Extra Things to Remember to Keep Dogs Healthy During the Summer

This posting is an addendum to the last posting on dog health. Since there are extra dangers in the summer, I thought I should remind you of them.

Dogs are wonderful additions to a family and are often treated as well as human family members. They become your best friend, companion, or even your furry child. Learning how to care for these beloved pets, especially during the summer's heat, is imperative to their good health and to lowering your veterinary bills.

Keep your dogs hydrated. Dogs can easily become dehydrated during the warm weather and it will happen more quickly depending on the thickness of their fur. Keep the water bowl in a visible place, such as the kitchen, so every family member will remember to check its fullness during the course of the day. If you are out walking, pack a cold water bottle just for your dog and stop often to encourage your dog to drink.

Every vet will encourage dog owners to take dogs for a walk to ensure good health, strengthen their bones, and help keep their nails trimmed, but use common sense during the summer. Shorten the length of your walk or break up a long walk into two shorter sessions especially if the temperature goes above 28 degrees Celsius ( 83 degrees Fahrenheit).

Be aware of the outside temperature and humidity. If you feel hot, do not forget that your beloved “Fido” is walking with a fur coat and will overheat easily. Walking in the early morning or late evening hours, when the sun is low in the sky, will often help keep dogs cooler.

Walk close to your house, so if you sense your dog is having problems you can turn around or call for help. Hiking paths and paved trails are wonderful resources but you will be stuck if your dog collapses in the middle of a trail that doesn't allow cars.

Take your dog's age and overall health into consideration when planning activities outdoors. Older dogs will tire and dehydrate more easily than younger dogs and these changes can appear without warning. Dogs can also develop seasonal allergies which can, in turn, affect their breathing ability, so keep a close watch on older dogs that seem to pant excessively.

Check for ticks daily. Ticks are small hard bodied insects that often carry Lyme's Disease and other tick borne illnesses. These insects are prevalent during the warm weather months in wooded areas or yards with tall grass and if they come in contact with your pet, they will bite the animal and make their way into your home. Obviously, ticks are more difficult to find on dogs with thick fur so really dig your fingers in to feel them and remove them as previously mentioned.

Do not leave any dogs in a locked car. Even with open windows, cars can heat to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit very quickly, which can cause severe trouble or even death for any pet. Note that the temperature inside a parked car will quickly reach more than one and one half times the temperature outside the car. So on a day when the temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature inside a parked car will be in excess of 120 degrees.

Using your common sense with your dog during the summer will eliminate emergency visits to the vet and will eliminate any stress your dog may feel, making for a much happier family life.

Until next time

Teia

Ear Infections in Dogs

Yes it's a picture of me, and yes, it's bigger than all the other blog pictures. But hey, what's the point of having your own blog if you can't use it to show how pretty you are?

Ear infections are something that I am familiar with as I have a lot of problems with my ears. Because mom and dad check them regularly, I don't have near as many infections as I used to have, thank goodness. They're pretty painful and they make you feel yucky.

Dog ear infections are also commonly called Otitis Externa. It is an infection of the outer ear canal. There are three parts to the ear, the outer, the middle, and the inner ear. Ninety percent of infections occur in the outer ear, the part of the ear that you can see.

Dogs are prone to ear infections because of the anatomy of their ears. They have a horizontal and a vertical component to them, so it is hard for anything in there to drain out, like water, ear wax or bits of debris.

Signs of an ear infection include excessive head shaking, whining and scratching at the ear(s), yellow to dark brown exudate in the ears, or a yeast like smell. Additional signs of ear infections include redness and swelling.

There are several causes of ear infections. The most common causes of ear infections are allergies. Some dogs are more prone to allergies than others. Therefore, they get more ear infections.

Another common cause is sporting dogs that swim. Also included here is over enthusiastic baths. In each of these cases, the dogs get water inside their ears and because of their anatomy, the water in the ears cannot drain out. This provides the perfect environment for bacteria and yeast to grow. It is recommenced that if you let your dog play in the water, you dry your dog's ears thoroughly afterward. Similarly, after a bath, you should check the inside of your dog's ears for moisture. If you detect any, thoroughly dry the inside of the ear.

If your dog does have an ear infection, it is important to properly clean your dog's ears before applying any medication.

To clean your dog's ears, start by placing a few drops of an ear cleanser, available at veterinarian's offices and most pet stores, into the ear and massage the ear to help loosen any debris that is in there. Then use a cloth, cotton swab, or cotton gauze to wipe the dirt out. (Use of Q-tips is not recommended as you could pack the wax or debris more tightly into the ear with them)

After your dog's ears are thoroughly clean, then you can apply your medication. Follow your veterinarian's advice about how much medication to apply to the ear, usually one or more drops.

The treatment your veterinarian will prescribe will vary depending on the cause of the ear infection. For yeast infections they prescribe an antifungal medication and for bacterial infections they will prescribe an antibiotic. Normally treatment is applied directly into the ears, but in severe cases systemic treatment may be needed. This usually means you have to give your dog pills orally.

In some dogs with severe ear problems, the veterinarian will usually clip the hair around the ear to help let more air into the ear. In extreme cases your veterinarian may recommend surgery to reconstruct the ear canal to let it drain more easily.

Dogs that are prone to ear infections include all breeds with large ears that flop over the ear canal and breeds of dogs that have a very small ear canal. By knowing what to look for, you can detect ear infections early when treatment is easier, less painful for your dog and less expensive for you.

Until next time,

Teia