Spring Time Tips To Keep Your Pets Safe and Healthy

The cranes and the red-wing black birds are back and temperatures are rising, spring appears to be here. It’s also the time of year when dogs and cats are more likely to slip out of the yard or the front door and it is the season when infections and parasites move more freely among the community. So here are a few reminders :

1. Check your backyard fence, window screens and screen doors. Be sure that they are pet proof, no holes in the fences and no areas where the fences have curled up or holes that have developed underneath the fence line. Check invisible fences too. When the snow was deep and the weather foul, your dog did not want to run off, but now when the rabbit hops out of the fence parameter your pooch may be more willing to roam. Be sure that screens are in good repair so that your cats don't slip outside for a neighborhood walk about.
2. Make sure your pet is well identified.
1. Take some photos, keep them recent, in case you have to go looking for a missing companion.
2. Make sure everybody’s collars have tags with current phone numbers, address, etc, we actually suggest putting your pets blood type on their tag in case of an accident Check to see that the collars fit well, not too tight or too loose.
3. Consider a micro chip. It is a simple subcutaneous injection for your pet and a life time of identification and protestion. If your pet is lost without a collar or looses its collar, the microchip is just another layer to your pet retrieval system. When we find a stray animal we check for a microchip. That identification number is linked to an 800 phone number and a quick phone call finds the pet’s home. It is important that you make sure the information on your pet is kept current, remember to report change of address or phone number changes.
3. Recently (over the past 6 months) there have been reports of rabies in a horse in Lapeer Township and a human succumbed to rabies up in Kalkaska, Mi. Even though we have gotten smarter about vaccines and we recognize that vaccines can be given less often, we definitely know that vaccines are necessary. Vaccines not only keep your pets safe, but your family safe as well. Remember that if your dog is going to the parks or running on the back trails with you, your pup should be vaccinated against Leptospirosis, too.
4. Time for a trim… The weather is getting warmer, the mud, rain and dirt is being tracked into the house. Long hair coats that are left wet or dirty harbor infection. Next, maggots, fleas and ticks can find their way into your home (and your pet!). These rules apply to your long hair cats too!
5. Do not make your pet a weekend warrior. I know the weather is nice, but take it slow. Just like you , your pet has to start working out slowly. A day of swimming, running and hiking will leave your previously sedentary pet sore and in some instances, too much activity for an under conditioned dog could lead to far more serious orthopedic issues.
6. This is the time when all young dogs and cats are thinking of love.....Remember to have your pet spayed or neutered. The longer days that come in the spring are a signal to begin the reproduction cycle. Avoid that litter of pups or kittens and have your pet neutered.
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Have a GREAT SPRING!