We’ve talked a bit about springtime safety, checkups, and keeping your dog healthy throughout cooler weather in the past. We also shared information on the most common springtime problem – fleas, ticks, and worms. Each of these is an important facet in the process of keeping your dog healthy, happy, and enjoying himself no matter what the weather brings.
Unfortunately, that’s not all you need to watch out for in the spring. A new season introduces other risks, too. It’s all about your dog’s environment and how nature changes and regenerates each year. These five hidden springtime doggie dangers might not be obvious at first glance, but they’re also easily rectified with just the smallest effort.
Weak Fences & Barricades
Springtime brings warmer weather, but it follows a period of higher precipitation in most areas of the United States. That precipitation, regardless of whether it’s snow or rain, can weaken fences and cause them to develop mold or moss growth over time. If this isn’t removed in a timely manner, it will cause the fence to rot. Eventually, it becomes so weak that just a tiny push will cause it to crack or fail.
Just what your little furry escapee is looking for before his next adventure on the lam.
For obvious reasons, this happens most frequently to wooden fences. But metal fences, plastic fences, and vinyl fences aren’t immune either; the first can rust out and break while the second can crack in the cold. Check your fences for security and sturdiness regularly all year round to prevent escapes. If you find a break, keep your dog on a long lead in the yard until it’s fixed.
Poisonous Springtime Plants
What do lilies, daffodils, and deadly nightshade have in common? They’re all poisonous to pets in even small quantities, and many people have them growing right in their backyards or nearby fields, too. Each begins growing again in the spring and can start to look particularly delicious to a furry friend.
Without further adieu, here’s a shortlist of the most common poisonous springtime plants found on American soil:
- Lilies
- Daffodils
- Narcissus
- Hyacinth
- Sago palms
- Oleander
- Foxglove
- Lily of the valley
- Tulips
- Begonias
- Jimson weeds
- Rhododendrons
- Azaleas
- Buttercups
Some of these, like the Jimson weed plant (also known as devil’s trumpet to someone) are also extremely poisonous to humans and can induce death. Others, like buttercups, only incite a local reaction like inflammation, stinging, burning, or drooling. Either way, it’s best to keep them out of your yard or at least out of your dog’s reach.
Snares & Hunting Traps
Springtime is the perfect time to venture out into the woods for a hike. You’ve packed a kitbag with everything you and your dog will need. You put balm on his paws to help protect them, dosed him with flea medicine, dewormed him, microchipped him, and even snapped on a GPS collar. But there’s an additional danger in the woods that you may be overlooking–hunting snares and traps.
Despite the fact that it’s illegal in certain areas within a certain distance to residential areas, some hunters still place snares and leg traps in areas where they might inadvertently harm humans or dogs. They’re often intended to catch coyotes or wolves–your dog’s distant cousin–and are just the right size to catch your dog, too. Responsible hunters will use bright tape or other obvious signs to mark the presence of a trap or snare, but as with anything else, not everyone is responsible.
Be extremely cautious in areas with heavy leaf coverage and forest floor debris. Desert areas aren’t foolproof, either; sand, brush, and bramble can hide traps as well.
Think you’re safe in a national park? Never assume. While it’s rare, there have been a few instances of poachers trapping in parks, too.
So what should you do if your dog does run into a trap? First, don’t panic. Your dog will panic, too, and that will increase the risk of broken bones and injuries. Try to calm your dog and then follow these instructions to release him.
Easter Chocolate
Everyone loves Easter. It’s a time for reflection and also a time full of sugary sweet treats, too. Any home with children is likely to be at least temporarily filled with chocolate (white, dark, or milk) for a week or two, and that could spell trouble for your dog.
Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine. It is similar to caffeine in nature, but is extremely poisonous to most pets in even the smallest amounts. The reaction does tend to be equivalent to the amount of chocolate ingested and how much cocoa it contains, so 80% dark chocolate or a full bar will almost certainly pose more of a problem than a dog stealing a cookie crumb or even a slice of cake.
If you’re concerned that your dog might have accessed your stash, call the vet and watch him closely for signs like vomiting, drooling, tremors, convulsions and diarrhea. Anything more than a small square for larger dogs or a few chips for smaller dogs is cause for an immediate trip to the vet.
Open Water/Brooks/Lakes
Your dog loves to drink from the toilet. And your glass. And his water bowl. And probably every other source of water he comes across, too. Dogs love to drink–it’s what fuels their need to pee on every single stump they come across, and that’s important. But drinking from open water sources can actually be dangerous; puddles, brooks, lakes, and streams may be polluted and could even contain dangerous pathogens that make your dog sick.
Road puddles are nearly always a problem, especially in areas with plenty of traffic. Pollutants will collect in the divots in trace amounts, but there’s at least some evidence that they may contain leptospirosis, giardia, or coccidia, too. Each can be fatal if untreated until it’s too late.
As for brooks and streams? Expect low levels of everything from salmonella to E. coli. These can also make you sick, so bottled water is much more reliable if and when you aren’t 100 percent sure of the source.
As for ocean water, that’s always a no-no for another reason; the salt content is much too high and will only serve to dehydrate your dog.
These five hidden springtime doggie dangers might not be obvious, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important or worthy of attention. It’s issues like these that frequently bring dogs to the emergency vet each year. Keep your sweet dog safe by holding a watchful eye over his warmer weather shenanigans and you’ll both be just fine.