Summer’s here! That means warmer temperatures, more daylight (hooray for that!), and the meat of the baseball season. It also means there’s dangers to be aware of so you can keep your beloved puppies and kitties living their best lives. Healthy, happy, and adorable!
Here are 4 things to watch out for this summer.
1. Sunscreen. While us humans may opt to use sunscreen to keep sun exposure to a minimum (personally, I go from pale to beet red in mere minutes) it’s important, no matter how much we love our puppy kisses, to be sure they don’t lick anything with sunscreen on it (like our faces or legs) and be extra sure you don’t leave any tubes of it lying around where they can use it as chew toy.
Symptoms: Ingestion can cause, vomiting and diarrhea. While most problems are minor, excessive ingestion can be dangerous, so be careful.
2. Blue-Green Algae. If you and your pups love hiking this time of year (we sure do) watch out for this stuff as you get close to ponds, lakes, or creeks. You’ll see it floating on the water’s surface. While all this stuff isn’t toxic, it’s impossible to tell just by looking at it, so be safe and steer clear of it.
Symptoms: Muscular paralysis and death can occur with high levels of ingestion, so this is serious stuff. If your dog shows no symptoms within 4-6 hours, it’s unlikely they were exposed to a toxic amount, but who wants to wait around and find out? Just keep away.
3. Lilies. These are especially bad for cats. They’re common in bouquets but are also used as houseplants and grown in gardens. Cats can be exposed by chewing any part of the plant, grooming pollen off their fur, or even drinking the flower’s vase water.
Symptoms: Excessive urination can be a sign. If you notice that, it’s important to maintain hydration.
4. Mushrooms. Our wet winter has resulted in mushrooms popping up in unexpected places. There’s a very wide variety of types with various issues related to each of them, so the easiest thing to do is just avoid them whenever possible.
Symptoms: The vast majority of mushroom exposures will result in relatively minor digestive issues, however there are some types that can cause much more serious issues including liver and renal failure, and death. Also, if you have some “special” mushrooms lying around the house, be sure to keep them out of reach of your pet. They don’t need that kind of therapy.
Of course, keeping these 4 things in mind doesn’t mean forgetting about your usual parasite prevention (this has been a particularly nasty tick season) and if you have any reason to think your pet may have gotten into something toxic, please do not hesitate to call us at 510-278-8440.
Recent Comments