Summertime Safety Tips:

• Leave Your Pet at Home: Even in the park in the shade with a nice breeze blowing, the temperature inside a car can get to dangerous levels quickly. Pets are not able to perspire to cool themselves like humans. The movement of air in and out of the lungs help them maintain a normal body temperature. Panting and salivation are signs that your pet is becoming overheated. Exercise should be shortened and limited to the cooler parts of the day (early morning or laterin the evening). It is also very important that they have plenty of cool and clean water to drink.

• Shelter:Both dogs and cats need a cool place to stay when temperatures start rising. Outside pets need shelter, the shade from a tree will not keep your dog cool enough they need a doghouse or other shelther to keep them cool. Pets can get sunburned just like humans, their noses and ears are not protected by thick fur.

• Water: Your pet need access to cool, clean water at all times, especially if they are in the summer heat. Refill and refreshen water bowls, but never get them ICE water. This can shock the system and cause severe upsets.

• Ticks and Fleas: Ticks and fleas are worse in the spring and summer months. You will need to carefully go over your pet at least once a week to check for ticks and fleas. You may want to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to get a good flea and tick repellent.

• Grooming: You can keep your dog clean and cool by brushing their coat daily. Most dogs do not need to be bathed more than a couple times a year. Before giving your dog a bath be sure and comb or cut out all mats form the coat, and carefully rinse all soap out of the coat or dirt will stick to the soap residue. Most cats stay relatively clean year around and rarely need a bath. They do need to be brushed/combed on a regular basis. This will help keep you cat's coat clean and reduce the amount of shedding they do.