Summer brings special hazards to our furry friends

We are all happy to get outdoors as the weather warms up. Fluffy and Rover are no different. But whether it’s an outdoor escape for Fluffy or a jog in the park for Rover, the warm weather presents challenges for our pets.

We asked Providence veterinarian Dr. Jane Linden, owner of the Providence River Animal Hospital, for advice about warm-weather care for our furry friends. Linden graduated from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. She founded PRAH in 2004, and has two dogs and a cat of her own.

Summer poses more health threats for our pets than any other season, Linden said.

“The most horrific and scary is when people leave their pets in a closed car,” she said.

Linden explained that even if it’s a pleasant 65 degrees outside, a car heats up quickly – and can be a brutal 100 degrees or more in no time.

Running with a dog is fun, but it can be dangerous too. If the dog hasn’t run in months, Linden said, he could be in danger of overheating and collapsing. Dogs with short noses and long nostrils, in particular, have a lot of issues. They need air conditioning in the summer.

“Heat stresses a pet,” she said. Try to keep them cool and offer plenty of water. They don’t have sweat glands, so they have to pant. Shade is important, too.

Other summer hazards

for our beloved pets?

Eating things: “We see a lot more foreign-body ingestion in summer,” Linden said. For example, people give their dogs corncobs to chew on, and the dog will swallow some of the cob. That can be very dangerous: Dogs can’t digest the cob and chunks block their digestive track, she said. Watch what your pet is eating.

Toxic plants: Toxic plants can harm both dogs and cats. Be careful indoors and outdoors. Linden used lilies as an example of a toxic landscaping plant that is also seen in indoor floral bouquets.

Pests: “We see ticks on dogs year-round, so we recommend prevention year-round,” she said. Cats should have tick and flea prevention if they go outdoors – or are likely to “escape” now and then. But even indoor cats should have flea and heartworm prevention, because those two problems can be picked up indoors.

“If you have a mouse inside your house, your cat could end up with fleas,” Linden said.

Thunder and fireworks: Dogs can have thunderstorm anxiety. “Thundershirts help a little. So does an owner being home. But thunderstorms [often] hit in the middle of the day, and there’s nothing you can do,” Linden said.

Thundershirts are a product for dogs and cats that help reduce stress and anxiety from loud noises.

And now that some fireworks are legal in Rhode Island, that noise is becoming a problem for pets, too.

“You don’t just hear fireworks on July Fourth. They go on before and after,” Linden said, causing agitation for many pets.

FRAN OSTENDORF is the editor of The Jewish Voice.