When you live with a retriever, you can mark the beginning of summer from the day when it's warm enough for you both to go swimming -- if you happen to have friends who don't mind both people and dogs in the pool.
Fortunately for my retriever, Benjamin, I do have friends of this kind. Fortunate for their retriever, too, although I doubt they could keep him out of their pool if they tried.
Not all pets like to swim, of course -- my older dog, Andy, doesn't even like to get his feet wet -- but most animals love summer. To our pets, summertime means long walks in the warm twilight, endless games of fetch and plenty of bugs to chase.
But the long, glorious days of summer are not without danger. Here are a few of the hazards:
-- HEAT: Most people know a car is no place to leave a dog on a hot day, but few realize even balmy weather can be deadly. On an 80-degree day, the temperature in a car -- even if the windows are opened partway -- can easily reach 120 degrees within minutes.
Panting is the only way a dog has of cooling off; it is an inefficient system that cannot help an animal inside a hot car. Don't even risk it!
If you leave your dog in your yard for any length of time, have you checked to make sure shade is always available? A big tree doesn't help much if the shade falls on the other side of the fence in the hottest part of the afternoon. A constant supply of cool, clean water is a must, too, for all pets.
A tip: Freeze water in recycled margarine tubs and put these ice blocks in your pet's bowl to keep water cool. For a special treat, freeze meat or fish broth and offer the "petsicles" as a warm-weather treat for dogs and cats. Some pets like just plain ice cubes, too.
Be aware of the symptoms of overheating. If your dog starts excessive salivation, rapid or shallow panting, or develops a wild, glassy-eyed stare, call your veterinarian immediately and begin treatment for heat stress: Slowly immerse the dog in water, soak him with the hose or apply ice packs to his head, stomach and groin.
-- ACCIDENTS: Both dogs and cats are prone to accidents in the summer. If your cats like to catch the breeze on an upper-story windowsill, make sure there's a screen -- cats can indeed be hurt or killed in a fall.
Cars are always a hazard to free-roaming cats, and can be equally deadly to an unleashed dog. Don't be tempted to let your dog off the leash -- it just takes one squirrel on the other side of a busy street and one car with lousy timing to cause a canine catastrophe.
-- FOXTAILS, TICKS AND FLEAS: Foxtails are spike-shaped burrs that move in one direction -- forward -- and keep going until they're removed. They are most dangerous in an animal's eyes, ears, nose and anal areas; veterinary aid, the sooner the better, is the only solution when they get imbedded.
A few minutes with a comb each day will catch any foxtails before they become a problem. Use tweezers or a tick-remover (available at pet-supply stores) to pull ticks. Be sure not to touch them with your bare hands because of the risk of Lyme disease -- wrap them in a tissue and discard.
If you have pets, you're going to have fleas. Talk to your veterinarian about new flea-control products -- Program, Frontline and Advantage -- that are finally making a difference in the war on these pests. Frontline and Advantage work to control ticks as well.
Good news for the retriever: These new products even stay effective after swimming!
CYBERLINKS: So they're not going to fit in a suburban backyard or city apartment -- that doesn't keep people from loving llamas, a South American pack animal kept in this country as a pet, wool-grower, hiking buddy or even a golfing companion. LlamaWeb (http://www.llamaweb.com) has areas on caring for llamas and links to llama breeders and veterinarians around the country, as well as a special area for children. Llamapedia (http://www.llamapaedia.com), written and maintained by two fourth-year veterinary students, is another must-visit site for llama fans.
Gina Spadafori, the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," is affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international on-line service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or e-mail to Giori(at)aol.com.
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