Contacts
Summer Safety Tips
While we love to soak up some sun, we need to be mindful that our furry friends may not appreciate the heat as much as we do. Here are a few things to remember as the temperatures continue to rise:
- Ensure that your pets have access to fresh water at all times. Keeping your pets well hydrated will help prevent heat stress.
- Never leave your pets in your car. Even with the windows open, the temperature inside a vehicle can rapidly increase, much higher than the temperature outside. Leaving your pet inside a parked vehicle can be fatal.
- Limit exercise. If it gets too hot out, it is in your dog's best interest to avoid strenuous outdoor activities. Pay close attention to your dog's breathing, and discontinue activity if your pet is panting more than usual or having laboured breathing. When outside, make sure that your dog has access to a shaded area to avoid direct sun.
- Walk your dog early in the morning and in the evening to avoid the scorching heat of summer.
If you find a pet unattended in a hot vehicle, call 1-833-9-ANIMAL (264625)
Emergency Tips |
If you evacuate your home for any reason, be sure to take your pets with you. Look to family or friends to help house your pets if you are unable to, and make sure any warming stations you visit are pet friendly. Be prepared - make a pet emergency kit that includes:
More information about emergency kits is shared on the Region of Durham website. |
Winter Safety Tips |
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Ticks and Lyme Disease: What you need to know |
The tick population is rapidly expanding, and it is now becoming more common for pet owners to find ticks on their pets. There are many species of ticks that can be found here in Pickering, including the black-legged tick which is known to carry Lyme disease. Public Health Ontario has included Pickering as one of the areas in the province where there is a higher estimated risk of encountering the black-legged ticks. There is no question that these disease-carrying parasites are here to stay, and community members have to be extra careful when outdoors with family, friends, and pets. Once temperatures reach 4⁰C, ticks are active and out to feed. Make sure that you regularly check yourself and your pets for ticks, especially when going to wooded areas. Given the prevalence of Lyme disease, it is a good idea to have your dog(s) screened for tick-borne diseases annually, and to seek advice from your veterinarian for ways to prevent ticks from biting your pet. Unfortunately, symptoms of Lyme disease are not easily detected in animals. In fact, only a small percentage of infected dogs may show clinical signs, and these signs are often similar to the clinical signs that present with other common diseases. If left untreated, Lyme disease in dogs can result in mobility issues and joint pain, loss of appetite, lethargy, depression, and in severe cases, affecting the central nervous system, heart, and kidneys. Early detection of the infection will allow you to start treatment before your pet starts to show clinical signs. While a Lyme-positive dog cannot transmit the disease to humans, being in the areas where an infected dog may have acquired the disease increases your chance of exposure. Avoid areas known to have high population of ticks as much as possible, especially those where cases of Lyme disease have already been reported. It can be tricky to detect ticks right away. Those that tend to bite humans are often the immature ones called nymphs, which are about the size of a poppy seed. It takes infected ticks 24-48 hours to successfully transmit the Lyme disease. If you find one on your dog, carefully remove the tick and take it to your veterinarian for identification. Your veterinarian may want to examine the bite site, and recommend testing your dog for possible exposure. If you do not feel comfortable removing the tick yourself, your veterinarian should be able to remove the tick for you immediately. The longer you leave the tick attached to your pet, the greater the risk of transmission. View these tips on how to safely remove ticks from your dog. If you find a tick on your body, carefully remove it using tweezers, pulling away gently and firmly. The Durham Region Health Department recommends washing the bite site with soap and water, and taking the tick to the Health Department Office for identification and possible testing. Symptoms may show as early 3 days after a tick bite, and these include:
Visit the Region of Durham website for more information about Lyme disease, and ways to protect yourself and your family. |
Additional Resources
- Provincial Animal Welfare Services is now the enforcement agency responsible for investigating animal cruelty complaints in Ontario. Cruelty to any animal is not tolerated in Ontario. If you think an animal is in distress or is being abused, call: 1-833-9-ANIMAL (264625).