Summer tips from our friends
Hi Folks,
This is Mango – and it’s Summertime in Southwest Florida again. These past couple weeks have been a bit hotter than our normal summer heat. It’s been that way up North too, I understand. Recently we asked our furry friends to tell us what they thought might be important Summer safety tips. Thanks to all of you who participated! Here we go:
From my pal Buddy:
“I searched on the Internet #petsummersafetytips. I found many tips and thought the one about the temperature outside was the most important.”
“All you furry friends (and Humans!) need to be careful when the temperature goes above 90°F. Limit the amount of time you are outside, especially in the sun. 10-15 minutes is plenty long enough. If you get sluggish or start to vomit, get diarrhea, or pass out, quickly get back indoors or in a car with air conditioning. Drink some cool water (not hot or icey cold.)”
From Bella, a new Labrador retriever friend
Most of us 4-legged friends have fur or hair. If you are a short haired dog or kitty cat (I love to chase!), you don’t need haircuts but watch out for sunburn! If you get haircuts, your Human or beautician should not cut your hair really short in the summer! That’s because we furry friends have layers of different kinds of hair. It keeps us warm in cold weather, but also COOLS us in hot weather. I have thick fur with downy fluff underneath that keeps me warm in our Minnesota winters. In the summer, I lose all that fluff and keep just the sleek, shiny fur. It reflects heat, even though it is black, so I stay cooler than if my hair was shaved off.
Max chimed in on this one too
I’m a terrier with ‘hair,’ not fur. My mom keeps my hair a couple inches long all year. She does have to trim and shape it every couple of weeks though, otherwise I’d look like ‘Cousin It’ from the Munster Family (hehe, I love those reruns on TV). My paw pads are always a question – should she leave the hair that grows over my pads to protect from the hot street? I don’t like my feet trimmed, but my mom does. She says it keeps the dirt from balling up between my pads. And it helps me sweat through my pads better.
My mom says there is a good rule of thumb for walking on the street. She puts her hand on the street. If it’s too hot for her to hold it there for 20 seconds, it’s too hot for me to walk on it. We usually walk in the mornings or evenings.
Stella
…Our new labradoodle puppy friend from up north, talked about this too. She says,
My hair grows a lot too. My Human keeps my tight curls trimmed to about 2” long. And I get brushed-brushed-brushed a lot. My favorite pastime is to run-run-run in my big backyard and play with my kids in our small, muddy stream. My blond hair gets black, and Mom won’t let me into the house until they wash me off with the hose. I tried washing myself off the other day in the pool. It’s a great place to hang out!
Fenway
…
wrote about managing hot weather too. He is a Boston Terrier from the north Midwest. While his city is mostly temperate in the Summer, for 2 weeks in July, the temperatures always soar up to 100°F!
He says, “Because I have a flat nose, the heat REALLY gets to me! I sometimes feel like I can’t breathe. My Human uses only a harness, never a collar. That helps. And we only go in the backyard for quick outs in the middle of the day. My Humans like to go swimming and sometimes take me. I have my own special life jacket since it’s hard for me to paddle with my short little legs and keep my head up. I highly recommend all doggies who go swimming a lot have a life jacket, by the way.”
Taylor says,
Here’s why a pet life jacket is important especially for dogs and cats that are around water. Ok, I don’t know any cats who LIKE to go swimming, but I knew Rosie who cruised on her Humans’ sailboat for months at a time. When at anchor, she sometimes wore her jacket because she liked to climb all around the boat.
So, the top 2 reasons you furry friends should wear a life jacket when you are around water, especially the ocean, rivers, or lakes:
- We get tired. Yep, some of us just don’t know when to quit!
- Accidents happen. Like for Rosie living on a boat – or at the beach with ocean currents or when a surprise wave hits you – or if you become stuck swimming into a tree branch or debris on the lake – or if you fall off a dock or boat when you weren’t expecting a swim…. There are lots of situations where wearing a proper life preserver can save you.
A good pet life jacket should include:
- Good flotation covering your back and under your chin to help keep your head above water
- Comfortable belly construction
- Adjustable straps
- Handles so your Humans can easily grab you
- Brightly colored with reflective trim so you can be seen easily
CBD products available at Cats n Dogs
For a different type of summer tip, Sunshine Kitty reminds us that the 4th of July holiday is upon us.
Try not to freak out over the loud booms and bangs of the fireworks that Humans like to set off. Find your blankie or best stuffed toy to hide with – it will be over soon. You could also tell your Human to get some natural CBD supplements in stock at the Cats n Dogs store to help calm you.
One last tip was from a canine cutie named Alexia.
She travels a lot in the summer in cars and planes, and so is in a variety of places in the U.S.
“I want to recommend that everyone stays current with their heartworm medicine, as well as tick and flea treatments. You may also consider other worm medicines. If you like to hike or have to use the lawns at gas stations or other unknown places, to do your business, you can ‘pick up’ these unwanted visitors. Summer should be all about having fun adventures, not itching!”
CBD products available at Cats n Dogs
So, there you have it, Friends!
It’s time to wrap this up. Enjoy your Summer activities. Sunshine and I are already busy training and caring for our stray orphan kitties.
From all of us at Cats n Dogs, we wish you a Happy Birthday America holiday and a safe, fun Summer!
With a Meeow, Meeow and a Wuf Wuf,
Mango and the gang
Q: Why did the fish blush?
A: Because it saw the ocean’s bottom.
Q: What do you do if you get rejected at the sunscreen company?
A: Reapply.
Want to stay in touch with us? There is lots of Newsy News in our monthly newsletter. Sign up below.
Join Our Mailing List
New Customers: sign-up for our newsletter and receive a new customer coupon! (Please print the email you receive and present at the time of purchase.)
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Our promise to you: we never sell or give away your contact info. Your privacy is important to us! You can expect to receive a news blast about once a month, that’s all.