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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2018 53 DOG CARE IN HOT WEATHER: June is upon us and hot weather is here for the summer. Remember, if you're hot, your pets are definitely hot. Here are some tips to keep your dog healthy and safe during the summer months: • Don't leave your pet alone in the car on a warm day: Despite the warnings, every year, pets die after their owners leave them in a parked car that overheats. Within just a few minutes, a car can get extremely hot, stifling, and deadly. Remember, even if you leave a window open a crack, it can get much warmer in the interior of the car than the outside temperature. These high temperatures can be lethal to your pet. • Be Vigilant About Vet Care: When it starts getting warm outside, take your dog or cat to the vet for a full check up. The check up should include a heartworm test and a flea and tick protection plan. These are year-round issues but in the summer months, with much more outdoors time, it's especially important to monitor them. • Avoid Walking Your Dog In the Heat: Aim for mornings and evenings when letting your dog outside. Even in the coolest part of the day, watch for signs of trouble: Glassy eyes and frantic panting indicate a dog who needs help. Get to a veterinarian immediately if you see these symptoms! KEEP YOUR HOME COOL FOR YOUR PETS: When the temperature outside gets hot, it can be harder to keep the indoors cool. Some people turn their air conditioning off when they leave for the day. If you have a pet at home, this could put it in danger. Instead of turning off the air conditioner, try leaving it on a conservative but comfortable setting (perhaps 76°F) while you are out. Consider closing curtains to reduce the heating effects of sunlight through the windows. GIVE YOUR PETS ACCESS TO SHADE AND PLENTY OF WATER: Pets can get dehydrated or get heatstroke quickly, so any pet outside needs to have plenty of water and access to shade. KNOW WHICH DOGS ARE LESS TOLERANT OF HEAT: Some dog breeds are less tolerant of the heat. Older, obese or short-nosed dogs (Pugs, Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Pekingese, Boxers, Shih Tzus and French Bulldogs) are less tolerant of heat. Also, older dogs, puppies and dogs with health issues can be more susceptible to hot weather. Pack Walks: all dogs are welcome and we practice techniques to calm barking dogs. Please, no retractable leashes. We meet Saturdays at 8 am in the Spa parking lot and Wednesdays at 7 pm in the Summit parking lot. For information, contact Patrick and his dog, Ricky Ricardo: dog_owners@yahoo.com. ~ Patrick Gerety D.O.G. Tails & Trails - All Pets CAT TALES: More interesting facts about cats: Cats typically sleep about 16 hours each day and are mostly inactive during the day. The term for this is crepuscular, which means that cats are most active at dawn and dusk, while the sun is rising and setting. Although a cat will fall into a deep sleep, it lasts for only five to 10 minutes. Mostly a cat sleeps lightly. When sleeping, cats are often still aware of noises and smells and are able to suddenly wake up from this type of light sleep and be alert. During periods of deeper sleep, cats take longer to rouse. Cats can see in much dimmer light and have a wider peripheral view than humans. Their eyes have six to eight times more rod cells, which are more sensitive to low light, than humans. However, they don't see color as well as humans do. In fact, scientists believe cats are able to see only three or four colors because their eyes do not have the same receptors as humans. Cats seem able to distinguish between higher frequency colors, meaning they respond to the colors purple, blue, green and possibly yellow. Red, orange and brown colors appear to fall outside their color range and are likely seen as shades of grey or purple. Some foods are toxic to cats such as onions, garlic, chocolate, grapes, and raisins. Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in cats depending on the amount of grapes and raisins eaten. Raisins are more concentrated than grapes, so it may take fewer raisins to cause illness. The allium species of plants which include garlic, onions, scallions, chives, and shallots are highly toxic to both cats and dogs. allium-based foods can cause red blood cell damage, resulting in the cells not being able to carry oxygen. This can also cause anemia (low red blood cell count) and, in severe cases, may lead to organ damage or failure. Though milk is not toxic, it can cause an upset stomach because, surprisingly, cats are lactose intolerant. Tylenol and aspirin are also very toxic to cats. Chocolate contains two substances that are harmful to cats and dogs: caffeine and theobromine. These can stimulate the cardiac and neurologic systems and can cause increased heart rate progressing to a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm, increased temperature, and seizures. Our next Tails & Trails meeting will be Wednesday, June 27 at 7 pm in RCN 3. Visit us on Facebook at Four Seasons DOG / Tails and Trails. ~ Toni Adams

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