We all love spending the long, sunny days of summer outdoors with our furry companions, but being over-eager in hot weather can spell danger.
Voted the #1 local Animal Hospital since 2010, Park Avenue Animal Hospital has been providing a wide variety of services to help keep your pet safe and in the best of health. To help aid pet owners, they offer a few safety tips to assure a happy and healthy pet.
•Summer is here and pets can dehydrate quickly. Provide them with plenty of water. Offering dogs (and cats) ice water is a healthy way to keep them hydrated.
•Watch the humidity. Remember that it’s not just the ambient temperature, but also the humidity that can affect your pet. Animals pant to evaporate moisture from their lungs, which takes heat away from their body. If the humidity is too high, they are unable to cool themselves and their temperature will skyrocket to dangerous levels – very quickly.
•Consider using a pet cooling wrap, vest or mat and keep fresh water readily available.
• With warm weather comes insects, including fleas and mosquitoes, which can cause heartworms. Consult your veterinarian about the best preventatives for your pet and make sure you know the symptoms of tick-related disease in your pet.
•Bring your own water and dog bowl on outings. Dogs can share germs and viruses with each other by drinking from each other’s water.
•Never use fireworks around your pet. This can cause extreme injury if your pets are exposed to the flames, and keep in mind that loud noises give many pets extreme anxiety.
•Make sure your pets have a shady place to get out of the sun and be careful not to over-exercise them. You need to keep them indoors when it’s extremely hot.
•If you are grilling, be sure your grill is stable and won’t tip or fall over if your pet reaches for a “snack”. Place all trash in covered bins to keep any tasty leftovers from becoming a hazard to your pet.
•If you take your pet to the beach, keep in mind that dogs can sunburn, so watch their sun exposure. Don’t let dogs drink sea water, it could make them sick, and rinse your pets off at the end of the day to remove the extra salt off their coat.
•Stay on grassy surfaces and avoid hot pavement. It absorbs the heat and ends up staying hot for hours, even after dusk. Check the pavement for heat before taking your dog on a walk. Place your bare foot on the surface for 5-10 seconds. If it is too hot for you, then it’s too hot for your pet.
•Hurricane season is here. Make sure to include your pet in your hurricane preparedness plans, including medications they might need.
•Never leave your pet in a car with the windows up or even if they are cracked open. Temperatures in a car can soar to deadly levels in as little as a few minutes.
Park Avenue Animal Hospital has a special place in their hearts for all animals, furry, feathery, or scaly. With more than 40 years of combined quality veterinary experience, the doctors have gone well beyond standard veterinary education and practice to further their knowledge of animal care to include reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, birds, guinea pigs, and more. Whether it’s an annual checkup or a critical emergency, they are prepared to handle any situation.
Since opening in August of 2008, their goal has remained the same: To provide affordable healthcare for pets without sacrificing quality medicine, and to provide consistent, reliable information for pet owners to help them make the best decisions for their pets’ health. They’re fully equipped with diagnostic and surgical tools to meet practically any situation; they provide reasonably priced medical and surgical care without sacrificing quality, in a setting designed to take the stress out of visiting your vet.
Routine examinations, vaccines, dentistry, and nutritional and behavioral advice are just some of the services provided by the doctors and staff in a beautiful office that is as comfortable as your own home.
Park Avenue Animal Hospital is conveniently located at 847 N. Park Avenue (Rock Springs Road) in Apopka. Call today at 407-880-9446 to schedule an appointment or visit them online at www.parkavenuevets.com.
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