Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Two PSAs about Dogs in Summer
Date:	6/4/2017 2:12:28 PM

The first one has to do with fireworks.  If your dogs are like mine, they are afriad of loud noises.  Mine will immediately want to go into the house.  Even if other loud noises do not bother your dogs, act like they do.  Make sure your dogs are leased, thethered or in the house if you or your neighbors are planning on setting off firewoks.  This is especially true if you ae on vacation on Lake Martin - your dog is not at home and may bolt trying to find a place to hide, especially because they are in an unfamiliar place.  They could be stolen, hit by a car, lost for good.  Also please microchip your dog, so if it does bolt, someone who finds it can get it back home to you.  It seems fairly simple, but every year, people are advertising for lost dogs that are not chipped. 

The second has to do with heat stroke.  As many people know, we lost our beloved GSP, to heat stroke last year, while he was being boarded.  First of all, provide shade and a lot of water to help keep dogs cool in summer.  But at the first signs of heat stroke - very heavy panting, disorientation, lethargy - get the dog to a vet as soon as possible, because you won't want to witness the seizures that will destroy his brain.  Do not put ICE on an overheated dog, because it can bring the body temperature down too quickly and they can go into shock.  It is better to get a wet towel and wrap the dog in it.  If you have a fan handy, add that too.  Offer cool water.  But heat stoke is an EMERGENCY and a trip to the vet is necessary.  There are emergency vets in both Auburn and Montgomery, but not locally on the weekends.  And while it can happen to any dog, older dogs are particularly susceptible.  And if you are boarding, make sure the boarding facility has an emergency plan in case your dog is taken ill, particualrly on the weekends, when local vets are closed.

MY dog died because he was left out in last summer's blistering heat, had ice applied to him.  He was not immediately taken to an emergency vet, and he went into life ending seizures.