Summertime. WhooHooo it is finally here! Temperatures are heading up and over 70, 80, 90 or even 100 degrees in some parts of our great country. We are happy about that and so are our dogs. You can see them smile just as big as we do when we get up in the morning and see blue skies and calm breezes. But we need to remember: we don’t have fur and look how hot we get! Most of our pets are covered in fur and they can overheat much more quickly than we can. We all know about not leaving our pets in the car to bake while we “run in the store for just a minute” just like we would not leave our child in that same car in the sun. Or even in the shade when that shade is over 80 degrees. But we need to remember that our furry friends who stay outside during the day while we are at work or away from home will need extra water and a shady spot to escape to as those summertime temperatures climb. Dogs and cats do not sweat so they can really struggle to maintain a healthy body temperature as the thermometer climbs this time of year. In addition to the heat, we have our favorite summertime holiday, Independence Day or 4th of July. And that brings…fireworks.

Oh how we love to celebrate our Country’s independence with lots of shiny, loud, exploding fireworks. Ouch, too many firecrackers at once hurt your ears? Just think about your dog or cat whose hearing is oh so much better and refined than our own. Some pets don’t seem to be affected while others, like my own boys, absolutely go crazy when they start hearing the first few bottle-rockets around the time of June graduation ceremonies. While you may think it is cute that Fido barks a bunch each time he hears an M-80 explode, he is actually telling you he is scared to death and the noise hurts his ears. Ask your vet for medicine for your pets to take during the 4th of July celebrations so that they can calmly be with their humans while we celebrate our nation’s independence. And, last but not least: don’t forget the bug medicine!

While you are at the store buying mosquito repellent and citronella candles for your patio or porch, don’t forget the flea and tick medicine for your pets. Fleas are horrible when they get out of control, making your dog or cat a miserable, itchy mess. Fleas also enjoy dining on human blood, so it is to your benefit as well as your dog or cat’s for you to make sure they are protected from these tiny critters. Ticks are even worse. Oftentimes we don’t even notice they are on our pet or even on us. Ticks are second only to mosquitoes as top carriers of diseases, viruses and bacteria such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Nothing to mess around with! So when you buy your summertime supply of flea medicine, make sure that the product you select also kills ticks and is waterproof. Even if your pets stay in your own backyard most of the time, you never know when you might decide to go on a road trip to a tick-infested area or when a friend might visit with an infested pet. Better safe than sorry! Enough of the dangers of summer for we certainly have joys too. Now is a great time to pour yourself a cold drink, go outside and enjoy the warm, starry night with your best friend by your side. Yipppeeee, it is summer!