The Heartache Of Heat Stroke

Summer temperatures can easily reach the 100s, leaving many pets to suffer from heat stroke. Heat stroke, if not treated immediately, is often fatal.

Heat Stroke, also known as hyperthermia, occurs when the body temperature elevates beyond the normal range to the point where mechanisms that regulate temperature inside the body can no longer cool the pet. This causes changes in enzymes that result in organ failure.

Factors contributing to heat stroke include lack of acclimatization, humidity, confinement with poor ventilation, water deprivation, brachycephalic breeds, obesity, and extremes of age.

Lack of acclimatization is when a pet is used to a certain climate and is not gradually weaned into another. For instance if a pet was transferred from state to state and the original state was much cooler than the other, that pet may be more predisposed to heat stroke.

Humidity is a large factor. Pets should not be outside for long periods of time on humid days.

If a pet is to be confined on a hot day proper ventilation is a must! NEVER leave a pet unattended in a car for long periods of time. Inside temperature in a car, even on a mildly hot day, can easily reach 120 degrees! It is best to leave the pet at home to run errands on a summer day. If you must leave your pet in a car please do the following: open windows and vents as wide as possible without providing an escape route, provide fresh water, and check the car every ten minutes.

If your pet is an outdoor pet, adequate shelter must be provided. The shelter should have good ventilation. The shelter should be in a shaded region, not in the sun! Water has to be available at all times and also should be in the shade. If there is no shelter the pet needs to be able to reach a shaded region of the yard. If the outdoor pet is long-haired, having them shaved for the summer will help keep them cool.

Brachycephalic breeds, are breeds such as Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston terriers, and so forth where the nose is closer to the face. These breeds are predisposed to heat stroke due to their physical nature. Be sure these pets are not left outside unattended.

Obesity and age can increase the chance of heat stroke. Overweight and older pets have a harder time controlling their body temperature.

Exercising the pet is fine, but do not overexert them during hot days. Exercise them in the early morning, or later evening when the weather is slightly cooler.

Signs of heat stroke include heavy panting, drooling, increased heart rate, collapse, non-responsiveness or even coma, seizures, vomiting, or diarrhea. If you suspect that your pet, or a pet you know is suffering from heat stroke take immediate action. Hose the pet down with a garden hose, or submerge them in a tub with cool water. Pack ice in towels, cover the pet in the towels, and transfer them to the nearest veterinary facility.

Keep your pet safe this summer and provide adequate conditions for them. Heat stroke is most often fatal, don't let it happen to your pet.

Fourth Of July Safety Tips For Pets

Independence Day is a day of fun, food, and celebration! It is a day filled with joy, appreciation, and explosives. Keep your pet safe this year with some fourth of July tips.

First and foremost keep all pets away from fireworks. Burns, hearing loss, and eye damage can occur if your pet is too close to the action.

Pets can get extremely nervous, and anxious with loud noise. If your pet is stressed by thunderstorms, they will most likely be stressed by fireworks. Consider confining your pet in a crate. Many pets react to fear by running away. If they are in a house or room they can damage property in an effort to escape. They may even eliminate in the house. Crating them also helps prevent self injury to a pet that tries to escape through a window, or that may hook its leash or collar.

Make sure the pet has an identification tag in case of escape!

Pets may experience vomiting or diarrhea if they get too worked up. Sedatives can be prescribed to help calm the pet.

Dispose of all fireworks properly. Pets may eat or chew on left over fragments, developing digestive problems or even serious injuries.

Have a safe, fun, and happy fourth of July!

The Chip That Is Your Pet's Map Back Home

As reported in a study done by the National Humane Society, over ten million pets become lost each year. Another study done by the National Council of Pet Population Study and Policy, discovered one out of every three pets is lost during its lifetime, and only one in ten lost pets is found. So what can be done to ensure your pet, if lost, will return home? Microchipping can put your mind at ease.

Microchipping is permanent pet identification. Identification tags are still recommended, but they wear off, are at risk of being torn off the collar, or the collar itself may be torn off. The HomeAgain microchip identification system is a proven way to successfully recover your pet.

The microchip is no larger than a grain of rice. It is implanted by your veterinarian, and can be done at any time. It is perfectly ok for puppies, kittens, and even older pets. It is safe, the chip does not move inside the body. It stays in the layer of skin in which it is implanted. It is biocompatible, meaning it causes no harm to the pet's body.

Almost all veterinary clinics, animal shelters, and even animal control facilities are equipped with scanners. The HomeAgain chip which is the chip Capitol Illini uses is universal, any microchip scanner will read it.

Here is how it works. The chip is implanted by the veterinarian. All microchips are placed in the same area, between the shoulder blades. Each chip has its own ID code. You are given a collar tag that has the ID code preprinted on it, for your pet to wear. You enroll your microchipped pet in the AKC Companion Animal Recovery's nationwide database. If your pet is lost and scanned by a facility, that facility contacts the AKC. The AKC Companion Animal Recovery service runs twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. As soon as your pet's ID number is called in, you are notified. Currently with HomeAgain there is a successful recovery every fifteen minutes!

The HomeAgain microchip also gives you free membership to the HomeAgain website.

There are 3,000-4,000 recoveries each month! Give yourself peace of mind and microchip your pet. Don't let your pet become a statistic, microchip them today!

A Dog's Plea

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in this world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I might lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things that you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you know by the fierce wagging of my tail when the sound of your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.

Please take me inside when its cold and wet, for I am a domestic animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth.

Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side and stand ready, willing, and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And , my friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing, and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun. Please see to it that my life is taken gently.

I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your loving hands.

- Author Unknown

Ask The Vet

Mark from Springfield asks:
My 2 year old lab, George, is barking all the time at people walking by. What can I do to correct this?

Dear Mark,
It is important to know that with all behavioral issues we face with our pets, there is no quick solution to the problem. Behavioral modification takes time, patience, dedication, and consistency. The first step in quieting your dog begins with understanding why he is barking. Dogs bark for many reasons. The reason for barking determines how to treat to correct the problem. In your case, it sounds as if George is reacting to specific stimuli in the environment. If he is barking at people walking by, seeing them leave reinforces him to bark again as he thinks his barking made the people leave.

Most dog owners feel safe knowing that their dog will alert them to intruders. Because of this you don't want to discourage barking all together. The trick is to teach him to stop barking when you tell him to, while being consistent and clear with what you want him to do. This can be achieved through counter conditioning. Counter conditioning will correctly teach George an alternative behavior response to a stimuli that would normally make him bark. Dogs however cannot learn another behavior to replace the barking unless their owners are present.

I recommend a head collar (Gentle Leader) with a leash attached. When George barks a tug on the leash will correct him by causing the head collar to close his mouth and turn his head in your direction. This gains his attention to focus on you. Encourage him to sit and relax. When he stops barking, release the tension on the lead and praise him. An extra reward, a "shush cookie" when he stops barking, will emphasize your appreciation. You must be able to respond to him within the first 30-60 seconds of the onset barking. Do not tell him "it's okay" while he is barking as this is seen as giving attention or praise, which will encourage him to continue barking. Again time, patience, dedication, and consistency are keys to success. Good luck!

Ask The Vet
C/o Capitol Illini
1020 Jason Place
Chatham Illinois, 62629.

Or e-mail them to cic@springnet1.com subject Ask The Vet

Now "Hear" This

Pool time is here! This hot weather calls for all bathing suits to come out, and swimming to commence. For the "web footed" four legged friends of ours there is a product to help swimmer's ear.

Vet Solutions Swimmer's Ear Astringent is an antiseptic drying gel and deodorant. It is to be applied after swimming or bathing. It helps reduce the amount of moisture in the ear. Too much moisture can cause an overgrowth of bacteria and yeast in the ear. Bacteria and yeast are the make up of an ear infection.

Another common summer ear trouble is fly strikes. Fly strikes are small bites caused from flies biting at the tips of pet's ears and face. After a while these bites can cause harm to the pet's ears, and can get infected. Pet-Guard gel is a safe insecticide along with sunscreen that is placed on the pet's ears. It repels the flies while protecting the pet's ears and face from harmful sun rays!

Both of these products are available over the counter at Capitol Illini.

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