March 20, 2014, is spring! Yippee! Temperatures will be climbing and outdoor activities will return. We can’t wait!
But there are also some potential dangers for your pet you need be aware of. Is he ready for spring weather? To prepare your furry friend, here are five questions to ask:
1. Is my dog on heartworm medication?
One of the single, largest dangers to the health of household pets is Dirofilaria immitis, or heartworm. Spread through mosquito bites, these parasitic worms can significantly harm the health of any animal infected. Northeast Ohio can be a mosquito heaven! Owners should be proactive and get their pets back on heartworm prevention medications if they were taken off them during the winter months.
“Heartworms are carried by mosquitos when temperatures are above a certain degree,” Associate Veterinarian at Central Pennsylvania Emergency Treatment Services, or CPVETS, Dave Allgeier said. “Average temperatures have to be above 55 or 60F for an extended period of time before mosquitos can become activated.”
Even though heartworm may not be as prevalent during the colder months of the year, it is still possible for animals to suffer from the infestation during the wintertime. Keeping pets on heartworm meds year round is something many veterinarians encourage.
2. Is my dog on flea and tick prevention?
During the wintertime, fleas are dormant outside, but when it gets warmer, they will be back!
However, these insects can still be seen all year-round, and once they are present, they are exceedingly hard to get rid of as they infest the animal and then can jump to humans.
Within five minutes of landing on an animal, they start eating and reproducing. Other than the direct effects of flea bites on both animals and people, the parasite can also carry a slew of diseases including the Bubonic Plague.
Ticks are a major concern for the spring season as the peak activity of the blood-sucking arachnid approaches.Their breeding season is late April, May, and June. Ticks can also transmit diseases including Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Fever.
With the peak season for ticks being spring, if you have not begun a course of prevention, now is the time! Contact your vet for the best approach for your pet.
3. Is your dog allergy prone?
With grasses, flowers and trees flowering out in the spring season, pets, like people, can suffer from seasonal allergies.
Pets will manifest allergies through the skin instead of their respiratory system. While there is typically no way to prevent seasonal allergies in pets, owners can keep an eye out for excessive scratching or ear troubles in their animal, as these can be classic signs of allergies. If allergies are suspected as the main cause of your dog’s distress, you should first rule out fleas and ear infections by taking them to the veterinarian. If allergies are the culprit, antihistamines can be prescribed to help the animal cope. Some vets can also recommend natural treatments for those who prefer to use a non-toxic approach.
4. Has Fido put on a little extra weight?
Just like people who tend to be less active in winter, so are pets! They are dependent on us for exercise, so if we have not been engaging in much outdoor play, neither have they. Pets tend to gain weight, too, but the warmer weather of the spring months means lots of opportunities for animals to shed that winter weight.
If you plan on including your dog in those early morning runs, start slowly and work up to an exercise regiment so as not to injure those ‘lazy’ legs or other areas which have literally laid dormant for a while!
Beware of increasing exercise too quickly, as animals can develop injuries from jumping into an exercise regiment too fast.
5. Is your dog microchipped?
With pets potentially spending more time outdoors, spring is the perfect time to contemplate getting a microchip for your pet. As spring ‘springs forth,’ your dog may feel the need to do some springing of his own, leading right out the fence gate! Here’s a report from Ohio State University [http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/shelterchip.htm] – very encouraging actually – about the benefits of microchipping:
Shelter officials housing lost pets that had been implanted with a microchip were able to find the owners in almost three out of four cases in a recently published national study. According to the research, the return-to-owner rate for cats was 20 times higher and for dogs 2 ½ times higher for microchipped pets than were the rates of return for all stray cats and dogs that had entered the shelters.
Microchip clinics are offered in Portage County at least a couple times during the summer. Check with your vet for dates. If you do not have a veterinarian, give Dr. Tiffany a call at Rootstown Veterinary Hospital. She works closely with area shelters and will be aware of services provided through them which are affordable, including spay/neuter programs for low-income families.
Everyone is so excited about spring! That includes your pets! Be sure they are ready for the fun. Don’t let them have to endure another harsh reality of nature, this time in the form of living parasites, allergies, or injuries. Taking these few precautions will greatly increase everyone’s chances of celebrating the end of one of the harshest winters on record!