Summer may be a bit low-key this year, but as we venture outside more it’s important to keep your pet safe. Here are a few tips to help:

• Heat kills! Never leave your pet in a car, even for a quick trip. On a sunny 70-degree day, your car can heat up to over 100 degrees in minutes. Hot asphalt will scorch your pet’s paws—so if it’s too hot for your bare feet, it’s too hot for your pooch.

• Cookouts are tasty, but cooked meat bones often splinter and become hazardous if swallowed. Nix the corn cobs, too—they can cause intestinal blockage.

• We know that there may not be many large-scale July 4 ^th celebrations this summer, but people still love fireworks and will likely be setting them off in neighborhoods. Keep your pets inside, with calm music or white noise on. If your pet has an extreme reaction to the noise such as heavy panting, drooling, shaking, hiding, or trying to escape, we may be able to help with medication or herbal remedies.

• Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) usually pops up in our area lakes and rivers in the hotter months, and it can kill your dog within 24 hours. Make sure you know how to identify an algae bloom: foamy, scummy, thick-looking water with green, blue-green, or brownish-red cells suspended in the water.

We’re here to help if you have any questions about summer safety or want to make sure your pet’s vaccinations and parasite protection are current before you head out into the sun, Just give us a call at (970) 674-5105 or book an appointment online!

“It’s important to keep your pet safe from heat, fireworks, blue-green algae, and other summertime dangers!”