Keep your Pets safe this Fall

Caring for pets is a year round job but certain seasons in New England present unique hazards. Summer has the heat and winter is quite cold, but autumn can also be a dangerous time for pets if you are not careful. The presence of wild critters known to carry rabies including raccoon's and skunks, the growth of potentially toxic wild mushrooms and pesticide sprays around a home can all be very dangerous for a dog or cat. At the Middletown Vet we want your pet to be as safe as possible so we offer some helpful tips for keeping your furry friend healthy.

Fall brings the growth of several potentially toxic plants. Chrysanthemum, Meadow Saffron and a variety of wild mushrooms can be very harmful for a dog or cat if ingested. You will know your pet has eaten a harmful plant if he displays the following symptoms: stumbling, skin inflammation, vomiting and diarrhea. Watch closely for these signs and also do your best to remove mushrooms from your yard.

When the weather starts to get chilly wild animals will seek refuge in homes, basements and garages. This can mean raccoon's, skunks and squirrels encroaching on your property. While these critters are not known for aggressive behavior, an encounter with your pet can turn into a fight and if the animal is carrying rabies your cat or dog can be in trouble. Be proactive by ensuring your home does not have any easy access spots for wild animals and if a raccoon or skunk is in the house contact a professional animal removal specialist.

In addition to small critters your home may also be invaded by rats and mice looking to get out of the cold. 

Many homeowners will have their foundations sprayed with pesticides to kill off these rodents but these chemicals can be harmful to your pet if inhaled or ingested. Always have your dog or cat out of the home when a spraying is done and ask the pest control specialist when it is safe for pets to enter the home again after spraying is done. 

It’s Flea & Tick Season

As the weather warms up and nature springs back to life in Connecticut, it’s time for every pet owner to be on the watch for fleas and ticks. Though summer is usually the peak of the flea and tick population, spring and fall are also known for bringing along plenty of these annoying arachnids and mites looking for dogs and cats to hitch a ride on. Some vets recommend protecting your pet year round from fleas and ticks but the start of spring is when you need to be the most proactive to help keep your pets safe.

Flea & Tick Dangers

Fleas and ticks can do much more than just make a pet itch. Being blood-sucking parasites it isn’t unusual for fleas and ticks to transit pathogens and skin diseases. If your pet isn’t properly protected this can result in hair loss due to excessive scratching, tapeworms, a flea allergy known as dermatitis and anemia in younger pets. Ticks are also well known for carrying Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrilichiosis. These diseases can lead to lameness, swollen joints, cardiac problems and neurological disorders.

Detecting Fleas & Ticks

Luckily it won’t be very hard to tell that your pet dog or cat has fleas. Constant biting and scratching, sometimes at a furious pace, is usually a sure sign your pet has some unwanted friends crawling on his skin. When you are brushing your pet you should also be on the lookout for small dark spots that usually indicate the presence of ticks. If the tick has been feeding on blood it will probably appear engorged and will be easier to spot.

Treating Pets for Fleas & Ticks

There are several things you can do as a pet owner to protect your dog or cat from fleas and ticks. There are plenty of flea and tick shampoos and powders on the market as well as special collars that are designed to keep fleas and ticks off your pet. However, if they do find their way onto your dog or cat you need to act quickly to get rid of them before they can start causing damage. For ticks you can use a pair of tweezers to grasp the tick close to the skin and pull it off gently without irritating your pet. Another treatment is to practice prevention by watching where your pet roams off to when you let him outside. Keeping dogs and cats away from where fleas and ticks congregate is the best way to avoid contact altogether. 

Since When Is A Human A Pet???

Anthropomorphism is the term used to describe the tendancy of of people to attribute human traits to pets.  We all know these folks-you may even be one of them!  

But turnabout is fair game.  Frequently, we will turn the table on ourselves by using dog and cat traits to describe human actions.

Certainly you've used one of these sayings when discussing our fellow human beings or day to day situations. Can you think of
any more sayings?  


Cat Sayings

Look what the cat dragged in
Curiosity killed the cat
When the cat's away, the mice will play
The cats out of the bag
It's raining cats and dogs
It's the cat's pajamas
Playing cat and mouse


Dog Sayings

Barking up the wrong tree
You can't teach an old dog new tricks
It's a dog-eat-dog world
Let sleeping dogs lie
The tail is wagging the dog
The dog days of summer
Doggone it

Courtesy of our friends at Blue Pearl Veterinary Specialists 

Working like a dog

Dogs Come In All Sizes

I'd guess that's at least a 120lb differential!