Posts in Category: Pet Safety

This time of year, most of us begin focusing on the upcoming holidays. Who will host? What dishes will we make? Is it too early to begin decorating (of course not!)? However, while our to-do lists may be long, holiday pet safety should remain a top priority.

No Feasting for Fido

Keeping pets out of all the delicious food is one of the chief concerns around Thanksgiving and other meal-centric holidays. It’s also important for owners to resist sneaking their fur pals a bite of turkey or gravy at the table. Not only do these habits pose a risk for poisoning, they also increase the possibility of gastrointestinal injuries/obstructions and pancreatitis, a potentially dangerous and painful condition.

If your pet loves wearing a costume and greeting gaggles of tiny princesses and superheroes at the front door, then Halloween is certainly as much fun for him or her as it is for the two-legged members of the family. This spooky time of year isn’t without its risks, however, even for those pets that enjoy all the festivities. Follow our Halloween pet safety tips to keep your four-legged pal safe and comfortable this year.

Treat Talk

Humans aren’t the only ones with a sweet tooth; pets find candy, cookies, and other treats just as irresistible as us. Most owners already know that chocolate is bad for dogs, but there are other potential dangers lurking in your child’s trick-or-treat bag. This includes Xylitol (an artificial sweetener that’s extremely toxic to dogs), raisins, and macadamia nuts. To be safe, stash all candy and treats out of reach of your fur friend.

Summer means the weather is warm enough for snakes to come out and enjoy the sunshine, which can be a problem for your pet. 

Here in Indiana, we have four venomous snake species in the entire state: copperheads, cottonmouths, eastern massasauga rattlesnakes, and timber rattlesnakes. In Fort Wayne, your pet is more likely to run into an eastern massasauga rattlesnake than any of the other three venomous species. Copperheads, cottonmouths, and timber rattlesnakes don’t come into this part of the state.

Thankfully, snake bites are rare, and you probably won’t see venomous snakes at home or out on camping adventures with your pets. But it’s a good idea to be prepared for snake bites in dogs and cats. At Dupont Veterinary Clinic, we’ve got tips for what to do if you suspect that your furry friend has suffered a snakebite. 

It’s tempting to bring Fido with you everywhere you go, especially during the summertime. The gray days of winter are over and everything is green, vibrant, and ready for adventure. But here in Indiana, our sticky summer days can soar to 80° Fahrenheit or higher—which feels a lot hotter when you factor in the humidity. 

On an 85-degree day, the temperature inside a car will rise to about 102 degrees within 10 minutes, even with the windows cracked. After 30 minutes, the air inside the car can hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), hundreds of pets die in hot cars every year.  

One of the best things that pets have going for them is the neverending love and support of their human companions. Responsible, dedicated pet owners lovingly protect their pets from all sorts of illnesses and injuries, and promote day-to-day wellbeing, comfort, and safety. To determine daily health and wellness, owners may assess their pet’s appearance and behavior and make notes of any changes, however subtle or slight. In this way, pet owners might be able to see the first signs of pet cancer long before they are clinically identifiable.

By age 3, up to 85 percent of pet dogs and cats exhibit some signs of periodontal disease. Untreated periodontal disease can spell big problems for a pet, including damage to the heart, kidneys, and other major organs, not to mention possible tooth loss and significant pain.

Anything a pet owner can do to reduce the amount of plaque and tartar buildup on their pets’ teeth will have a big impact on the overall health. Regular home pet dental care is key in keeping your pet’s pearly whites healthy. Good oral health can add years to a pet’s life, and can keep those years more comfortable.

Most pet owners develop a certain mindset regarding their pet’s overall health and safety. The concept of “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong” might not necessarily be the healthiest or most sustainable, but it can serve to keep pets as safe as possible. Regarding antifreeze poisoning in pets, being able to assess a pet’s risk of exposure is an important key. It’s also essential to know what the symptoms are and what to do if your pet ever shows signs of poisoning.

Some of our feline friends have the ability to eat whatever they want and still lose weight. No, it’s not the latest fad diet, and honestly it is not as good as it might sound, either. A super metabolism might sound appealing, but the reality is that it can have some pretty detrimental effects.

In some ways animals and humans are very similar. Unfortunately, this means they are affected by many of the same disease processes that humans face. One of these shared experiences is the development of diabetes mellitus. About 1 in 500 pets is affected by diabetes. So what do you need to know about diabetes in dogs? Keep reading to learn about how this disease affects our pets and how to recognize it.

In the absence of an efficient cooling system, dogs require special attention to fluctuating internal body temperatures. This is especially true during the hottest summer days, and even more so in dogs with dark fur coats, or thick double coats. Since they are covered with thousands of hair follicles, dogs sweat through their paws, nose, and tongue.