Now the cooler
months of autumn are upon us there are various points that I would like to
bring to the reader’s attention that I hope will help in the welfare of your
pets.
With the change of
season we tend to become more active as the halcyon summer days become a
distant memory. We tend to exercise more, taking our pets to the countryside
for some well-deserved exercise and fresh air. However there are some pointers
that I would like to bring to your attention.
I have previously
touched on the topic of ticks, now is the season of relatively high risk. A
tick that I have not mentioned previously is the Hyalomma tick. This is quite a
rare tick in this part of the world, but it is also a tick that can affect
humans, there has been a case in Avila that proved to be terminal. In pets, it
can cause large areas of necrosis, that can be life threatening in certain
cases. These parasites natural intermediate hosts are large herbivores, horses,
cattle, sheep etc. So if you are walking your pet in areas used for farming
these animals please ensure that your pet has more than adequate protection.
Personally I prefer the newer tick collars, these prevent the tick penetrating
the skin, other products require the parasite to feed on the animal before it
dies, which might be too late.
If you have a dog
that has been largely sedentary over the summer then it is advisable that you
don’t overexert your pet the first couple of times. Their bodies are similar to
ours; we need to build up their fitness gradually. Dogs often do not know when
to stop exercising; you have to be their voice of reason. Build up their fitness gradually, give them
regular rests, make water freely available, and very importantly make sure your
dog is well trained and responds to your calls.
If your dog is
chasing livestock then the farmer is legally entitled to shoot your pet, so a
dog must respond to our calls. If in doubt keep it on the lead.
Remember that in
Spain any dog over 20 kgs can be considered as a dangerous dog, so make sure
you have a muzzle always readily available in case you get stopped by any of
the Spanish enforcement agencies, make sure you have a valid EU passport and
the pet’s vaccines are in date.
Looking after our
ageing dogs is also essential; remember that if your best friend is now that
little bit older you will have to tailor his exercise accordingly. Some older pets have low-level arthritis that
generally do not cause any lameness but with more exertion you might find your
dog will be lame. In these cases I strongly advise using anti-inflammatories.
Arthritis is a self- propagating condition, if there is pain (lameness) then
there is inflammation and therefore the arthritic changes in the joints will
deteriorate resulting in more lameness and so forth. So medication will reduce
inflammation and therefore will slow down the arthritis deteriorating.
Also take note
that dogs have a greater tendency to overheat than we do. They lose heat by
panting and from a limited number of sweat glands on their pads. So on
particularly hot days please be aware of this, again certain dogs do not know
when to stop. Last year a young Rottweiler died from heat exhaustion, it was a
hot still October day and the poor dog overheated, by the time the dog was
presented for treatment it had gone into organ failure.
We are now into
the season to enjoy the company of our pets on healthy long walks, there are
few things more satisfying than spending time with your loyal companion, just
remember to look after his welfare.
