How to Prevent Dehydration for your pets By David Meserve

This is a brochure that David Meserve, one of our assistants wrote. David is an incredible fellow, he is 14 years old and loves veterinary medicine.I have been sharing some of my old text books with him and, according to his mom, he is reading them cover-to-cover. He obviously learned an awful lot since he composed a document worthy of a college student. Come by on Saturday at our Pet Safety Fair (12 PM-2 PM at the hospital) and meet David and get a copy of his brochure.

Veterinary Care Specialists

want to remind you to

have a cool and relaxing

summer.

Brochure created by

David Meserve

HELP

YOUR PETS

HAVE A COOL SUMMER!

How do I spot and prevent dehydration?

Dehydration is the excess loss of body fluids. It usually involves loss of water and electrolytes. Water is more than 60% of a dog’s and a cat’s body weight. Breathing, salivating, defecating, and urinating can cause your dog or cat to significantly lose water in their body. You can prevent this by giving your pet an appropriate amount of water. For a dog 1 fluid ounce of water per pound, for a cat 7 fluid ounces a day (1 fluid ounce= 1/8 cup) and try putting in some ice cubes every once in a while. If you have an outdoor dog or cat make sure they have a place in the shade to cool down. Symptoms of dehydration include panting heavily, fever, weak rapid pulse, pale gums, and poor skin elasticity.

Skin elasticity is a clear sign of dehydration. Test for this by pulling on the skin between the shoulders forming a tent and let go. If it recedes slowly then your dog is dehydrated.

How do I spot and prevent heat stroke?

Your pet’s normal body temperature is 99.5˚- 102.5˚ Fahrenheit. If it rises to 107˚ Fahrenheit or above your dog or cat is at serious risk of heat stroke! Heat stroke can cause permanent damage or even worse death. Heat stroke leads to nervous system abnormalities like lethargy, weakness, collapse, and coma. It is very important to know that when you leave your pet in a car on a sunny day the car can reach 160˚ Fahrenheit! Older, overweight, short muzzle dogs, puppies and kittens, and cats and dogs with a thick coat are all at risk of a heat stroke so limit their outdoor time on hot days. Symptoms of heat stroke are rapid panting, bright red tongue, red or pale gums, thick and sticky saliva, weakness, dizziness, vomiting- sometimes with blood, diarrhea, shock, and coma. You can prevent your pet from heat stroke by doing as follows…

· Monitor your pet when outdoors on hot, humid days

· Remove pet from hot area immediately

· Exercise your pet in the morning or evening

· Keep your pet in a cool environment in hot weather

· Make sure outside cats and dogs have access to shade

· Allow your cat or dog access to cooler areas of the home