Autumn (Photo credit: blmiers2)
I love autumn, its cool and crisp and colorful. There is also a lot of fun things to do at this time of year, such as running among the leaves. The fall is wonderful and I always welcome the break from hot, sticky weather of summer. However each season brings new things that your owner needs to be aware of, prepping me for colder days and keeping my nose out of toxic things.
Here are some autumn tips for dogs to keep your them happy and snug during the autumn months.
- Start or renew your training: Training tip: If you haven’t been too active in a while due to the summer heat, now is the time to grab your owner and get some recall training. You and your owner might be a little rusty, and this is an excellent time of year to sharpen your skill. You might even learn a new trick or two and there should be a tasty treat involved as well.
- A little more food: In order to generate body heat, pets who exercise heavily outdoors, or who live outdoors, should be given more food during colder seasons.
- New Outfit: As the temperature gets a cooler some dogs such as Italian Greyhounds can really feel it, this is a perfect time to add a cute sweater or rain jacket to your dogs wardrobe.
Things to look out for
- Fall and spring and are mushroom seasons. While 99% of mushrooms have little or no toxicity, some can cause life-threatening problems for dogs. Considering that it’s hard to distinguish the toxic mushrooms from the non toxic, the best thing to do is to keep your dog from ingesting poisonous mushrooms is to keep them away from areas where any mushrooms are growing. Contact your veterinarian immediately if you witness your dog eating a wild mushroom.
- Autumn is the season when snakes are preparing for hibernation. They can become particularly “grumpy,” increasing the possibility of severe bites to those unlucky pups who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Make sure your owners should know what kinds of venomous snakes may be in their environment—and where these snakes are most likely to be found—so they can keep you out of those areas.
- It’s back-to-school time, and those of you who share your home with young children know that means stocking up on fun items like glue sticks, pencils and magic markers. These items are considered “low toxicity” to dogs, which means they’re unlikely to cause serious problems unless large amounts are ingested. However, since gastrointestinal upset and blockages certainly are possible, be sure you keep the school supplies out of paw’s reach. (by: ASPCA.org)
- Many people choose fall as the time to change their car’s engine coolant. Ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic, so spills should be cleaned up immediately. Consider switching to propylene glycol-based coolants—though they aren’t completely nontoxic, they are much less toxic than other engine coolants. (by: ASPCA.org)
