Summertime Blues - Health and Safety Hazards for Pets
By Kathryn Gaster Allen

Keeping your lawn lush and green comes with a price – herbicides, insecticides and other lawn products that can be toxic to pets, children and the environment. Organic and natural alternatives are available, making chemical fertilizers unnecessary. Yet even organic alternatives need to be used carefully. Always read the label and take all precautions noted. Anytime a dog or cat walks across a treated lawn, it will be ingesting some degree of products applied. It may be necessary to limit your pet's access to the yard after treating it with any lawn product.

You may be familiar with houseplants that are hazardous to pets, but outdoor plants also can be dangerous to a dog or cat who likes to nibble on the surroundings. Although more of an issue with puppies and kittens, you may want to avoid landscape plants such as azalea, rhododendron, hydrangea, foxglove, hyacinth or castor bean. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has a more exhaustive list on its website (www.ASPCA.org). If these plants already are part of your landscape, fence them off until you know your pet has lost the urge to make a culinary exploration of your garden.

As an eco-minded gardener, a compost pile is a bonus for your garden but may attract your dog. Sampling the compost pile can lead to vomiting and/or diarrhea, and thus, dehydration. Take the time to make sure any compost piles or bins are inaccessible, or that you watch your dog while it is in the yard. Cocoa bean mulch also poses a danger. As a byproduct of chocolate manufacturing, it contains the same caffeine and theobromine that makes chocolate itself dangerous for dogs. Even though it has a beautiful rich color and appealing chocolate scent, it is not the right choice for gardeners who have dogs.

When the temperature rises, our fur-coated friends depend on us to keep them out of the sun. Heat stroke is a summertime hazard that dogs face. The best precaution is to keep your canine companion at home and indoors on hot, sunny days. And never, ever leave your dog in the car during warm weather. Even with the windows cracked opened, on an 85-degree day the internal temperature in a car can reach 102 degrees in only 10 minutes. (If you do need to take your dog in the car with you, make sure it is buckled up along with all your car's occupants. Pets are always safer in a seat belt harness, available at most pet supply stores, or in a crate.)

Heat-stroke symptoms include rapid panting, a bright red tongue, thick, sticky saliva followed by dry mouth, exhaustion or agitation, vomiting, dizziness and finally shock. The immediate treatment is to get the animal into the shade or an air conditioned building. Wet it down with cool water, lowering its body temperature gradually. Dry it, wrap it in towels and head to the nearest emergency vet clinic. Even if the pet seems to be recovering, it may be severely dehydrated and will need subcutaneous fluids to prevent any further complications such as shock, respiratory distress, kidney failure or heart problems.

For all of its blue skies and pleasant temperatures, summer poses a special set of concerns for pets having access to the great outdoors. By using natural yard products, selecting safe landscape plantings and exercising safety measures when traveling by car, you and your pet can enjoy a safe and carefree summer.

Kathryn “Kat” Gaster Allen is the owner of Gasterville Natural (www.gasterville.com), a Cleveland-based pet-care and consulting business, and the publisher of a monthly e-newsletter “The Hound's Herald.” Kat is pursing her veterinary technology degree as well as her canine massage therapy certification. She may be reached via Kathy@Gasterville.com or at (216) 276-2229.

Photos by Bob Perkoski, www.Perkoski.com.