Pet Pause
A client was in recently with a standard poodle. After a short visit, we started talking about the crazy people who ride their bikes while simultaneously running their dogs.
She was very concerned this would harm the dog, that dogs were not cut out for this kind of prolonged exercise. In fact, most aren't. Maybe dogs like Greyhounds or Border Collies could handle it with the proper conditioning.
I was more concerned about the possibility of trauma, either to the bike rider or the dog. Dogs sometimes blister and damage their tender pads running on hot pavement.
Recently I've seen devices designed to attach a leash to the seat post of a bicycle. As a recreational cyclist I can think of few things more dangerous than attaching a Border Collie to my bicycle and going for a ride downtown. I love dogs and I love bicycling but until my dog learns to ride his own bike and obey traffic laws I'm leaving him at home.
Heat stroke is the most serious summer pet problem. It's usually the result of a pet left in a car on a sunny day.
I saw lots of these cases when I worked at a vet practice in a Dallas shopping mall. We frequently saw dogs with temperatures over 106 degrees. Dogs can't dissipate heat very well and will overheat very quickly in a sealed car. My advice is don't take your pets for rides in the car unless you're able to take them with you when you get out of the car.
If your pet suffers a heat stroke get him to a vet right away. Dogs and cats can suffer permanent neurological injury when body temperature goes over 106 degrees. If you can't get to the vet quickly, call the office for first aid advice. Initial treatment usually consists of keeping the pet in an ice water bath until its body temperature drops to about 102 degrees. If you can't use an ice water bath, I recommend saturating the pads on all four feet with alcohol. The rapidly evaporating alcohol cools down the blood in the highly vascular pads, and this helps cool the dog down.
Have you noticed how few places there are to take a dog hiking around here? I sure wish there were more on-leash trails (and off-leash dog parks for that matter).
Before embarking on a hike with your dog there are a few things I suggest you do beforehand. Parasites like fleas and ticks are easily controlled with the new monthly products like Frontline or Advantage and Preventic tick collars. Heartworms and intestinal parasites can also be prevented with Heartgard, Interceptor or Sentinel. Vaccines are available to prevent Lyme's disease and other diseases. Ask your vet for these products and vaccines.
Always carry a drinking bowl and extra water for dogs on the trail. Creek water is unsafe drinking water because of Giardia, a parasite that can cause diarrhea in dogs and cats.
A hiker told me a neat treatment for torn foot pads on the trail. He carries a small sheet of thin leather and some superglue. When his dog has a "flat tire" he cuts a patch to match the defect and glues it directly onto the wound. He says it works great and I bet it does. Be sure to clean the wound first and let the bleeding stop before applying the glue. It sure beats carrying the dog back to civilization. Finally, be sure you watch out for foxtails. These barbed weeds get caught in the coat and quickly migrate to wherever they can cause the most trouble - eyes, ears and up the nose for example. Don't let your dog sniff or play in weedy overgrown areas. Carry a comb to groom your pet before heading home. Be especially careful to check around all orifices and between toes for foxtails. If you are suspicious your pet has a foxtail already embedded take him to the vet right away. Foxtails can continue to migrate even after they are beneath the skin. Foxtails are much easier to find and remove if they don't have time to go very far.
Echerd is the veterinarian and owner of Kindness Pet Hospital at 440 First St., in downtown Los Altos. He can be reached at 948-8287.