Hot Weather Tips to Help Your Pet Stay Cool This Summer

Summer means enjoying the weather, and for most, with your pet! Remember to keep your pet healthy this summer by keeping them safe in the summer’s high temperatures.

 Here are just some of the ways you can help ensure your pets have a safe summer:

 Visit the Vet. A visit to the veterinarian for a spring or early summer check-up is a must. Make sure your pet is up-to-date on all necessary vaccinations. Pets should also be given a blood test for heartworm every year in the early spring. The deadly parasite is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, and it is recommended that dogs and cats be on a monthly preventive medication year-round.

 Keep Cool. Dogs and cats can become dehydrated quickly, so give your pets plenty of water when it is hot outdoors. Also make sure your pet has a shady place to escape the sun, and when the temperature is very high, don't let your dog linger on hot asphalt.

 Know the Symptoms. Some symptoms of overheating in pets include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, seizures, and an elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees. Summertime is the perfect time for a backyard barbeque or party, but remember to keep alcoholic beverages away from pets, as they can cause intoxication, depression, comas, or even death. Similarly, remember that the snacks you serve your friends should not be a treat for your pet; any change of diet, even for one meal, may give your dog or cat severe digestive ailments.” Avoid raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate and products with the sweetener xylitol.

 Water Safety is Pet-friendly. Do not leave pets unsupervised around a pool, as not all dogs are good swimmers. Introduce your pets to water gradually and make sure pets wear flotation devices while on boats. Rinse your dog off after swimming to remove chlorine or salt from his fur, and try to keep your dog from drinking pool water, which contains chlorine and other chemicals that could cause stomach upset.

 Source: http://www.aspca.org/about-us/press-releases/aspca-offers-hot-weather-safety-tips-help-pets-beat-heat-during-dog-and-cat

Christmas Pet Safety

“My pet would never eat food off the table!”

“My pet would never knock over the Christmas tree!”

“My pet would never bite someone!”

We all know our pets pretty well, but what we don’t always realize is that stress can make anybody do crazy things! When you have holiday guests or flashing Christmas lights or loud holiday music—or all of the above—at your house all at once, your pet may get stressed and frustrated, causing them to act out in unexpected ways. Most pet accidents are met with the statement, “He’s never done anything like that before!”

We recommend always making sure that your pet has a safe place to sit and relax during your holidays parties. Just like some people, pets need to get away from the action and de-stress, but most of the time they don’t know how to ask for their space. If your pet is comfortable in their crate, we recommend moving it into a quiet room and letting them spend some time resting during your holiday get-togethers. Your pet will be happier, and by extension, you and your guests will be happier! And holiday disasters will be prevented.  

Even Great Danes are tiny when they’re babies!

Dog-Friendly Treat Recipe

Here is a dog-friendly treat recipe that your canine companion is sure to love.
Holiday Dog-Friendly Treat Recipe:
ingredients
1 cup shredded roasted turkey meat
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 sweet potato--baked, skin discarded and potato coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce

directions
In a medium bowl, combine the turkey and breadcrumbs. Mix gently with your hands, then mix in the egg and sweet potato. Shape into two 1/2-inch-thick patties.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Top with the cranberry sauce and let your canine enjoy!

Holiday Cat-Friendly Treat Recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup of hamburger

½ teaspoon shrimp paste (see Asian food section of your local grocery store)

¼ cup shelled shrimp, washed in hot water, and minced

½ teaspoon catnip

Directions:

Mix shrimp paste with the catnip and then hand work it into the hamburger.

Add minced shrimp to the hamburger mix and make into little meatballs.

These can be fed raw, or baked at 425° F for 10 minutes.

Pets & Pool Safety

 Swimming is one of the most fun activities for a hot summer day, for people and pets! Just keep in mind that your pets need supervision just like your children. When you can’t be outside with them, keep your pool gates closed and locked to prevent unwanted swimmers from entering the area. Help keep your children and pets, and those who live in your neighborhood, safe! 

Happy Work Anniversary Judy!

Happy 14 Year Work Anniversary to Judy! The entire team at Animal Clinic Northview would like to thank Judy for the hard work and dedication she has displayed and for the wonderfully compassionate care she continues to show to the pets in our area!

Prevent your pet from starting fires

Extinguish open flames: Pets are generally curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, or even a fire in your fireplace. Ensure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flame before leaving your home.

Remove stove knobs: Be sure to remove stove knobs or protect them with covers before leaving the house – a stove or cook top is the number one piece of equipment involved in your pet starting a fire.

Invest in flameless candles: These candles contain a light bulb rather than an open flame, and take the danger out of your pet knocking over a candle. Cats are notorious for starting fires when their tails turn over lit candles.

Beware of water bowls on wooden decks: Do not leave a glass water bowl for your pet outside on a wooden deck. The sun's rays when filtered through the glass and water can actually heat up and ignite the wooden deck beneath it. Choose stainless steel or ceramic bowls instead.

Pet proof the home: Take a walk around your home and look for areas where pets might start fires inadvertently, such as loose wires and other potential hazards.

Keep your pets safe

Keep pets near entrances when away from home: When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.

Secure young pets: Especially with young puppies, keep them confined away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home, such as in crates or behind baby gates in secure areas.

Practice escape routes with pets: Keep collars and leashes at the ready in case you have to evacuate quickly with your pet or firefighters need to rescue your pet.

Consider using monitored smoke detection services: As an added layer of protection beyond battery-operated smoke alarms, smoke detectors connected to a monitoring center help save pets who can't escape when left home alone.

Affix a pet alert window cling: Write down the number of pets inside your house and attach the static cling to a front window. This critical information saves rescuers time when locating your pets. Make sure to keep the number of pets listed on them updated.

Pets & Cookouts

With summertime here, cookouts are in full swing! The food is great and the sun is hot!...but please remember to keep the safety of your pet in mind. Food at a cookout may taste great to you, but it’s extremely unhealthy for your pet, so please don’t feed them any table scraps. Any food that is not made for your pet…is not good for them. Keep your pet safe and healthy this summer season!

World Pet Memorial Day

Today is World Pet Memorial Day. Having a pet adds joy to a home and the experience of raising one is invaluable. World Pet Memorial Day is a time where everyone who lost a pet pays their respects to their departed friends and remembers the memories that was once shared with them. What can you do today to memorialize your beloved pets?

Pets In Cars

During the hot, summer months, please consider the safety of your pet when you take them for a ride in the car. Remember that even if you’re planning on running into a store for just a minute, it’s too dangerous to leave your pet in the car. Just a few minutes in a car during the summer months can raise the temperature to unbearable levels. Exposure to such extreme heat can result in heatstroke, which can cause brain damage or even death. Leave your pets at home in the air conditioning this summer.

June is Social PETworking Month

June is Social PETworking Month! This is a month designated to help pair families with homeless pets. The campaign allows Facebook, MySpace and Twitter addicts to put their hours online to good use by advertising adoptable pets to their networks to help get them seen and into loving homes. So if you know of any pets in need of good homes, take to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and get the word out this June!

June is National Microchipping Month

June is National Microchipping Month and we are encouraging microchipping and encouraging pet owners to check and keep their contact details up-to-date. Make sure your pet is protected with the Home Again microchip if they’re traveling with you this summer, or even if they just like to wander. Call us at 440-327-8282 for more details about the Home Again Microchip.

Pets & Fireworks

Animal Clinic Northview would like to remind you to be aware of your pet’s fears this season. As Memorial Day celebrations fill our town with the loud sounds of firecrackers exploding, we may find it exciting, but your pet may find it to be terrifying. Please keep your pet comforted by containing them in a relaxed environment, as far away from sudden and unexpected sounds as possible. If you need additional advice for dealing with pet anxiety, please let us know and we’d be happy to help. 

Pets & Swimming

Is your dog a swimmer? Remember to protect their ears from infection. Dogs can develop chronic “swimmer’s ear” from water that gets lodged in the ear canal after a dip in the water. Because of the shape of a dog’s descending ear canal, it is difficult for water to drip out. The moisture left over in the ear canal is the perfect environment for ear infections. After your dog is finished playing in the water, take a towel and gently cover your dog’s ear and gently shake their head. This will keep any excess water from settling in your dog’s ear canal. When bathing, water can get trapped in a pet’s ear canals and cause the same kind of infection. If your pet is still experiencing irritation, call us and we'll be happy to help in any way we can.

Pets & Heartworm

Warm weather means the return of mosquitoes and the heartworm disease that they carry. Because a single bite from a mosquito could transmit the deadly heartworm parasite to your pet, it’s important that your pet stay on a heartworm preventative at all times. We can’t prevent the mosquitoes from biting, but we can prevent their harmful effects. We would love to discuss heartworm prevention for your pet!

Pets & Cookouts

Did you know that some of the most common foods we eat during our cookouts are the most dangerous foods for our pets? Meat with bones in it, such as chicken and ribs, are extremely dangerous for our pets to get a hold of…bones can puncture the stomach and other organs if swallowed because they cannot be digested. Corn-on-the-cob can also be dangerous because dogs have been known to swallow the cob whole! What do you do to keep your dog busy with something else during the barbeque?

Pets & Easter Lilies

Lilies are a popular Easter flower, but did you know that they can actually be toxic to your pet? Like the Christmas poinsettias, lilies can attract the attention of your pet, especially cats, and then have a toxic effect when ingested. Keep those Easter lilies far from your pet's reach this season, or look into artificial options. The art of artificial flowers have gotten so advanced that your guests won't be able to tell the difference...and your pet will be safe.