Summer Holidays
“You're gonna stand there, owning a fireworks stand, and tell me you don't have no whistling bungholes, no spleen splitters, whisker biscuits, honkey lighters, hoosker doos, hoosker don’ts, cherry bombs, nipsy daisers, with or without the scooter stick, or one single whistling kitty chaser?” - Joe Dirt
Summer holidays are a perfect time to relax, grill a steak, have a couple of drinks from One Well Brewery or Bell's, and light off a few fireworks. Meanwhile, Lulu, your pug, is sitting at home thinking the apocalypse has begun and is doing the only thing she can - pee on everything. The 4th of July has one of the highest rates of pets running away, as well as emergency vet visits for foreign bodies and pancreatitis. The goal of this post is to help you keep your pet out of the emergency room and keep them from thinking the last chapters of the bible have begun.
Fireworks: Obviously, this is a stressful time for your pets. Making sure they have a safe space, such as a crate or bathroom that is comfortable and quiet, is important at all times, especially during fireworks. Some medications are generally very affordable and safe, which will help keep them as comfortable as possible. However, many of these medications take hours to effect, and individual pets react differently to the medication and need different dosing. Please don't be upset if you show up on July 3rd asking for medications to help Lulu and then on July 5th asking why medications didn't stop her from busting through your screen door, leaving a brown trail half a mile down the road.
Grilling: Charcoal grilling is one of my favorite ways to spend my free time during the summer. But, I have performed two surgeries to remove the tiny metal grill brush fragments from a dog's intestines. I use a silicone grill brush, and it's like $20 for the brush and then $5 to replace the head. Much better than the $1500+ vet bill. I know it is nearly impossible to keep your pet from getting into food, and I catch my dogs licking the metal inserts to my grill every time I turn around. I know, it's not grate. But, your pet is on a well-balanced formulated diet (hopefully). Human food, especially those delicious rare fatty ribeye steaks, causes inflammation of the pancreas, making them extremely sick. I have also pulled out a couple of corn cobs from intestinal tracts. Do not feed your dog corn on the cob.
Temperature: This summer has been one of the hottest I can remember, and I lived in Hell (Florida) for five years. I have already seen one case of heat stroke, and I'm sure more will happen. Your pet's average temperature ranges between 99-103 degrees, with some exceptions. Temps into 104-106 is when heat stroke begins. There have been cases where pets were left in cars while owners just "ran into the store for a minute." In less than 10 minutes, they returned to a pet that had passed from heat stroke. Even if your vet can bring down your pet's temperature by cooling the paw pads, fans, IV fluids, etc., damage to the internal organs can be fatal days after they recover.
This summer, drink your local brew (I recommend the Opener at One Well), use a grill with a silicone brush, light fireworks (for a reasonable time), and don't forget your four-legged friend who thinks the world is ending.
