Pet Tips: Safe Summer Fun

As many pet owners fire up the grill for the July 4th weekend and beyond, it’s only natural to want to involve your pets in your backyard festivities. Follow these simple rules from Angell Animal Medical Center’s Emergency and Critical Care Service to keep your pets safe and happy during these summer events.

Heat Stroke: Pets are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Try to exercise pets in the early morning or late evening when the weather is cool. Walk dogs on softer ground such as dirt trails or grass instead of hot blacktop or cement sidewalks, which can burn their paws. And remember your pet’s breed – dogs with short noses like Pugs and Bulldogs are more susceptible to breathing difficulty in hot weather. Provide them with shade and plenty of clean water to drink. Never leave your pet in your car.

Backyard BBQ: Keep tasty, non-food items like bones, corn cobs, peach pits, barbecue skewers, foil, and string out of your pet’s reach before they can end up in their stomach. Be careful not to let grease and meat drippings spill onto gravel, as a dog might lick and swallow these foreign objects. Securely place all trash in garbage bins to prevent your pet from eating tasty – but dangerous – “leftovers”.

Fireworks: While enjoying the fireworks, remember that those explosions and flashes can stress your pet and negatively affect their behavior. It is important to keep your pets indoors and away from crowds during a fireworks display to avoid any incidents with other pets or people. Find a quiet area for your pet indoors and turn on the tv or radio to help reduce the ability for him to hear the fireworks. If you know that your dog responds very poorly to fireworks, talk to your vet about ways to reduce your pet’s stress.

Guests: Speak with guests about what your pet can and cannot eat. Several foods to avoid include fatty sausages (pancreatitis), chocolate from s’mores (chocolate toxicity), raisins and grapes (kidney failure), garlic, onions and chives (anemia and kidney failure), and wild mushrooms (mushroom toxicity can prove fatal to certain dog breeds).

Gardens: Keep your pet away from garden poisons including compost, cocoa mulch, toxic plants, and slug bait.

Cars: Keep your pet in a secure location to avoid car accidents or deadly antifreeze ingestion (ethylene glycol toxicity).

Fire: Pets can be badly burned in pit fires and camp fires. Do not allow your pet near any open flames.

Other Pets: Before bringing your pet to a barbecue or allowing guests to bring theirs, make sure you know if all of the animals will get along. When it doubt, leave your dog where he is safest: at home!

Open Windows and Doors: If you plan to open up your windows and doors, be sure to keep screens in place so that your pet does not go outdoors unnoticed. It is also important to keep screens in place and your pet off of balconies to avoid falls that can prove fatal.

Angell Animal Medical Center (617 522-7282) is open 24×7 if your pet is in need of immediate medical care.