PET PRECAUTIONS: SPRING & SPRINGTIME HOLIDAYS

by Diana Guerrero
Copyright© 1997 By Diana Guerrero

Springtime is a fabulous re-awakening from the doldrums of winter weather and confinement. There are fabulous walks to take and new growth and life to explore. While this is a glorious time, there are some hazards to be aware of and take precautions over for your pet’s benefit. Here are a few of the topics discussed:

SPRING FEVER & PET OVERPOPULATION
APRIL SHOWERS REQUIRE DRY SHELTER AREAS
GROOMING NEEDS
NEW PLANT GROWTH AND RELATED HAZARDS
BUGS, PARASITES AND OTHER IRRITANTS
FOOD & WATER NEEDS CHANGE
MISCELLANEOUS HAZARDS
SOCIAL TIPS
HOLIDAY HAZARDS
HUMANE HOLIDAY HINTS

SPRING FEVER & PET OVERPOPULATION
Springtime is often breeding time for many animals. It is important to keep your un-neutered animals confined and under control. This is especially true for cats. Shelters are overrun with litters of kittens and the queens that people have discarded. Unfortunately, about 20 million animals end up in shelters each year. Play your part by preventing pet overpopulation.

APRIL SHOWERS REQUIRE DRY SHELTER AREAS
Rain, rain and more rain. This means your precious pet will need proper shelter to stay dry. Be sure to provide fresh bedding and shelter from windy storms that could push water into a normally dry abode!

Cleaning outside food and water bowls after it rains is important due to smog and related toxins that may wind up in the bowls! If you are not using filtered or bottled water for your pet, be sure to be alert to news regarding sewage leaks that may effect your water supply.

GROOMING NEEDS
On top of everything else, this is a time when many animals will start to shed their winter coats. Extra vitamins might be a good idea. Owners should plan on daily brushing and a trip or two to the groomer to help manage this fur loss! Be sure to buy extra vacuum bags and some pet-hair-pickup devices for the furniture!

NEW PLANT GROWTH AND RELATED HAZARDS
New plant growth is fun to smell and get into; some of it is great to eat too! Be sure to keep your critters under control so they don’t find their way into your neighbors garden. Hazards include not only upsetting your neighbor but toxic items such as snail bait, ant poison and other related gardening additives or chemicals.

Lawn herbicides or pesticides can poison pets. Keep your animals out of the yard while spraying and use caution for several days later. Be alert to your pet walking on these surfaces since cleaning or licking their paws later can contribute to ingestion of the poison. Also take care if you are poisoning pests since your pets may ingest one of the dead critters and suffer from those consequences.

Unfortunately plants are also great places to obtain insect bites or stings. Poisonous spiders, bees and other little critters could play havoc on your pet. Get information on how to treat these problems and what to do if they turn serious.

Caution is needed when there is new growth of plants, especially in wooded areas. These plants could be poison ivy or poison oak; where one hug from Rover could require you seeking treatment.

Another alert is to toxic seed pods that when lodged in between paw pads or in heavy coated animals could be gnawed at or groomed by your precious pet resulting in some horrible consequences. Check your animal over daily and especially after walks in any brush or wooded areas. Be sure to also check the ears and between the toes for any plant seed pods or stickers.

BUGS, PARASITES AND OTHER IRRITANTS
Animals riding in the open backs of pickup trucks is illegal without special restraint. You should remember that bugs could wind up in their eyes or noses during the spring fling of insect population booms. Also stinging insects would not be a lot of fun for your pet at 25 miles per hour!

Rain puddles or stagnant water can also provide great breeding places for mosquito larvae and other parasites. It is a good idea to keep these puddles to a minimum and be aware that once spring has sprung, that your precious pooch should be tested for heartworm. Make sure that you keep your pets from drinking out of these pools of water. Runoff with insecticides and other herbicides could result in some horrible consequences plus you never know what else could be concentrated there.

If your pet suddenly starts scratching, sneezing, losing excess amounts of fur, having red or dry skin, starts licking obsessively or has nasal or eye discharge, you need to go see a veterinarian. Many more animals are contracting allergies to pollens and other spring related irritants. Sometimes changes in the air or diet can trigger the allergies. You can have some allergy panels done, but be alert to this possibility if you suddenly see the symptoms subside when the season changes.

This is also the beginning of warmer weather. Time for ticks and fleas to start appearing. You should prepare your program for parasite control as soon as the weather starts to warm up consistently. Don’t forget that there is now specific tick control and Lyme disease inoculations.

FOOD & WATER NEEDS CHANGE
Changing coats and activity levels may need more changes in regard to diet and nutrition. Be sure to adjust your pet’s food intake level if they appear to be losing or gaining weight. Also ask your veterinarian about supplements during this period of hair loss and shedding. This is very important if you have any dulling of their coat.

MISCELLANEOUS HAZARDS
Springtime is also fishing and hunting time. Take extra care and be aware around the beach or waterway areas for fishing lines, hooks and other things. Discarded bait and related items can provide other hazards too.

If you are around wooded areas, stay alert to possible leghold traps or poison bait left out by hunters or irritated neighbors. Predatory animals may pose some risk now too, since they may have litters of cubs that they need to feed and are looking for easy prey.

SOCIAL TIPS Good weather means that you will be spending more time out socially with your pet. All pets need to be provided with current identification tags and vaccinations. This is very important to other pet owners whose animals may meet yours.

Remember to monitor your animal in public places and be sure to clean up any mess they may leave. Most cities have ordinances which impose a hefty fine if you fail to do so. It is pretty annoying to go out walking and have to dodge dog feces everywhere! Cats also tend to raid neighbors gardens and use them as convenient litterboxes; be a conscientious owner and be sensitive and respect others through your actions.

HOLIDAY HAZARDS
Spring holidays do not seem to pose as much of a problems as some of the others. There are several that need special attention. These include: Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and May Day celebrations.

Remember that chocolate is toxic to animals. It contains a substance called theobromine, which is a caffeine derivative, and if ingested can kill an animal. Seizures and related complications are not worth the risk of leaving boxes of candy out anywhere in the house.

Some flowers and plants are toxic too. Check with your veterinarian for a list of those and be sure to keep potted plants out of reach of animals. This is especially true for youngsters who like to explore with their mouths and make playthings out of everything!

Other hazards include alcoholic beverages and wrapping items. Cellophane, ribbons, balloons, and other festive wrappings or decorations can be ingested and cause complications or death. Alcohol is another toxic item for pets and should not be given to the critters.

HUMANE HOLIDAY HINTS Pets get as excited as kids during the holidays. Make sure you have a special chew treat to occupy the pet during those egg hunts and other related activities. Also take care to note where all those tidbits are hidden so that the pets don’t find them at a later date and get sick!

In the past, holiday promotions for Easter have included chicks, ducks and bunnies. Thousands of these animals are sold and die from lack of proper care and stress. It is very inhumane to support this kind of activity and does not teach children about responsible pet ownership or about being caretakers of the many creatures that surround us.

These little Easter babies require special care, feeding and temperatures. Ducks and chicks are also carriers of salmonella and do not make good pets. Additionally, children can break their bones or cause other injuries by accident; while other pets may maim or kill these prey animals. Most of the little guys, if they do not die in a few days, end up at animal control agencies where they are killed because they cannot be placed.

The best thing to do is to not buy animals over any holiday. Go visit a petting zoo or a science center. Buy stuffed animals instead and some educational books. Take your child to make a donation to the local humane society or support an educational project at the school where the animals are taken care of and can be occasionally assigned to temporary housing with a student and their family. Practice responsible stewardship so that your children can learn proper respect and care of animals.