 05:08 pm Yahoo News 

Animal experts are warning dog owners to learn how to spot the tell-tale signs of a killer parasite which is spreading at an “alarming rate” around the UK.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20110407/tuk-dog-owners-warned-over-killer-worm-dba1618.html

http://www.labrador-lifeline.co.uk/

Please be advised that Badger Setts and their surrounds are now being baited with sausages, jacket potatoes and other tasty morsels to attract Badgers.  Sadly it will also attract your dog.  These items are being laced with Paracetamol which, if ingested by your dog in the first instance will cause D & V.  If you think your dog may have been nosing around a known Badger sett or trail and develops symptoms – don’t hesitate get it to a vet and mention Paracetamol.  This is the latest way of destroying Badgers – other ways are the use of rat poison and strychnine.  We are aware of one Labrador death already.

Missing since the 15th March from the Abbey Road area in Popley, Basingstoke, if you recognise her or have any information, please contact us.
 
Thank you for your help.
 

I often watch my humans and wish I could be like them too. They seem to have such a fun life.

Wishful Westie Wendy x

Dear Wishful Wendy,
Being a human is not all it’s cracked up to be you know. They don’t have the fun we have. Last week my Dad was watching a ‘documentary’ on the TV where 22 men were running about a big field with only one ball to play with between them. But worse than that, there were thousands of other humans just sat watching at the sides and all around and they didn’t even get to touch the ball. Now if that had been us dog’s we would have all brought a ball each to play with or at least one between two! My dad was shouting at the TV and I tried to get him to let me in the garden and I would have shared my ball with him but he was too busy to notice.
And also humans have so many more rules than us. It’s great to be a dog because:

• We can scratch ourselves in public, no matter where it itches,

• We can roll on our backs, showing our bare tummies and our nether regions without being considered rude.

• We never have to pay for dinner or provide presents for people out of our ‘own’ money. But we still get all the cuddles just because the card say’s it’s from the dog.

• We can spend hours just sniffing stuff and still not get bored.

• We are always excited to see the same old people. They only have to leave the room for 5 minutes and come back again and we greet them ecstatically.

• We can pass wind in public and we don’t blush.

• If we gain weight it’s someone else’s fault.

• We don’t need a varied home entertainment system or play station, an old bone or a shoe can keep us occupied for hours.

And finally it’s great to be a dog because we never have to brush our own hair.

Love from Jasper x

Friendly, maybe, but no matter how friendly, that dog is definitely bad mannered and poorly trained.

Now here is where I defend the owner, I am the owner of a mostly very well behaved retriever or at least I was until many good meaning people rewarded his bad behaviour or actively encouraged his bad behaviour.

One of these being ‘jumping up’.

This was very quickly taught by various people allowing him to jump up at them and then cuddling and fussing him. Jasper now will often try his luck at someone because as a dog he is a chancer. Maybe this time it will get him the reward he wants, maybe that biscuit or even just a big fuss. No matter that 8 out of 10 times it just gets him nowhere, he still tries his luck!

Jasper does not jump up at us and members of our family and he now has to re-learn that he cannot jump up at anyone else either.

So what can we do as dog owners and members of the public?

Firstly, keep your dog under control and if you can’t when there are people are around then you should put your dog back on the lead. Keeping the dog focused on you during the walk is the best distraction, make yourself fun to be with. Carry something your dog enjoys maybe a ball, or even just a squeaky toy that will grab your dog’s attention. And when he does come back make it fun, with a game, a fuss or a treat. Try to vary it rather than just a treat every time. The dog may well weigh up the options and go , “well I’d rather run over to that person they may have something far more for me!”

And sadly sometimes the well-meaning member of the public does! A lovely big fuss or a treat , lots of kind words, all making the running off a rewarding experience.

It can be difficult for us as walkers when we have new or young dogs out for the first few times. Until that dog learns which ‘pack leader’ it is out with, he may wander off to join other groups. Our regular dogs will not go off after another person or dog, if we pass another dog they may say hello and then as we walk on our dogs walk on. We do not want to get into a game of chase after the new dog and we rely on that dog seeing that we are more fun to be with than the stranger so the last thing we want is for other dog owners or members of the public to make a massive fuss, particularly of the puppies when they approach them. By all means if we have approached, ask the dog to sit and ONLY when in the sit position give any type of attention. If the dog starts demanding, the attention must stop. And never offer a dog that’s not yours treats, firstly it makes it nigh on impossible to get the dog to come away from the treat supplier but you are also in danger of being’ mugged’ for treats next time the dog see’s you out.

The dog really needs to listen to our terms, as a well mannered dog will benefit from far more fussing than an unruly one.