Summertime Safety Tips

Summer is officially here! Whether your floofin is a pup who will be spending more time outdoors or an indoor floofin, there are some safety considerations to keep in mind for everyone. Familiarize yourself with basic pet first aid, and keep a first aid kit nearby and in your car if you’ll be going on adventures with your four-legged friends.

Check out our tips below to help keep all of your floofins safe this summer

Temperatures

As the temperature rises, be sure to keep an eye on all your floofins! Monitor dogs while outside to make sure that they’re not getting overheated. Pups with darker or heavier coats will overheat more quickly than those with lighter coats. Dogs who enjoy being active must be watched especially carefully; black and chocolate labs are particularly susceptible to overheating, as they don’t seem to come with an off switch.

On days where the temperature is over 80 degrees, be more vigilant. Limit exercise to a brief walk or backyard time. Keep cool water available to pups while outside, and try to keep them off hot surfaces, like asphalt driveways. Of course, we all know that one dog who has a double coat and enjoys baking on the driveway during 95 degree days – just monitor them and bring them in the house to cool down after a few minutes. 

Indoor pets face temperature challenges, too! Be sure to keep all small mammal, bird, and reptile enclosures out of direct sunlight to prevent overheating. Check to confirm that they are also away from vents so that the AC isn’t blasting them. Monitor reptile habitats at least once a day to be sure they are maintaining the correct temperatures. Adjust lights as needed – for instance, you may have to raise or lower your heat lamp, depending on what temperature you keep your house in the summer. In the event of a power outage, make sure you have a way to keep your indoor pets cool, whether by opening all the windows to create a draft or putting ice packs in their habitats.

Outdoor pets need to keep cool, too! Chickens can easily overheat and should have plenty of shade. You can put ice in their water and a fan in one section of the run (make sure they have an area of the run that is out of the draft in case they don’t like it.) If you have windows in your coop, keep them open but make sure they are predator-proofed with hardware cloth.

Of course, keep plenty of fresh, cool water available for all animals.

Accidental Escapes

There’s probably a lot more activity in your house during the summer, whether the kids are running in and out of the house with their friends or you have company over. Be sure that none of your indoor pets become outdoor pets! Teach your kids caution when entering or exiting the house, and hold onto any pets who might try to sneak out. If your floofins doesn’t normally wear a collar in the house, consider changing that during the summer months. We recommend breakaway collars to prevent accidental strangulations, but a collar will make an escaped pet easier to secure and be returned home. Also be sure your floofin is microchipped.

If taking a small mammal out of its habitat to play in the house, be sure the room is secure. If you have birds, make sure all windows have screens and that they’re intact. Never take small animals outdoors unsecured – not only will they be nearly impossible to recover if they escape, domestic animals like hamsters and ferrets wreak havoc on local ecosystems. 

We really recommend that all cats be indoor-only cats unless they are being walked on a lead. Summer is an especially dangerous time for outdoor cats. The possibility of injury or death increases in the warmer months due to encounters with cars or wild animals. Outdoor cats also pose a huge threat to local wildlife, especially birds. 

Insects

Ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, and bees are at their peak in the summer! Make sure your floofin is protected. Flea prevention medication, whether oral or dermal, is a must for any animal that goes outside. In addition to the threat to your pet, fleas multiply indoors very easily and can quickly become an embarrassing infestation that is expensive and difficult to eliminate. These medications often protect against ticks and mosquitoes as well.

This year is particularly bad for ticks, and as climate change continues, the worse tick season will become. Know how to remove ticks. We recommend this tick remover, which we personally use. Be aware that ticks can come into the house with your dog or even you, then drop off and find your indoor cat, so be sure to check your feline friends often for unwanted insects.

If you do find an engorged tick on your pet, remove it and put it in a plastic baggie. Tick identification is important because different species can carry different diseases, which are all transmitted in various lengths of time. Call your vet if you pet shows any sign of illness or if there a rash or redness around the bite. 

Bee stings in dogs are very common. If your pet gets stung, monitor them for any reaction, such as trouble breathing or inflammation around the sting. If you see any sign of distress, take your pet to the emergency vet immediately. 

The biggest threat when it comes to bees are the ground-dwelling species. Check your yard periodically for any sign of bees that are entering and exiting holes in the ground and either block off that section of your yard or call an exterminator. Many dogs will be attracted to the activity and try to dig, which will stir up the bees. Next thing you know, you have a dog covered in bees and frantically trying to escape! 

If you find yourself in that situation, the best thing to do is remain calm and get your dog into an enclosed area. Using a towel, wipe all the bees off its fur and then head to the vet.

Water

When it comes to backyard pools, assume the same practices that you would with a toddler. While most dogs can swim, they can easily become tired or have trouble getting out of a pool. Make sure your pup can’t access any pool; double-check that gates leading to the pool are secured before you let them out. Some dogs can climb ladders, so remove or block the ladder to an above-ground pool. 

Enjoying creeks, rivers, and lakes with your pup is always fun, but take some basic precautions before jumping in. Fit your pup with a life jacket any time it will potentially be in water or on a watercraft, and always supervise them. Be aware that loose rocks, broken glass or wire, and even wild animals may be lurking under the surface of even a shallow creek, so scout out the water before letting your floofin splash.

Other Outdoor Threats

During the summer months, lots of stuff on the ground is attractive to your pet. Food scraps, candy, garbage, lawn chemicals, and poisonous plants are all a danger during the summer. Unattended grills can be irresistible, but have the danger of tipping over on your pup if it tries to steal a snack. Chicken bones or rib bones in garbage cans during a cookout can become a choking or splintering hazard.

If your dog loves to eat things it shouldn’t, make sure you’re training them “leave it” and “drop it.” Again, if your pup ingests something that makes it ill, call your vet.

Keep dogs away from all chemicals. Whether you treat your lawn or spray weeds (neither of which we recommend if you have pets) or add chemicals to your pool, dogs love to investigate. Keep all chemicals stored out of reach, preferably up high. Even oil and gas for the lawn mower should be kept away from pups, so always close and secure everything after you finish using it.

Most importantly, do not use mouse or rat poison and encourage your neighbors to use alternate pest control methods as well. If your dog gets into the poison or eats a rodent that ingested poison, that can mean big trouble and you should head to the vet immediately.

Final Thoughts

Keep all your floofins safe this summer! Remember to keep them cool, provide fresh water at all times, be aware of the various dangers insects present, and protect them from outside dangers such as pools, chemicals, and discarded food. With some basic prevention, you can enjoy the sun without any worries!