Summer survival guide

Summer’s on its way! Prepare your pet for the warmer weeks ahead.

Grooming to remove the build-up of winter undercoat using a Furminator, available from the surgery; you should be able to see nice, healthy clean skin with the hair tangle free.

Grass seeds of the meadow grasses become easily attached to dogs’ coats and can work their way into the pads causing abscesses or become trapped in dogs’ ears, usually causing severe head shaking.

Pets (especially cats) with white ear tips and noses are at risk of sunburn which can lead to cancerous changes. High factor sunblock applied to white areas of skin will help in minimising this risk.

Flies pose a huge risk for rabbits. Rabbit rear ends often become damp and this moist area attracts flies which lay their eggs there; these develop into flesh eating maggots. This is a very serious condition. Examine rabbit rear ends daily in the summer for eggs and maggots. Call us at once if worried.

On a warm day cars heat up like ovens so don’t take your dog along for the ride. If it’s very warm outside and you’re going out in the car, think very carefully about what you are going to do with your dog. You should never leave a dog alone in a car. It can get unbearably hot in a car on a sunny day, even when it’s not that warm. In fact, when it’s just 22°C/72°F outside, the temperature inside a car can soar to 47°C/117°F within 60 minutes. See FAQ

The risks of dogs swimming in natural water includes leptospirosis in water contaminated by the urine of affected rats, the dangers of blue-green algae toxicity generally in stagnant water, salt toxicity in sea water  and the risks of currents. By all means do swim your dog but be careful where you do so: a shallow slow-flowing river should be safest as flowing water is less likely to be contaminated or toxic than still water. Vaccination against leptospirosis or Weill’s Disease is available from the surgery.

Dogs and cats are by nature inquisitive and are likely to be stung by bees and wasps. Stings can swell alarmingly. Prompt veterinary attention may be required because some pets, like humans, are allergic to stings.

Kennels or catteries should be chosen and booked in advance and the catteries and kennels vaccination requirements, including that for Kennel Cough (KC) for dogs, must be checked. KC vaccination needs to be done at least two weeks before entering the kennels.

The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) is the system that allows pet dogs, cats and ferrets to holiday in EU countries and return with them to the UK without going into quarantine. It takes at least 7 months before everything can be organised. This is too late for a summer break now but consider a PETS passport for a break in the New Year with your pet. See FAQ

Anxiety, excitability and nervousness can contribute to travel and motion sickness in dogs and cats causing anxiety, distress, excessive salivation and vomiting. Our veterinary surgeon can prescribe very effective medications to control this.

Don’t forget to keep treating pets regularly against fleas, ticks and worms.

Finally, please telephone us or call in for any further help and advice.