Hello Dog Lovers Around the World:
Here in the United States, summer is in full bloom. The weather is beautiful and sunny most of the time. This is great for people and pets in general. Everyone –including dogs-- are getting outside more, engaging in more activities. It’s usually a great time for dogs to shed a few pounds put on by being inactive all winter. That usually applies to their people companions too.
However, summer time can present its own set of things to watch out for in our efforts to continue keeping our dogs companions safe and healthy.
First, the heat in general can be difficult for some pets. Never leave a dog (or cat) alone in a car, even for a few minutes, in the summer time. You may think that leaving a window open a little will provide some air but the car acts like an oven. The temperatures rise substantially and very quickly in a closed car. (Even in the wintertime this can be a problem.) This can cause serious heat stroke in your beloved dog. Dogs (and cats) cannot sweat the way we do and they can overheat very quickly in the wrong environment. Sometimes this can happen when they are outside in the heat as well (at the beach or just walking in the street).
SIGNS OF HEAT STOKE
The first signs you might see is your dog panting. It may increase in intensity as the dog’s condition worsens. The gums and skin may become very red, a sign the body is over heating. Your dog may start to vomit or collapse with skin that is cool to the touch. This is a severe emergency requiring immediate attention. Please be aware of your dog’s sensitivity to the heat.
If your dog should overheat, get the dog into a cool or shaded place immediately. Apply cool towels and/or small amounts of cool water on their body especially under their arms and legs-generally these are hairless areas. (Do not use ice cold or very cold water.) Get them to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. Heat stoke can be a life threatening situation.
HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT FOR HEAT STOKE
Three common remedies to counteract heat stroke are:
Aconitum napellus 6C to30C. If the dog needs this remedy it may also seem very fearful or anxious. This is my first choice at first sign of sunstroke. Give three pellets every 10 minutes for up to three doses. If the dog doesn’t seem better try one of the other remedies listed below. Hopefully you are also on your way to the veterinarian’s office as you are giving these remedies.
Gelsemum 30C If the dog needs this remedy it may also seem very weak and its muscles may be trembling. Give 3 pellets every 10 minutes up to three doses. If the dog is not any better try one of the other remedies listed here.
Glonoinum 6C to 30C. You may see vomiting and weakness. Gums may be pale or red or have a bluish cast. Give 3 pellets every 5 minutes. If not better try one of the other remedies listed here. Again you should be doing this on your way to the veterinarians office.
SUMMER PESTS
Other problems encountered in the summertime are external parasites like fleas and ticks.
The first line of defense against any internal or external pests is a healthy diet and healthy animal. The healthier the animal, the less likely that a parasite will be able to take hold.
THE NATURAL APPROACH
In the book, “Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs” Don Hamilton, DVM has some excellent suggestions for controlling fleas naturally. He suggests initially, to control fleas, by shampooing your dog (or cat) weekly. You don’t need a flea shampoo. Just use a good healthy shampoo, later up and leave on for 10 minutes. Then do a good rinse. The bath disrupts the life cycle of the flea. If you prefer using herbal products, you can rinse the dog with lavender, eucalyptus and pennyroyal. All appear to repel fleas. (Eucalyptus and pennyroyal may be toxic to cats, so don’t use these on cats.)
Some people have found that Avon’s Skin-So-Soft bath oil applied topically can repel fleas. Use one to one and half ounces per gallon of water. Apply as a rinse or spray on.
Of course frequent combing with a flea comb will help rid your dog of fleas and disrupt the flea cycle. Flush the live fleas down the toilet or emmerse in soapy water to kill them.
Keep your house clean. The fleas usually live on your dog but their eggs and larve will be found mostly on bedding where your dog sleeps. Be sure to launder the bedding and clean this area thoroughly frequently.
One inexpensive suggestion Dr. Hamilton gives is to use Twenty Mule Team Borax (cheap and easily available in most grocery stores) to control and rid fleas in the house.
He suggests you sprinkle it on carpet and floors, use a broom to work it into these areas. Allow it to stay on areas overnight. Then vacuum it up the next day. Keep animals away from these areas until vacuumed up. Repeat in two weeks after the first treatment and then every few months as needed.
It is important to think about controlling fleas outside your home as well so that the dog does not get re-infected. There is a nematode (worm) that kills fleas. Many garden stores and hardware stores sell them. These can be orders in the United States from “Gardens Alive” which specializes in non-toxic gardening (1-812-537-8650)
MORE NATURAL PARASITE CONTROL
There are some other natural products that are available to prevent fleas and ticks. I have listed a web site that offers some of these products. I personally have not used them, but I think they are worth a try if you would like to try something non-toxic. If these products do not keep the fleas or ticks away from your dog, you can always revert to the conventional veterinary products. The veterinary products work so well in most instances the problem will be resolved in 24 hours if it occurs.
There is a product called “Bug Check ™” for the control of biting insects. This was originally developed for horses. It works very well in horses but also seems to be effective in dogs. You can get more information about this on the web site www.thenaturalhorsevet.net If you have questions about this product you can contact the manufacturer (Dr. Dan Moore) directly at drdan@thenaturalhorsevet.net
You can also call him at his toll free number 1-877-873-8838 to order the products. His direct number for technical questions is 1-423-926-1361.
Dr. Moore is a holistic vet who primarily develops products for horses. As an aside, he has developed a product to prevent or expel worms, which is called “Worm Check™” for internal parasite. He has found this product to be very effective for tapeworms also. Both of these products can be used on dogs. They contain Diatomaceous earth and Garlic as well as Artemisia, and Clove oil. “Bug Check” also contains Grape Seed to fortify skin and serve as an antioxidant as well as Thiamine, which helps repel all biting insects.
CONVENTIONAL PARASITE CONTROL
If you want to go the conventional flea product route, I recommend that my clients use Advantage (for fleas prevention only) and Frontline (for fleas and tick prevention). These products are available through veterinarians or through catalogs (i.e. R.J. Steele) in the United States. I don’t know about other countries. These are products you put on the dog’s skin. Remember these are all toxic and may have some effect on the dog too. I have not seen any bad reactions to these products in my practice or while working as a conventional veterinarian over the last 6 years. I would not recommend them for use on a very ill animal unless the flea or tick problem could not be handled some other way and getting fleas or ticks would result in the dog’s condition deteriorating.
There are also monthly pills like Program, Revolution, and Sentinel. These are combination medicines that act to kill fleas and ticks from the inside out. The disadvantage to these is that the flea has to bite your dog in order for them to work. But some people prefer to give a pill monthly, rather than have to put something on their dogs’ skin that might rub off or emit toxic substances to them or their family. I do not usually recommend these combination products to my clients because I feel it is giving the dog too many toxins at one time.
HEARTWORM DISEASE
Another parasite that can be passed to dogs in the summer (warm) months are Heartworms. In some parts of the United States and other countries this is a problem. It is passed to dogs (and can also be passed to cats both indoor and outdoor) by mosquitoes biting the animal and passing microfilaria into the blood of the animal. These then develop into worms that block the arteries leading to the heart. I recommend that pet owners put their dogs on Heartworm preventative medicine during the mosquito season in the Northeast United States (from May through November) to prevent this disease. If they live in a tropical climate all year long I recommend treatment year ‘round. Two brands that are available in the United States are Heartgard and Interceptor. However some of the other oral products listed above also prevent Heartworm disease as well as fleas and ticks.
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR INSECT BITES
If your pet does get bitten by fleas, spiders, ants, or other insect, or gets stung by a bee, think of these homeopathic remedies as first aid.
Apis mellifica 30C or 200C is made from the venom of the honeybee. So if you see your dog get stung or see a reaction in your pet that looks like it might have been caused by a bee or wasp sting (hot, redness, swelling –could be anywhere on the animal: mouth, throat, skin-- give three pellets every 5 minutes for three doses. If the swelling and reaction doesn’t stop by the third dose, try another remedy listed here. If the swelling is extreme or your dog collapses, rush your dog to an animal hospital. Sometimes a bee sting reaction can be fatal if the throat swells so much that your pet cannot breath. (Give the remedy to the dog on the way to the animal hospital. Perhaps by the time you get there, the dog will be feeling better.)
Ledum palustre 6C, 12C or 30C (Masha tea; Wild Rosemary) Is an excellent remedy for any kind of puncture wound. Of course, an animal bite, snakebite, insect bite or bee sting is also a puncture wound. The wounded area may twitch and seem itchy (more so at night). This is also the first remedy to give if your animal steps on a nail or something else that may puncture its pads/foot. Here again, give three pellets every 10 minutes for three doses. Then wait to see if there is improvement. If so, stop and let the body continue the healing process. If no improvement occurs, try another remedy listed here. Ledum palustre (in tincutre) can also be applied topically to the area.
Grindelia 3C to 30C (Grindelia robusta and Grindelia squarrosa) If Ledum is not successful try this for flea bites every 10 minutes. You may see a rash, like roseola, and the dog will feel severe burning and itching. You may see skin eruptions. This remedy can also be used for exposure to poison ivy or poison oak.
Caladium sequinum 6C to 30C (American arum; Dieffenbachia sequine) This is a less common remedy but may help some dogs who are sensitive to flea bites. The characteristic feature is that the site is itching and burning, perhaps worse at night.
I recommend purchasing the four remedies listed here so that you would have them around, should your dog get bitten or stung. Homeopathic remedies are relatively inexpensive, approximately $6.00/per vial. You might even carry Apis and Ledum with you when you go out for walks with your dog, especially if you know there are many insects around the areas that you walk.
In spite of all the potential dangers that might present themselves in the summer time, it is also a time to really enjoy yourself and you dog. Being aware of these dangers and being prepared will pay off should any problems arise.
I wish you all a wonderful summer season wherever you may reside.
I want to thank all the people who have sent in questions. I will answer as many as possible through this web site. Periodically these questions and answers will be posted on this site so that all of the subscribers can benefit from these diversified topics of interest.
HAPPY TAILS TO ALL,
Jill Elliot, D.V.M.
