7 Easy Tips to Get Your Pet Ready for the Summer

1. Make sure your Pet is up to Date on all their Vaccines and Vet Visits.

Pet health should be a top priority year-round, but it’s essential once summer rolls around. During the summer season, outdoor activities, pests, and socialization can expose your dogs or cats to a broad range of contagious diseases.

Prevention is key, so visit your vet for a well-check and to make sure your pet has all necessary vaccinations:

• • • Dogs should be vaccinated for rabies, bordetella, DAPP (distemper parvo), and leptospirosis.
    • Cats should be vaccinated for rabies and feline distemper, as well as a vaccination for feline leukemia if they spend time outside.

Be aware that if you’re planning to bring your pets to a boarding facility, updated vaccination records will be required – so get one step ahead and schedule a veterinarian visit now.

2. Keep them Cool with Proper Pet Grooming for Summer.

If you’re sweating it out this summer, just think how hot your fur-covered dogs and cats must be! There are some breeds with extremely thick, heavy coats and hair that absolutely must be groomed for warmer weather. But even for shorter-haired breeds, a summer cut can keep them comfortable and stylish for the season.

Summertime grooming for dogs is important to prevent overheating, even if they spend most of their day indoors. However, you’ll want to avoid giving them too close of a shave because then they’ll be at risk for sunburn in addition to overheating.

3. Stay on Top of Heartworm and Flea/Tick Prevention.

Flea and tick prevention, as well as heartworm medication, should be something you pay attention to all year. But sticking to a consistent regimen is especially important as you get your pets ready for summer.

Because pests like mosquitoes and ticks are particularly prevalent in warm weather months, your pet is at a higher risk of contracting infection and disease. Mosquitoes are capable of transmitting heartworm, while ticks and fleas can carry Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis, in addition to issues such as allergies, tapeworm infections, and dermatitis.

Thankfully, it’s easy to keep your pet healthy with simple preventative treatments. If you’re not sure which medications are right for your dog or cat, your veterinarian can offer suggestions.

4. Avoid Accidental Exposure to Toxic Products

When dogs and cats start spending more time outside, they can easily come into contact with dangerous substances. Add that to the increased presence of commonly-used seasonal substances such as fertilizers, insecticides, citronella products, and candles, and summer becomes a serious season for pet poisoning.

Ensure that all toxic products are securely stored so that your pet cannot come into contact with them.

5. Get your Pets Microchipped.

Your pet’s microchip may have been something they’ve had since adoption, but if not, now is the time to get one. Enjoying more outdoor playtime, traveling, and visiting friends and family for summer events all increase the risk of your pet getting lost. Even if you don’t consider your dog or cat an escape artist, you never know when they might surprise you – so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

A microchip is equipped with all the information needed to reunite you and your missing pet, should the unexpected occur. If you’ve recently relocated, make sure that the data has been updated.

6. Know how to Prevent and Recognize Overheating.

Here in Arizona, the 100-degree temperatures can be dangerous (and even deadly) for pets. Some simple preparation can help ensure that your pets stay safe and avoid heat exhaustion or heat stroke:

• • • Make sure that your pet always has access to a bowl of fresh, clean drinking water.
    • Shade should always be available for access while outdoors.
    • Never leave your pet in a parked car on a warm day – even a sunny spring day can turn a car into a dangerously hot and confined space.
    • Do not exercise your pet outdoors on extremely hot days, and avoid walking them on hot concrete and other surfaces.

A hot day in the desert can easily cause canine heatstroke, so being able to spot the early signs of heat exhaustion in pets can truly be life-saving. Here are some common symptoms of overheating in pets:

• • • Excessive panting
    • Dry, pale gums
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Increased (excessive) drooling
    • Rapid or erratic pulse
    • Extreme thirst
    • Weakness
    • Confusion
    • Vomiting or diarrhea
    • Hot to the touch

If you think your dog might be overheating, take their temperature: a normal body temperature for a dog hovers around 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Moderate heat exhaustion begins to set in at 103-106 degrees, with severe symptoms occurring at 106 degrees and hotter.

7. Consider making Doggy Daycare a new Summertime Tradition.

If you’re an Arizona resident, you already know that your time outdoors is usually pretty limited come June and July. Our extreme heat is difficult to endure, even for pet owners and animals who enjoy lots of sun. But that doesn’t mean your pet has to be stuck inside the house for months on end – why not get your pet signed up for doggy daycare?

At dog daycare, dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds get to play, exercise and enjoy socialization with fellow canines and friendly staff alike. It’s an easy way to give your dog a great place to stay active, even when temperatures soar. At facilities like Canine Country Club & Feline Inn, there are various program options to suit your dog’s unique needs.