Welcome to SPRINGTIME, all you north-of-the-equator dwellers. Welcome to muddy lawns, promising sun, the insect avant-garde, crocus buds, daffodil shoots... and most of all DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME! What a joy, leaving work while it's light out. Every year it seems a miracle.
Dogs love springtime too. More smells, yum! Especially all the rotten stuff that has fallen out of the melted snow. Those of us who run dog daycares brace for unwelcome bouts of doggie diarrhea in the spring. Lots of bad germs on the ground and in the ground water. Some of the bad stuff smells like food to dogs, so it's important to supervise your dog very closely when he's loose in the yard or at a dog park. You'd be amazed at some of the stuff they love... or maybe you wouldn't! We find half decayed carcasses of small animals like squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks in vomit and poop. Thank heavens dogs have short intestinal tracks and can poop out stuff that would kill us 2-leggeds! Still, it's unpleasant.
We tell our daycare owners to keep an eye on their pup if she or he has diarrhea and to get to a vet with a sample if things aren't back to normal in 24 hours. Bacterial infections and parasites are not uncommon this time of year.
And oh yeah, don't forget the flea and tick treatments! If you stopped for the winter, it's time to start up again. In our grooming shop, we're seeing fleas and ticks flashing "go springtime!" grins. They're waking up and they're HUNGRY.
Check out these dog links!
The Doggie Den Homepage
Spring is here and it's a wonderful time for dogs. New smells and sights to explore, rabbits to chase, walks on sunny days. But, as beautiful as the newly arrived plants and flowers look, there are some that can cause serious illness in dogs when eaten. To keep your home and yard safe for pup, here are some common toxic plants to avoid:
