The intense heat and humidity is hard not only for people but for dogs as well. Our vets provide practical tips for how to keep your furbaby cool and safe during the blistering months Text: Team Buddy Life
It has been a long-drawn summer this time. With soaring temperatures, the heat is unbearable for all, especially for our pooches. Summer can mean lots of fun outdoors with your beloved pets. But there are some precautions that we need to take to protect our pet. Whether it’s a walk outdoors, or a car ride or just to play in the park, it is important to keep our furry friend safe and healthy. “Although pets have their own way of physiological adaptation to overcome this problem, at the same time we can also help them to rise over this heat stress problem by providing a suitable diet,” says Dr Aditya Pratap Soni, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science, Jabalpur.
Just as our diets change during the hot weather, our canine companions should also be offered food that has a cooling effect on their bodies. According to Dr Pradyut Kr Sarmah, Director, Pet & Vet, Guwahati, “The ideal diet for your furry friends during this summer season will be normal food what you provide in daily basis but you can add lots of watermelons, cucumber, coconut water and mangoes since these foods contains more water.”
Agrees Dr Seema Talokar, product manager (Companion Animal), Vetina Healthcare LLP. According to Dr Talokar, “The ideal summer diet for canines is lighter and fresh meals. One must select foods that have a cooling effect on the body. For convenience, you can opt for processed wet or dry food.” She mentions three points to take care of in summer meals for our fur babies:
1. While choosing dry food, select the one which provides a balanced diet of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Avoid feeding them anything too fatty.
2. Neutral food options such as salmon, quail, and turkey can be added to a dog’s bowl in moderation.
3. Go for dog food that contains prebiotics, salmon oil, and a mix of fruits and vegetables. A high fibre and low protein diet with lots of vitamins, minerals and plenty of water which increases the process of digestion and absorption also helps maintain the hydration of the pets.
In general, a healthy dog should drink approximately 30-50 ml of water per kg body weight per day. However, breed, age, body condition, and medications also influence how much water your dog needs, explains Dr Aditya Pratap Soni. However, Dr Pratik R Chavelikar, a private practitioner at Vihaan Pet Clinic, Gandhinagar, says, “There is no formula to know how much water your pet should drink each day. This depends on many factors, including pet size, diet, age, activity level and exercise, temperature, health conditions or medications that cause dehydration and weight. Most dogs should consume at least 30 ml of water per kg body weight daily. This can be monitored depending on whether the pet eats wet food (which is mostly water). If the pet is very active, we should encourage him or her to drink more water to stay hydrated.”
Water is one of the essential nutrients our dogs need to live happy and healthy. Our dog’s health and wellness depends on their ability to get the proper amount of water each day. Water has a wide range of positive effects like hydrating brain and blood, lubricating and cushioning joints, body temperature regulation aiding in waste removal, and helping the digestion process. Dr Pradyut Kumar Sarmah adds, “Usually, a dog needs approximately 60-80 ml of water per day per kg of body weight over a period of 24 hrs, but during summer if the dog is going for a walk or playing outside, they would need more water. Some symptoms of dehydration include:
1. Dry sticky gums
2. Excessive panting
3. Sunken or dry looking eyes
4. Foaming, loss of appetite, depression
A common problem faced by several pet parents is their fur babies refrain from drinking water frequently. Keeping your dog hydrated is needed to keep them sound and healthy. Calculating the required water intake depends on several aspects, such as their breed size, activity level, and type of food they eat. “On an average, dogs require around 1 ounce of water per 1 pound of body weight. Your dog’s exercise level and time spent in the sun may call for increased daily water intake. The essential thing is to keep their water bowl filled with fresh, clean water and have plenty of cold water available. If you feel your dog is not drinking enough water, try adding a flavour enhancement (like low-sodium chicken broth), says Dr Talokar.
Other important points to be taken care of, as Dr Rahul Sankhe, Livestock Development Officer Palghar, Maharashtra, says, “Make sure that your pet is protected from ticks, fleas and lice. Ticks are most active from the months of March to mid-May and from mid-August to November. Ticks are active any time the temperature is above freezing point. It is advisable to keep an anti-tick spray handy as it helps to kill ticks and rid your pet from the scratching nightmare. Try to keep your house cool. At home if the pet is alone, make sure they remain in a cool room. Leave the air conditioner on, and close the drapes. If there is no AC , open the windows and turn on a fan. You may want to see if a cooling vest or mat can help.”
Some pro tips for easy summers!
- Do not leave your dog’s dinner out for too long.
- Change up mealtimes to the cooler times of the day.
- Never leave them in a parked car on a hot day.
Make sure you have enough shady areas available for them to relax. Refrain from keeping your pet in a closed car as it can lead to heatstroke and suffocation. On a normal day the temperature inside a car can reach up to 40 degrees Celsius within 10 minutes and up to 120 degrees Celsius if left in direct sunlight. So even if you think it will only take a few minutes, it is a strict no-no. If you’re driving around with your furball in the car, carry water and a bowl with you. Take your pet along when you leave the car. Also, older dogs and obese dogs can’t tolerate heat as well as other dogs can, meaning that they may need more frequent breaks to cool off and rehydrate. Additionally, certain breeds are more susceptible to overheating because of their build. Certain dogs are particularly vulnerable due to their short muzzles. If you have questions about sun exposure, flea prevention or heat exposure, call your vet. The best part of taking care of your pet is one day your baby will tell you with her energy, her vitality, her health and the sparkle in her eyes that you gave her the incredible gift of life and longevity.
The last thing any puppy owner or dog breeder wants to hear is a diagnosis of parvovirus infection. Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease of dogs that commonly causes acute gastrointestinal illness in puppies.
The highest ideal of cure is the rapid, gentle, and permanent restoration of health…in the shortest, most reliable and most harmless way.” _ Samuel Hahnemann, M.D. (1755-1843), founder of Homeopathy Bronchitis in dogs is a common illness that affects the upper airways and causes coughing. To understand the disease, it’s first important to know about the basic anatomy that’s involved. Air enters the body through the mouth or nose and flows through the trachea, also known as the windpipe. The air then travels into smaller air passages called bronchi before reaching the smaller bronchioles and, finally, the tiny alveoli, where oxygen enters the bloodstream.
A case of Canine Chronic bronchitis managed with the holistic Homoeopathic line of treatment: Loki, 9 y/o Beagle, was examined for recurring symptoms of spasmodic, harsh and productive cough with increased mucus production. The dog had similar episodes of intermittent respiratory symptoms for the last one year and had gradually become lethargic and unwell. A detailed case history including history, signs, and symptoms was taken from the pet parent to formulate the holistic homeopathic line of treatment. The case was analysed utilising the latest homeopathic software and the line of treatment was formulated to cover a two-pronged approach. One was to provide symptombased relief for the acute symptoms and a long-term plan was prepared to include medicines known to reduce inflammation of bronchial mucosa and reduce mucus formation to delay the progression of chronic disease. Medicines used in this case: Bryonia alba, Arsenic album, Kali Mur, Drosera, Blatta orientalism (medicines were used based on symptom totality as and when needed, in regular/infrequent doses)
If you’ve ever stepped on your pet’s foot by accident, or taken them to the vet so their doctor can inject them with medication, you might have heard them cry out or try to get away quickly. This obviously means they have the same pain receptors that we have. Just like humans, some dogs have a higher pain tolerance, which means that they’re more stoic. It doesn’t mean that if somebody hits them it doesn’t hurt. They just push through it. Dogs feel pain the same way we do, but they don’t always show it in the same way. A dog’s pain can become evident through physical symptoms, behavioural changes and/or mobility issues. These might be subtle, so stay vigilant and never be afraid to ask your vet about anything that might signal that your dog is in pain. If your dog never seems to show indications of pain, it’s not that he doesn’t feel it, it’s that he’s opting not to make his discomfort obvious to others. This behaviour is an innate relic from their forefathers. If a wild canine makes it clear that he feels weak, he becomes an easy target for fights and predators. If he behaves tough and healthy, he is no more a focus than anyone else, and therefore might be able to stay out of physical confrontations. Although dogs often try to keep their pain confidential, it sometimes becomes too much to bear. If your poor pooch is suffering, you might pick up on a host of signs. Signs Your Dog Feels Pain: Since there are many different injuries that can happen to a pup, there are going to be plenty of different signs to look out for. With this, there may be some signs that are not always there. In general, the following signs are the ones to look out for the most. These include crying, moaning, hesitation with regard to movement, antsy behaviour, widened pupils, frequent panting, decreased grooming, crouching down, shivering, atypically fierce behaviour, dull coat, aversion to physical contact, unusually silent or antisocial behaviour, hiding, inordinate chewing or biting of body parts, hobbling, excessive sleeping, bodily rigidness, loss of appetite and pressed down ears. If your pet’s temperament just seems off in general, pain might be the culprit. Take your cutie to the veterinarian as soon as you notice a single sign of pain. If his pain is outwardly apparent, it might mean that he’s been dealing with it for a while. When your pupper is dealing with pain, it is your job to know how to handle it, which means you will need to train yourself on how to best help your pup and then train them on how to know you are helping. Firstly, after you have had your four-legged friend for a while, you will more than likely pick up on their different personality traits and even understand how they are feeling most of the time. If they are acting strange or your head is telling you that there is something wrong, you should probably listen to it. When you are checking out your pup, you will want to make sure they know you are helping them out. This is where the training comes in. You will want to train your dog to let you check on their different body parts. You can do this by using repetition and treats as positive reinforcement. What this will do is let them know it is a good and safe thing to allow you to check their body out for any harm. This will also make sure that they become used to you doing this type of thing. That way, in case of an emergency, they will not have any issue with you checking their body. With that being said, as long as your dog is given a stress-free and happy environment, your dog will feel safe coming to you when they are in pain. This does not mean, however, that you should not be as gentle as possible. Until you know where the injury is located and the extent of the damage, be extra-careful as you check over each body part.
Some breeds that are more likely to obsessively sniff than others (Border Terriers, Bloodhounds or Beagles are big sniffers). Nervous and anxious dogs also tend to sniff especially intensely. Let’s look at sniffing and the benefits that come with it! It’s not easy to appreciate just how much information dogs can absorb through sniffing. Unfortunately, this is not something we will ever be able to experience ourselves, so abstract knowledge of their superior ability to smell is all we have. Dogs can smell 10,000 – 100,000 times better than we can. They can detect some scents in parts per trillion. In numbers, that means they can notice 1 particle in 1,000,000,000,000 other particles. We utilise the incredible power of our dogs’ noses in many ways. From Search and Rescue dogs that save victims that otherwise would have been lost over drug detection dogs to service dogs that can alert their owners by smelling stuff in advance. But sniffing is not just our dog’s greatest talent. It also is one of their most universally enjoyed past-times. Different breeds of dogs like or dislike different activities. A Saint Bernard may not be thrilled about daily sessions of playing frisbee and an Italian Greyhound may not like to come swimming with you. An Anatolian Shepherd probably doesn’t need to go to the farmers market and greet dozens of people every weekend and a Belgian Malinois is not a lap dog. (This is why it is so important to make sure your dog fits your lifestyle before you acquire him, whether through a rescue or from a breeder. Picking a dog that similar ideas of fun as you have will make your life together so much easier and more joyful.) All breeds however, no matter how big, active or aloof, have one thing in common: They love to sniff.
" >