Beware of summer!!!!

Beware of summer! Heat + humidity + carelessness = a disaster.

At this time of year when the heat increases every day and every moment it is important to take into account several considerations for the care of our pets and often go unnoticed in a consultation to the veterinarian since many times we focus on more serious problems or the moment and very little to prevent future complications.

First of all, we must always have our dogs in cool places where they have good ventilation, avoid closed places (like cars or kennels), the canines in their totality are very bad thermoregulators, that is to say they have a hard time maintaining an optimal temperature for their When they are exposed to sites such as those mentioned above, without going into greater physiological details, dogs do not have sweat glands on the skin except between the fingers and the nose. Reason why its temperature rises quickly in relation to the environment and then it is very difficult to lower it. This produces what we know as heat stroke or thermal shock. the signs are many and the quickest way to recognize it is because of the desperation of the animal to be ventilated through agitation and logically its high body temperature. Solution, submerge it in a tub of water leaving only the head outside of it so that it can breathe; the water must be at room temperature and do not use ice water or ice, as it can decompensate if it is not under medical supervision. And of course once we prevent the temperature from rising, we must call a Veterinarian !!! Already the Doctor who sees him will place the medicines he needs and will continue his evolution. I did not forget the cats, cats can also suffer from this problem, but it is rare because they do not expose themselves so much. Be careful because the larger our pets, the more frequent the problem becomes and logically we must not forget that if we have a brachiocephalic dog the risk increases exponentially. Many times depending on the environmental conditions, the time of day and the breed of dog that we have we can have this problem without our pet is in a closed place, so you always have to watch them and see that they can move through various environments for their comfort, we must also think that they should always have fresh and clean water to drink.

Second, be aware that at certain times of the day the temperature in the street is too high and the tracks and sidewalks are too hot, like when we walk on hot sand on the beach, then if we take our dogs for a walk we should make sure that they can walk without problems since many times the sidewalk at high temperatures can cause burns on the pads of the legs and create painful and in many cases complicated injuries. If we detect this problem when reviewing our pet the solution is to use a cold compress at the site of the injury and to prevent it from standing, with that we ensure that the tissue does not continue to suffer alterations by heat and recovery may be more fast And of course you have to call a Veterinarian !!!, since depending on the degree of the injury you may need intravenous rehydration and the wounds must be treated properly to avoid further complications. And in case anyone thought about it, I am NOT in favor of the use of shoes.

The third place has to do with the problems brought by humidity at this time of year, normally the heat disappears all traces of moisture, but sometimes due to bad handling such as bathing and not drying it well will bring us endless problems related to skin, such as infections on the skin or fungal problems, it is always good to dry them well and be aware that they do not have wounds or peeling on the skin. usually having a dryer and using it properly will suffice. And if they already appeared they already know You have to call a Veterinarian !!!.

A separate point to which I would like to refer related to all the above is when we are going to take our pet to be bathed, always try to remember that the fuller the business is, the more complications there may be, since there are usually few people who they work in these places and they do not give themselves when the place is full. I always recommend that you try to take your pets on days when it is unlikely that it is full or at best make an appointment to know how long our pet will be in the bathroom, if it is impossible to choose another day we should try In any case, take it to hours where the heat is already attenuated to minimize risks. In the bathrooms many accidents can happen, and many times we can prevent them by having a control of the business rush hour, your pet and the groomer will thank you. And always remember that when you send them to bathe, it IS NOT A NURSERY, I have seen dogs that are from 10:00 am until 5 or 6:00 pm because their owners went shopping or went to eat or the worst case was forgotten. Remember that in a business many times there is no time to be aware of whether you have water, food or if you need to go out to urinate, because everyone supposedly enters and finished the bathroom they go home. always remember that the care and prevention of accidents of our pets is our responsibility as owners.

Source, is my blogg too: https://hayquellamaraunveterinario.blogspot.pe/