*Updated for JULY, 2007* 

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Dog Days!

 

Three dogs in a very small pool

Sitting in cold water to get cool

A fun way to cool your pet

On hot days, keep them wet

The Retriever is named Goldie Locks

She likes her pool as much as walks

The Poodle is Miss Molly Brown

Fauna is the Irish Wolfe Hound

All three dogs love to get wet

A much larger pool, I must get

Jane Brodeur

 

Helping Pets Cope with Summer's Heat

In summertime, the living isn’t always easy for our animal friends. Dogs and cats can suffer from the same problems that humans do, such as overheating, dehydration and even sunburn. By taking some simple precautions, you can celebrate the season and keep your pets happy and healthy.
- A visit to the veterinarian for a spring or early summer check-up is a must; add to that a test for heartworm, if your dog isn’t on year-round preventive medication. Do parasites bug your animal companions? Ask your doctor to recommend a safe, effective flea and tick control program.
- Never leave your pet alone in a vehicle—hyperthermia can be fatal. Even with the windows open, a parked automobile can quickly become a furnace in no time. Parking in the shade offers little protection, as the sun shifts during the day.
- Always carry a gallon thermos filled with cold, fresh water when traveling with your pet.
- The right time for playtime is in the cool of the early morning or evening, but never after a meal or when the weather is humid.
- Street smarts: When the temperature is very high, don’t let your dog standing on hot asphalt. His or her body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn. Keep walks during these times to a minimum.
- A day at the beach is a no-no, unless you can guarantee a shaded spot and plenty of fresh water for your companion. Salty dogs should be rinsed off after a dip in the ocean.
- Provide fresh water and plenty of shade for animals kept outdoors; a properly constructed doghouse serves best. Bring your dog or cat inside during the heat of the day to rest in a cool part of the house.
- Be especially sensitive to older and overweight animals in hot weather. Brachycephalic or snub-nosed dogs such as bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers, Lhasa apsos and Shih Tzus, as well as those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible.
- When walking your dog, steer clear of areas that you suspect have been sprayed with insecticides or other chemicals. And please be alert for coolant or other automotive fluid leaking from your vehicle. Animals are attracted to the sweet taste, and ingesting just a small amount can be fatal. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 if you suspect that your animal has been poisoned.
- Good grooming can stave off summer skin problems, especially for dogs with heavy coats. Shaving the hair to a one-inch length—never down to the skin, please, which robs Rover of protection from the sun—helps prevent overheating. Cats should be brushed often.
- Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.
- Having a backyard barbecue? Always keep matches, lighter fluid, citronella candles and insect coils out of pets’ reach.
- Please make sure that there are no open, unscreened windows or doors in your home through which animals can fall or jump.
- Stay alert for signs of overheating in pets, which include excessive panting and drooling and mild weakness, along with an elevated body temperature.
Information courtesy of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, www.aspca.org.

 

Concerns for Summer Bunnies

by Kathy Smith

April is a big, beautiful bunny, always looking around and loves to play. She is available for adoptions at www.rabbitnetwork.org.

Summer is rapidly approaching and with its arrival come special problems for rabbits: heat/humidity, fleas, fly strike. While House Rabbits are less likely to be effected by these dangers than outdoor rabbits, they are not immune.
The most serious summer danger to rabbits is heat stress/stroke. Humans can change sweats to shorts and back on a daily basis, as temperatures dictate. Your rabbit wears a fur coat year-round and the change from winter to summer coat is a gradual process. Temperatures or heat index numbers above 90?F place your rabbit at risk for heat stress. If humidity is high, the heat index can rise to dangerous levels even when air temperature is 80?F or lower. Early signs that your rabbit is suffering from summer heat include lethargy, panting, and dehydration. Even if you see no signs of distress, a good rule of thumb is that if it feels uncomfortable to you, your rabbit may need help staying cool. Even if you can afford to “crank up the air-conditioning”, the suggestions that follow can help reduce utility bills and provide a backup plan in case of power loss.
Large blocks of ice can help keep your rabbit cool on hot days. Freeze water in one– or two–liter pop bottles and let your rabbit lie next to them. Keep several on hand for emergencies. If your rabbit drinks from a bowl, give him ice water on hot days. Lops will often lie with one ear in a bowl of cool water, since a rabbit’s ears help remove heat. If your rabbit is not a lop, mist his ears with cool water to help keep him cool.
If nights are cool, open the house and allow it to get as cool as possible. Your rabbit won’t mind and you can always put a blanket (or two) on the bed. In the morning, close up the house and pull blinds, shades, and drapes shut to keep the hot sun out.
If you don’t have air-conditioning, use a fan to circulate air or let it blow across an ice block to further cool the air. Don’t have the fan blow air directly on your rabbit. Make sure both the fan and cord are safely out of your rabbit’s reach. You can also set up a play area for your rabbit in the coolest area of your house. Rooms on the lower floors and room with high ceilings stay coolest. Basements stay quite cool, both because they are the lowest level and because they are earth-sheltered.
During hot weather, if you must transport your rabbit in a vehicle without air conditioning, wrap an ice pack, ice cubes or a frozen water bottle in a towel and put it into the carrier with your rabbit. Never leave your rabbit — or any other living creature — in a locked car on a warm day. Temperatures can rise to deadly levels (over 100?F) in a matter of minutes. If you come home to a warm house and find your rabbit is unresponsive, uncoordinated, or having convulsions, spray him with tepid (not cold) water and get him to a veterinarian immediately. Your veterinarian may need to give IV fluids and/or steroids. Heat stroke may do long-term damage to kidneys.
For the protection of all animals in your family, have your veterinarian treat your indoor/outdoor dogs and cats with products that prevent fleas. This will reduce the risk of your rabbit getting fleas. Watch all of your animals carefully and treat dogs, cats, and your environment at the first sign of fleas. You can treat carpets annually with the boric acid product made by Flea Busters (the only boric acid product proven safe for rabbits) or fenoxycarb (an insect growth regulator in the form of a synthetic hormone). Common table salt sprinkled on the carpet acts as a desiccant when it comes in contact with flea eggs or larvae, but it needs to be reapplied after vacuuming. For linoleum and other washable surfaces, use Murphy’s Oil Soap, a natural, vegetable-based soap that also acts as a flea repellent. Use hot, soapy water for bunny laundry.
If you discover just a few fleas on your rabbit, the safest way to get rid of them is to use a flea comb. Comb your rabbit thoroughly each day. Kill the fleas by dipping the comb in warm, soapy water and rinse the comb thoroughly before continuing to comb.
For a more severe case of fleas, consult your veterinarian. Topical products that are safe for kittens are usually safe for rabbits. Though they have not been tested on or approved for use in rabbits, kitten doses of Advantage® (a topical prescription treatment) and Program® (an oral prescription product) have been safely used by top rabbit veterinarians across the country. Frontline® and Sentinal® should never be used on rabbits.
We would all like to believe that our House Rabbits are completely immune from fly strike, but it only takes one fly to harm your rabbit. If you have a problem with flies, fly traps and fly paper are safe ways to reduce the number of flies. To minimize the problem, make sure screens are intact and encourage all family members to close doors quickly.
Flies are attracted to warm, moist areas and to odor. If your rabbit has been battling an intermittent wet or messy bottom, make a vet appointment now! If you have an outdoor play area for your rabbit, keep him inside until the problem is completely under control. While you and your veterinarian are identifying and treating the underlying problem, keep your rabbit as clean as possible. Ask your veterinarian about clipping or shaving the wet or soiled hair. I have found that keeping the area shaved (my veterinarian does this while I hold and comfort) helps keep bunny clean and dry. Frequent bathing is not a good idea since moisture itself can attract flies. If you must bathe your rabbit’s rear, dry the area a thoroughly as possible.
A wet bottom may be caused by urinary tract infections and/or bladder sludge. If a urinalysis rules out these causes, your rabbit may be unable to lift his tail away from the urine stream. This problem can be caused by injury or by any number of conditions including arthritis, spondylosis, or neurological damage from E. cuniculi. If your rabbit has an intermittent messy bottom, ask for a fecal test to rule out coccidia and clostridium, both of which can be easily treated. Your rabbit may be producing excess cecals or he may be having trouble reaching his cecals because of obesity and/or pain. Make sure your rabbit’s diet contains plenty of hay and limited sugars and carbohydrates. If your rabbit’s diet varies, keep a diary to see if you can correlate the messy episodes to specific foods. If so, discontinue those foods even if they are your rabbit’s favorites. Discuss your rabbit’s diet with your veterinarian and ask her about adding Prozyme (a digestive enzyme product). Prozyme has made a big difference for my rabbits.
Keep a watchful eye on your rabbit any time a stray fly is in the house. If your rabbit appears to have a seizure, check carefully for signs of maggot infestation. Maggots produce toxins that can quickly send a healthy rabbit into shock. Fortunately, however, rabbits have sensitive skin and may sometimes have a seizure as soon as the skin is irritated. If this happens to your rabbit, stay calm and get your rabbit to a veterinarian as quickly as possible.
Article Copyright - 2001 by Kathy Smith, courtesy of the House Rabbit Network, specializing in rabbit education and adoption. Serving New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, at www.rabbitnetwork.org.

 

Rural Vetrinary Services Get Grant

The Doris Day Animal Foundation, which provided the first-ever grant to The Humane Society of the United States’ Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) in 1995, is providing a grant of $50,000 this summer to provide veterinary care in areas of extreme poverty where veterinary care is difficult to obtain. The grant will fund the “Doris Day Veterinary Chair” and provide for an added veterinary team to cover more areas of the country, including reservations in Nevada and Washington and clinics in Mississippi.
Led by Dr. Eric Davis, a Northern California board-certified Specialist in both Large Animal Internal Medicine and Equine Surgery and veterinarian, RAVS continues to grow and address veterinary concerns from Appalachia to Micronesia, and often includes medical stays at Indian reservations across the United States. The grant from the non-profit Doris Day Animal Foundation will enable RAVS to add another veterinarian and vehicle to visit more rural regions this summer.
“RAVS is best defined as a mobile veterinary teaching hospital,” explains Dr. Davis. “It works to permanently improve animal welfare through comprehensive veterinary care for all animals and service learning for veterinary students.” RAVS must be invited into every community it serves, and works only in areas where geographic isolation and poverty makes other veterinary care unavailable. RAVS also responds to disasters, including the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
“Last year, RAVS provided some $1.1 million in free veterinary services to animals in need,” Dr. Davis adds.
Every RAVS clinic includes:
- Comprehensive veterinary care for each animal seen – including diagnosis and treatment of problems ranging from heartworm and mange to emergency surgery; Surgical training and instruction for approximately 35 veterinary students;
- One-on-one humane education for every pet owner – focused on the individual needs of their animal;
- Support for local animal protection efforts through training and consultation.
Dr. Leo Egar will be retained thanks to the Doris Day Veterinary Chair. Plans are for Dr. Egar to lead RAVS clinics on Native American reservations and in the state of Mississippi. Dr. Egar also will respond in times of disasters and other emergencies such as a case in Tennessee last October where The HSUS rescued 300 Chihuahuas, Westies and Dachshunds from a puppy mill breeder. These animals were living in wire cages, closed in with their own filth and completely neglected. Dr. Egar spent several days in Tennessee examining, treating and operating on the dogs so they could be adopted by responsible homes. Legal action is pending against the breeder.
“RAVS provides much-needed services to the people and animals most in need,” says Doris Day, founder and president of the Doris Day Animal Foundation. “The need is real. At each RAVS clinic, people are lined up outside the door at 6 a.m., hoping to have their animal treated. We are honored to continue to work with RAVS and help them provide additional free veterinary care, provide pet guardians with one-on-one instruction in responsible pet care, and permanently improve animal welfare in these communities,” Day says.
“Doris Day and her non-profit foundation have been great supporters of our work over the years, and we are pleased to honor her with this Doris Day Veterinary Chair,” says Dr. Davis. “We are very grateful for the help she and her organization are providing. We will serve the people most in need and enhance their lives and those of their animals.” Dr. Davis is currently on one of his many field expeditions working with animals in Zuni, New Mexico and Ute Mountain reservation in Colorado, followed by Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.
As a direct-care program of The Humane Society of the United States, the RAVS program’s had more than 900 volunteers last year who provided veterinary care for animals in over 50 communities where no other animal services exist, including communities on Native American reservations throughout the United States, in rural Appalachian counties, in remote villages in Guatemala, and within island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific. Each year RAVS provides over $1 million in free veterinary services to over 10,000 animals, all at no cost to the clients or communities served.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs such as RAVS. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty, and on the web at www.humanesociety.org .
Provided by The Humane Society of the United States, www.hsus.org.