LIKE many people, I have been thinking about summer holidays now that it is safer to go travelling once more.

Remember to consider your pets. I know many boarding kennels and catteries are full to capacity, so plan in advance if you need someone to look after your cherished pet.

If you are considering travelling to Europe with your pet, plan in advance to ensure you have all the correct paperwork and your pet is correctly vaccinated. This will allow your vet to issue an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) prior to your journey.

At Dunedin Vets, we have been inundated with requests for AHCs. Unfortunately, if you have not met all the criteria, we are unable to issue them.

If staying at home, it is great to go for walks with your dog, but the soaring temperatures bring a number of different problems for you and your pet.

As with humans, extended periods of high temperatures can be particularly detrimental to the elderly, young and infirm.

Please:

  1. Ensure your pets have access to fresh, clean water at all times. This is true for dogs, cats, rabbits and all pets, including birds.
  2. Do not exercise dogs during the heat of the day. Allow them to rest at this time and stick to early morning or evening walks.
  3. Provide shelter and shade for all pets, especially rabbits and guinea pigs housed outdoors.
  4. Have your dog’s coat clipped.
  5. Do not leave pets in cars, even with the window open.

 

Each year, we treat a number of pets suffering from heat stroke. These are usually dogs, which have been running around enjoying themselves and then suddenly collapse. They may be panting profusely with the tongue hanging from the mouth, salivating a lot, with the gums looking purplish-coloured.

If you suspect your dog is suffering heat stroke, take them immediately to your vet – this is an emergency. If you have cold water available, apply a wet cloth to your pet’s head. Generally dogs need to be cooled down slowly in a tepid shower, and sometimes injections to combat shock need to be administered.

This unfortunately happened recently to my own Labrador Lucy, when my daughter took her for a longer run than usual, when it was rather hot. Fortunately, after applying a cool damp towel to her head and body, she soon recovered, but it was quite a shock to see her so distressed.

Sunburn

Sunburn is a particular problem with white cats, but any pet with light-coloured areas at the extremities can be affected. As cats like to sunbathe, they are most at risk. The ear tips and nose are particularly vulnerable to sunburn, which then can result in skin cancer.

You can reduce the risk by keeping pets out of direct sunlight in the middle of the day and applying sun block to the at-risk areas. Sun block for kids is fine, or at Dunedin Vets we recommend aloe vera products, which are soothing as well as protective.

Berry bugs or ‘harvest mites’ are very common in East Lothian at this time of year. I actually saw my first case this year on July 1. They are actually a plant parasite, so they do not live on animals but cause severe allergic reactions.

They are just visible to the naked eye as small orange-coloured spots. They can occur anywhere on the body but often between the toes, round the ears and along the abdomen are the places where they are frequently found. These can affect any species.

Prevention of contact with the berry bugs is the only way to stop the signs of allergy, not always an easy thing to do. Treatment by washing and a particular anti-parasitic spray can help remove them from your pet. Some animals require treatment for the allergic reaction and itching which they cause.

Kennel cough

Wherever dogs meet, they are at risk of catching kennel cough. This may be out on walks, at training classes or in boarding kennels.

Kennel cough is a highly infectious cough caused by both a bacterium and virus acting together, resulting in a severe whooping-like cough and breathlessness. There are also likely to be a sore throat, fever and loss of appetite.

Some dogs may have mild symptoms but some dogs may cough for weeks and some develop further complications such as pneumonia.

Remember the severe signs can be prevented by an annual vaccination given by intranasal drops. Contact your vet at least two weeks before your dog goes to kennels to have the kennel cough vaccination and put your mind at ease.

Bites, stings and fly strike are hazards to be aware of, whether, bees, wasps, horseflies, adders or jellyfish. They are all possible causes of harm to your pet over the summer.

If you have any concerns, please contact your veterinary surgery as soon as possible. Some of these require urgent treatment and can be life-threatening.

Maisie's visit

As vets, we are trained to examine patients and make diagnoses; sometimes conditions are obvious and sometimes they require blood tests and x-rays etc to make the diagnosis.

When Mrs McFarlane visited Dunedin Vets Dunbar branch with her lovely black Labrador Maisie, my colleague was quite concerned. Maisie had been having short spells when she became vacant-looking, panting and confused. These are signs which could be related to heat stroke and many other conditions.

Maisie was given an appointment at our Tranent branch for further investigations. Maisie had a routine blood test and given a full neurological examination to determine if anything could be found to explain her strange episodes. She also had an ultrasound scan of her abdomen to check for any abnormalities.

No major problems were found. The only thing of note was Maisie’s blood glucose level was low on admission, but she had been starved before this, so not too unusual. However, her glucose level remained low.

After some thought, and examining videos of Maisie when she was having a turn, an insulinoma (a tumour in the pancreas) which secretes too much insulin was suspected.

I took blood to send to a specialist lab to check her glucose and insulin levels. These results confirmed that Maisie did indeed have an insulinoma.

Now potentially these can be removed surgically, but they can be very difficult to find as they are often extremely small. Maisie’s mum was happy for us to treat her medically. In fact, at the moment, Maisie has to be fed small amounts throughout the day and, if she starts one of her funny turns, she needs a little sugary food and she soon recovers – just like a diabetic patient going into a ‘hypo’.

Maisie may need medical treatment if her turns become more frequent or severe, but at the moment she is living a happy Labrador life on the farm.

This is a very uncommon condition, only the second case I’ve seen in over 35 years as a vet.

If your pet starts doing something strange, it may be something or nothing, but definitely worth having it checked by your vet.

Have a lovely summer with your pets.