What pet owners need to know before heading into the summer

Warm weather is beginning to become the norm around the region, but heat and sun can also bring health concerns for our pets.

With the summer only three weeks away from officially starting, many people may be thinking of becoming a pet owner, and Dr. Mike Akerley, a veterinarian with the Nova Scotia SPCA says there’s no better time of year.

“I think it’s a great time to adopt, generally people have vacation time in the summertime, you can take that time to work on obedience training, house training if needed, [and] you can spend that time and get that bond that you need before you have to go back to a busy work or school schedule in the fall,” said Akerley in an interview with CTV’s Crystal Garrett on Monday.

While the summer may be a great time to adopt a pet, Akerley says the season also comes with a number of concerns for our furry friends, and encourages owners to reach out to their local SPCA if any health problems begin to show themselves.

“Some of the things we tend to think about in the summertime would be, you know those parasites right, so fleas and ticks for sure, making sure our pets are up to date on their parasite medications,” said Akerley.

“Certain bacteria are more prevalent in the summertime, so things like leptospirosis, which there’s a vaccination for. We can help out and vaccinate any pet that needs those vaccines.”

Akerley also points to heat stroke as a major concern for pet owners, and says there’s some symptoms owners should look out for.

“Excessive panting, sometime collapse, vomiting, they’ll feel very restless,” he said.

Akerley recommends pet owners take their pets’ temperatures if signs of heat stroke begin to show themselves.

“If you’re creeping up over 39 degrees Celcius, that’s kind of a warning sign to get into the shade and get some water, things like that. If you’re getting up into the 40 and your pets are really distraught then you’re going to need to seek veterinarian attention,” he said.

People might think to let their pets go for a dip to cool off, and while that often helps in the heat, Akerley says to keep an eye out for blue-green algae as it has been much very common in lakes and freshwater over recent years.

A medium-density bloom of blue-green algae species in Nova Scotia, near the shoreline of a lake. (Source: Department of Environment and Climate Change)

“Blue-green algae is one of those tough ones because sometimes you can’t see it in the water, it’s present, but you can’t see it,” he said.

“It’s going to be prevalent in those freshwater bodies, so if we stick to sometimes the ocean and things, it’s a little bit better because blue-green algae isn’t going to live there.”