Heat Stroke
Many dogs like nothing more than stretching out in a sunny spot for a summertime siesta. But how hot is too hot? Hot sunny days, overexertion and dehydration all increase the risks of heatstroke in summer. And the risk is even greater for dogs who are overweight, have thick, long coats or belong to a brachycephalic (short-faced) breed.
Warning signs
- Panting heavily and trouble breathing
- Drooling or foaming at the mouth
- Weakness, trembling and confusion
What to do
- Stop exercising and move your dog somewhere cool. Open the window and turn on a fan.
- Pour cool (not freezing) water on your dog’s body.
- Call a vet
How to reduce the risks
- Give your dog lots of fresh water to drink. Add some ice cubes!
- Go for walks in the cooler parts of the day – early morning or evening is best.
- Give your dog a safe shady spot to escape the sun in warm weather.
- Provide a cooling mat for comfort. A damp cloth to lie on is an inexpensive alternative.
Special precautions!
Never leave your dog alone in the car on a warm day. Not even in the shade, with the windows open. 55 dogs died of heatstroke in cars in 2022. The real number is likely much higher. On day trips and holidays, stick to pet-friendly venues. And take a picnic, so you can all eat together outside.
Pesky Parasites
Although parasites are a risk all year, the summer months see a big rise in the number of bugs and the problems they cause. These problems include allergic skin disease, hotspots, and ear infections.
Common culprits include fleas, ticks and mites.
Ticks are a risk wherever there’s grazing livestock, wildlife or long grasses. They latch onto your dog as they run in the grass. Ticks feed on your dog for 4-5 days. They can grow from the size of a millet seed to a coffee bean. Ticks also carry Lyme disease, which is increasingly common in the UK.
Fleas are smaller and harder to see, but an ever-present risk for dogs. And they commonly cause or worsen skin allergies in summer.
Any dog not receiving regular preventive treatments for fleas and ticks is at risk.
What to look out for
- Finding ticks on your dog
- Scratching, chewing and biting
- Flea bites on your own legs and ankles
What to do
- Check your dog every evening for ticks or other visible parasites. Remove ticks promptly with a special tick-removing tool.
- Bathe red or oozing skin with warm salt water and use a cone collar or body suit to prevent self-trauma.
- Douxo Pyo products and Clorexyderm Spot Gel are antibacterial and antifungal, helping to settle infected, itchy and irritated skin.
Preventing fleas and ticks
- Treat your dog monthly with an approved flea and tick preventive. Prescription treatments are also available from vets as spot-ons or tablets. There’s even a new flea and tick injection, which lasts up to one year!
- Try to avoid walking in locations where ticks are a risk and at times of day when parasites are most active.
Beach Diarrhoea
Beach diarrhoea is sudden projectile diarrhoea that comes on at the beach or very soon after.
Dogs playing fetch or swimming in the sea may swallow lots of salt water. Beach diarrhoea happens when the salt your dog swallows pulls fluid from their tissues into their intestines. It’s their body’s attempt to dilute the salt.
What to look out for
- Projectile, watery diarrhoea that can look almost like urine!
What to do
- Give your dog plenty of cool fresh water to drink.
- Feed a light, low-fat diet in small, frequent feeds until settled and use a probiotic, such as Protexin Prokolin, to restore gut health.
How to reduce the risk
- Take bottles of fresh water to the beach with you and encourage regular drinks.
- Avoid playing fetch in the sea if your dog swallows lots of salt water.
Salt water poisoning
The combination of swallowing lots of salt water and not drinking enough fresh water puts your dogs at risk of life-threatening saltwater poisoning. Symptoms develop within hours of being at the beach.
What to look out for
- Excessive thirst, panting and a racing heartbeat
- Drooling and vomiting
- Trembling, weakness, incoordination, and seizures.
What to do
- Call a vet immediately if you think your dog has salt water poisoning.
Reducing the risks
- Take bottles of fresh water to the beach with you and encourage regular drinks.
- Limit your dog’s time in the sea if they tend to swallow sea water in their enthusiasm.
Sand in eyes and paws
Running in soft sand is lots of fun. But getting sand in your eyes or rubbing between folds of skin is no fun at all. It’s irritating and can be very painful.
What to look out for
- Streaming eye(s), blinking more and holding the eye closed, a red or painful eye.
- Licking and chewing feet; red, raw areas between toes; cracked and painful pads.
What to do
- Bathe irritated eyes with boiled, cooled drinking water, chamomile tea or a safe cleansing lotion, such as Optixcare or Ocryl.
- Wash paws and coat in fresh, clean water. Running water is best. Try using the shower head.
- Paw balms, like Bio Balm, ease cracked and sore pads. Clorexyderm gel or Douxo Pyo wipes help to settle irritated and infected skin between toes and pads and elsewhere.
Reducing the risks
- Rinse your dog’s coat and paws in fresh water during and after trips to the beach. Carry bottles of water with you if it’s not readily available at your destination.
- Make your own first aid kit for days out with cleansers, eye washes, disinfectant wipes and bandages.
- Keep your vet’s number handy and check out the closest vet if you’re away from home.
Blue Green Algae
When the sun’s shining and you’re getting hot under your furry coat, what could be better than a cooling dip in the nearest pond? But in summertime, stagnant pools and shallow lakes carry the threat of poisonous blue-green algae. Dogs get poisoned by swallowing contaminated water or licking it off their coat and paws after being in the water. Four dogs died from blue-green algae poisoning in the UK in 2022.
What to look out for
What to do
- Call a vet without delay if you think your dog has blue-green algae poisoning.
Reducing the risks
- Don’t let your dog near ponds or rivers with a greenish blue scum on the surface or greenish blue streaks in the water, like oil or paint. Or if there’s foam resembling scum or sewage at the water’s edge.
- Look out for warning signs from the Council or Environment Agency.
- Check the Bloomin’ Algae app for warnings where you are and use the app to report your own sightings.
Eating things they shouldn’t
Sand, barbecue leftovers, garden plants, slug pellets, garden chemicals and rubber balls. There’s no shortage of potential hazards to catch out the unwary muncher this summer. Hazards that can mean costly vet treatment or worse.
Particular risks
- Barbecue cast-offs like corn cobs, bones and packaging all risk blocking intestines.
- Slug pellets contain a substance called metaldehyde, which is extremely toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. Dogs that have eaten slug pellets need urgent veterinary care.
- Seeds and stones from fruits such as apricots, damsons and cherries are poisonous to dogs.
- Compost contains decaying plant matter that can include harmful mycotoxins. Some varieties of wild mushroom or toadstool also contain life-threatening fungal toxins.
- Oleander, begonia and chrysanthemum may all look pretty but also cause a tummy upset if eaten or chewed.
Warning signs
- Vary depending on what your dog ate and how much.
- Common warning signs include drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness or tremors.
- Be alert for signs of your dog vomiting after your summer party. Alcohol, chocolate and sweeteners are also harmful to dogs. You may find traces of the cause in their sickness or diarrhoea.
What to do
- Remove your dog from the risk of further incident. Rinse their tongue and coat free of surface contamination with clean water.
- Call a vet.
- Mild symptoms are usually treated with fluids and a bland diet.
Reducing the risks
- Keep pets closely supervised during and after parties or barbecues.
- Don’t leave your dog unsupervised in a garden, especially if visiting somewhere new.
- Keep chemicals and gardening products out of sight, smell and reach of dogs.
Lungworm
Lungworm (Angiostrongylus) infection in dogs causes a chronic cough that can progress to difficulty breathing, weakness and life-threatening illness. Dogs get infected by eating slugs or snails carrying lungworm larvae (baby worms). This is most likely when they eat grass or drink from contaminated puddles and bowls.
What to look out for
- A cough that doesn’t get better quickly
- Breathing difficulties
- Unexplained bruising
- Collapse
What to do
- Seek advice from a vet if your dog develops a cough that doesn’t get better within a few days.
Reducing the risks
- Treat your dog regularly with a preventive product effective against Angiostrongylus. You’ll need to see an in-person vet to get this.
- Don’t let your dog eat slugs or snails. Avoid leaving toys and food bowls outside overnight in summer, when slugs and snails are numerous.
Bee and wasp stings
Bees and wasps are a perennial summer hazard for dogs. Puppies and young dogs are most at risk. Their curiosity or sense of play often gets the better of them around the buzzing tormentors, which react poorly to being chased or swallowed!
What to look out for
- A sudden yelp of pain and surprise. Dogs mostly suffer stings around the face, mouth and paws, the price of curiosity, unwise attempts to eat annoying flying things, or accidentally stepping on one.
- Stings usually hurt for about an hour; swelling may occur at the site of the sting.
- Some dogs are allergic to stings. Allergic reactions range from mild hives to life-threatening anaphylaxis.
- Stings on the mouth or tongue can cause dangerous swelling and breathing problems.
What to do
- Call a vet immediately if your dog develops swelling around their mouth, drooling, gagging or breathing difficulties.
- Remove any visible stings and apply a cool compress to swollen areas.
- Keep your dog indoors, rested and cool; monitor carefully until symptoms resolve.
Reducing the risk
Sadly, our furry friends rarely learn from their mistakes where bees and wasps are concerned!
- Remove bees and wasps from the house as soon as possible.
- Provide your curious pups with other, less harmful ‘toys’ to satisfy curiosity and expel excess energy.
Snake Bites
Bees and wasps aren’t the only dangerous encounters for dogs. Snakes are also more active in the warm summer months. Of the 3 types of UK snakes, only adders are venomous. Around 100-150 dogs are bitten by adders every year. 5 of these dogs won’t survive.
What to look out for
The warning signs of a snake bite depend on where your dog is bitten. As well as how far and how quickly the venom gets into their bloodstream.
- Sudden yelp of pain, limping, pawing at the face
- Vomiting, panting, drooling, pale gums
- Weakness, tremors, seizures, collapse
What to do
- Call a vet immediately. Snake bites are an emergency.
- Stay calm; keep your dog calm and quiet.
- Try to give the vet a clear description of the snake. A photo will help with identification and confirming whether antivenom is needed.
Reducing the risk
- Avoid walking in areas that are known to have adders during the summer months.
- Research the risks in areas you are visiting, especially areas where there is woodland, moorland or coastal paths.
- Keep your dog supervised or on the lead when walking in risky areas.
Whatever your plans this summer, take a few moments to consider which summer hazards pose a risk to your dog. Plan ahead with preventive care and the expert help of a vet.
The team at Joii are on hand 24/7 to support you and your dog throughout the summer and all year long!
