30 Dec Important Pet Info For Over Summer!
It’s summertime, the weather is fine, plants are growing and flowering, and we are fertilizing them to keep them healthy and happy. As we spend more time outside with our pets, soaking up the warm weather in the garden, we need to be mindful of a few things.
- Blood and Bone fertilizer is high in nitrate and smells great to your pets. If ingested in excess amounts it can cause kidney problems. To reduce this risk in your pets, apply the fertilizer in the rain, or otherwise water it thoroughly until the pellets have broken down. Keep any bags of the fertilizer securely closed and out of reach from your pets.
- Keep an eye out for fruit from palm trees, these can be toxic to pets and the seeds can cause intestinal obstructions. Clean your yard regularly, removing these fruits and seeds and take note of what your pup might be chewing on!
- Lilies are commonly picked and kept indoors in vases, be aware that every part of the plant is extremely toxic to cats, including the water in the vase you use for the lilies!
As the temperatures rise, so do cases of heat exhaustion/stroke in pets, particularly in brachycephalic breeds such as bulldogs and pugs. Heat stroke is potentially lethal so on hot days, walk your dog early in the morning or late in the afternoon when it is cooler. Make sure your pets always have access to fresh water and shade.
There has been a large outbreak of Canine Cough on the Gold Coast. Every day we are seeing patients with cases of it, so make sure your pets vaccinations are up to date. If you are unsure of this, or have any questions, please call us on 55224566.
Finally, congratulations to everyone who has been adhering to the tick warnings and keeping your pets up to date with tick prevention. We’ve seen a significant drop in tick cases which is fantastic.
Happy New Year to all!
Dr Ross.
