***KEEPING YOUR PETS SAFE IN THE SUMMER***
** PLEASE DON'T WALK DOGS ON HOT PAVEMENT OR ASPHALT - if you can't leave
your hand on the surface for more than a few seconds, it's TOO HOT and can burn
your dog's paw pads.
**DON'T EVER LEAVE YOUR PET IN A CAR if the temperature is over 70 degrees!
Even with the windows cracked, your pet could die or suffer permanent physical injury.
If you can't take them with you wherever you are going, just leave them at home!
How hot does it get in a car, and how quickly?
"Never leave your pet in a parked car when the outside temperature is above 70 degrees.
Not even with the windows partway down, not even in the shade, not even for a quick
errand. Dogs and cats can't sweat like humans, so they pant to lower their body
temperature. If they're inside a car, recycling very hot air, panting gives no relief,
and heat stroke can happen quickly."
- Michael Dix DVM, Medical Director, Best Friends
Animal Society
"Heat stroke can permanently damage a pet's health very rapidly. The change of only
a few degrees to a dog's normal body temperature can quickly result in coma, organ
dysfunction, permanent brain damage or even death."
- Jules Benson DVM, Medical Director, Pet Plan
Pet Insurance
KEEPING PETS SAFE OVER 4TH OF JULY
Everywhere - July 5 is the busiest day of the year for animal shelters when they
are "inundated with pets that panicked at the noise of firecrackers and fled into
the night, winding up lost, injured or killed."
Like many Americans, you may be planning to have a festive Fourth of July. Along
with barbeques and day at the beach, no July holiday celebration would be complete
without enjoying the fireworks that celebrate the birth of our nation.
Perhaps you are considering staying at home and planning a get-together with friends
and family. Or, you may want to go check out your local professional fireworks display.
While putting the finishing touches on your planned celebration, take a moment to
consider your pets.
Unlike people, pets don't associate the noise, flashes, and burning smell of pyrotechnics
with celebrations. Pets are terrified of fireworks, and often panic at the loud
whizzes and bangs they produce.
The safest and best bet for celebrating this Fourth of July with your pets is to
exclude them from holiday festivities, at least this time around. Instead, find
a safe, secure spot in the home for your pets while you go out and enjoy the loud
bangs, bright lights and spectator fun. Your pets will appreciate the quiet a lot
more than you'll enjoy the noise.
Both the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and PAW
have listed ways you can prevent your holiday celebration from turning into a tragedy.
Here are 10 tips on how to keep your pet from panicking this Fourth of July weekend.
- Keep your Pet Indoors at All Times! It may seem obvious, but even if your pet is
used to being outside, the resulting panic caused by fireworks or other loud noises
may make them break their restraint or jump a fence in a terrified attempt to find
safety.
- Don't Put Insect Repellent on Your Pet that isn't Specifically for Pet Use. The
same tip applies to applying "people" sunscreen on your pet. What isn't toxic to
humans can be toxic to animals. The ASPCA lists the poisonous effects of sunscreen
on your pet as, "drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy."
DEET, a common insecticide, may cause neurological issues.
- Alcoholic Drinks Poison Pets. If your pet drinks alcohol, they can become dangerously
intoxicated, go into a coma, or in severe cases, die from respiratory failure. Yes,
even beer is toxic; fermented hops and ethanol are poisonous to dogs and cats.
- Going to a Fireworks Display? Leave Your Pet at Home. The safest place for your
pet is at home, not in a crowded, unfamiliar and noisy place. The combination of
too many people and loud fireworks will make your beloved pet freak out and desperately
seek shelter. Locking them in the car is also not an option; your pet may suffer
brain damage and heat stroke.
- Have Your Pet Properly Identified. If your pet manages to break loose and become
lost, without proper identification it will be that much harder to get them back.
Consider fitting your pet with microchip identification, ID tags with their name
and your phone number, or both. It is also a good idea to have a recent picture
of your pets in case you have to put up signs.
- Keep Your Pet Away from Glow Jewelry. It might look cute, but your pet could chew
up and swallow the plastic adornments. The ASPCA states that while not highly toxic,
"excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions,
and intestinal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic
containers."
- NEVER Use Fireworks Around Pets. While lit fireworks can pose a danger to curious
pets and potentially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face and paws,
even unused fireworks can be hazardous. Some fireworks contain potentially toxic
substances such as arsenic, potassium nitrate, and other heavy metals.
- Don't Give Your Pet "Table Food" If you are having a backyard barbeque, you may
be tempted to slip some snacks to your pet. But like beer and chocolate, there are
other festive foods that could harm your pet. Onions, coffee, avocado, grapes &
raisins, salt and yeast dough are all possible hazards for dogs and cats.
- Lighter Fluid and Matches Are Harmful to Pets. The ASPCA lists chlorates as a harmful
chemical substance found in some matches that, if ingested, can cause your pet difficulty
in breathing, damage blood cells or even cause kidney disease. If exposed to lighter
fluid, your pet may sustain skin irritation on contact, respiratory problems if
inhaled, and gastric problems if ingested.
- Citronella Insect Control Products Harm Pets, Too. Oils, candles, insect coils and
other citronella-based repellents are irritating toxins to pets, according to the
ASPCA. The result of inhalation can cause severe respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia,
and ingestion can harm your pet's nervous system.
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