Ticks
Ticks are blood sucking parasites that transmit serious diseases to both pets and humans.
They attach to your pet to feed off their blood. It is important that you check your pet’s coat thoroughly especially dogs after coming back from a walk.
Ask us for more information on how best to protect your pet from ticks.
Grass Seeds
These can cause havoc for dogs this time of year! They are small and easily become embedded in ears, toes, pads and even eyes. Regularly check your dog after walks and contact us if you are concerned.
Flystrike
Flies are attracted to rabbits rear ends as they can often be damp and soiled. They lay their eggs on them which hatch into maggots and eat away the rabbit’s flesh.
Your rabbit should be checked a minimum of once a day in the summer months for eggs and maggots. See our website for top tips to help prevent flystrike. You must contact us immediately if you are concerned.
Sunburn
Cats, especially ones with white ear tips and noses are particularly at risk from sunburn which often leads to localised skin cancer of these areas. Help protect them by applying a high factor/kids sunblock to these areas during the summer months.
Slugs
Keen gardeners often apply slug pellets to protect their flowers in the summer months but these contain a chemical called Metaldehyde which is extremely toxic to pets. As dogs will eat most things these should always be used with great care if you have pets in the household. Ingestion can often be fatal - you must contact us immediately if you think your pet has eaten some. Slugs and snails are also carriers of Angiostrongylus Vasorum – Lungworm, so it is important to keep your dog away from them.
Always read the label before you apply anything to your garden regarding the hazards to pets (and humans!) and if your pet has ingested something always bring the container and information with you to the vets to help us.
Don't Cook Your Dog
Finally never, ever leave your pet in the car, not even with the window open. Your pet will cook! On a warm day your car heats up like an oven. When its 22⁰C outside, it reaches 47⁰C inside a car within 60 minutes. Don’t take the risk.
Make sure you know the signs of heatstroke to watch out for and contact us immediately if you are concerned about your pet.
If you do see a dog suffering from heatstroke in a car on a hot day and there is no one around the advice is to first dial 999.
If the situation becomes critical for the dog and the police are too far away or unable to attend, many people’s instinct will be to break into the car to free the dog. If you decide to do this, please be aware that without proper justification, this could be classed as criminal damage and, potentially, you may need to defend your actions in court.
Make sure you tell the police what you intend to do and why. Take pictures or videos of the dog and the names and numbers of witnesses to the incident. The law states that you have a lawful excuse to commit damage if you believe that the owner of the property that you damage would consent to the damage if they knew the circumstances (section 5(2)(a) Criminal Damage Act 1971).
Once removed, if the dog is displaying signs of heatstroke, follow emergency first aid advice available on our website. This could mean the difference between life and death for the dog.
If the dog isn't displaying symptoms of heatstroke but you are concerned you must establish how long the dog has been in the car. A ‘pay and display’ ticket could help if the car is in a car park or if you’re at a shop, venue or event ask the staff to make an announcement to alert the owner of the situation.
Make a note of the car’s registration. If the owner returns, but you still feel the situation was dangerous for the dog, you may still report the incident to the police.
If possible, get someone to stay with the dog to monitor their condition. If they begin to display signs of distress or heatstroke, you must be prepared to dial 999 and follow the advice above.
