Spring is here and Summer soon to follow. With our pets wanting to be outside more, the chances of them getting hurt or injured increase. I'm just going to give you a few tips on pet safety some of them you might already know, hopefully you'll find one that's useful to you. * Never leave a pet inside a car when it's hot outside. The temperature inside a car can rise within minutes exposing your pet to heatstroke or worse. (This is a Biggy! Treat your pet as would your child.)
* Small scratches and cuts that are not bleeding to much need to be cleaned with soap and water or hydrogen peroxide. After cleaning place some antiseptic cream on wound and put a bandage on it.
* Have the Animal Clinic's phone number handy just in case your pet is injured after hours or on weekends.
* Never Ever give your pet people medicine, unless your Vet has recommended it.
Signs of a HeatStroke(but not limited to)...
Temperatures of 104-110F degrees, bright red or dark tongue and gums, staggering, seizures, stupor, vomiting, bloody diarrah, coma or death.
If you suspect HeatStroke in your pet seek veterinary attention immediately. If you are going to try and cool your pet down use cool water, Not Ice Water. Very cold water will cause the blood vessels to constrict and impede cooling. If you are able to get your pets temp down to 103F degrees Stop the cooling process, and proceed to the vet.
Just because your pets temp is down and appears OK, do not assume everything is fine. While your pets temp was high it's internal organs such as kidneys, liver, brain, etc... were definitely affected. Blood test need to be performed to rule out any problems. There is also a secondary complication to HeatStroke that needs to be ruled out and that is DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation) this can be fatal.
