Water Safety for Pets

Makayla Reel, Office Coordinator 
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​Be cautious of water quality.​  It is possible to contract illnesses from dirty water. Giardia is a common illness to contract from dirty pond/lake water. The symptoms are unpleasant to cope with and it is not easily eliminated. Giardia is an intestinal infection caused by parasites. Many other parasitic infections camp out in lake and pond water. It is also worth mentioning that many diseases are zoonotic meaning it can be transferred to humans. 

(aboutmorkies.com)

​How hot is too hot for your pet? With these hot summer days, it is important to listen to your dog and play with them properly to ensure your pets do not get heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Dogs cannot sweat like humans therefore their only way to cool down is panting. Even fans are not an efficient way to cool your dog down, they do not cool down your dogs’ body temperatures fast enough once on the road to heat exhaustion.

​Avoid sidewalks and asphalt as shown in the diagram below, if the air temperature is 77 degrees the asphalt temperature is 125 degrees! A good test for the asphalt is touch it with your bare foot if it is too hot for you to stand on it is too hot for your dog. It only takes 5 seconds to burn your pets’ paws on the pavement. It’s safest to walk your dog in the grass as much as possible or wait                                             till nighttime or early morning to walk.

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(Image credit: Heartguard Plus)

​Leeches, ticks and turtles OH MY! Snapping turtles are the most common widespread turtle species in Indiana. From below your dogs’ paw can look like a tasty snack. Be sure to do research about the body of water you want to explore before going. You want to educate yourself on the types of species that may lay in wait.

​Ticks are always a sign summer is here, it is important to know how to remove a tick properly from your dog to ensure you get all the parts of the tick. If you leave the head it can burrow into your dog and make them very ill. There are tools you can use to help ensure you get all parts of the tick off your pet. Educate yourself before venturing in heavily wooded areas.

​And finally leeches, they have been used in medical practices since the 19th century. However, if they attach themselves to your pet you want to make sure to get them off before they make your pet sick. 

Taking your pet to ponds/lakes/rivers to swim and enjoy the summer sun is not a bad thing the main point is to educate yourself on the surroundings and wildlife that may live in those spots.

Happy Swimming!

Makayla's pet Finnegan