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Seasonal Pet Safety Tips
Summer Safety tips
Keep your pet inside the house, preferably with the air conditioning or fans running.
If you keep a pet outdoors, you must provide plenty of water and adequate shelter to protect it from the sun or rain. If you provide a structure for shelter, make sure it is grounded in case lighting hits it. Failure to provide water and shelter can result in a citation for Cruelty to Animals. The fine is $200 for the first offense and increases to $500 for the fourth and any subsequent offenses. If the owner is not home, an Animal Care Officer will take the pet to our animal shelter. The owner must then pay an impoundment fee of $20 and a daily board fee of $12 per day. If the pet has no license tag or rabies vaccination, there will be an additional $55 fine for each offense.
Never leave your pet in a parked car - not even for a few minutes. On a 85 degree day, the temperature in your car with the windows open can reach 102 degrees in 10 minutes. Your pet could suffer heat stroke. In just 30 minutes, the temperature will reach 120 degrees. Your pet could suffer brain damage or die. With the windows closed, the temperature can reach 160 degrees. Any Police Officer or Animal Care Officer can cite you for Cruelty to Animals.
Know the signs of heatstroke these include excessive panting, glassy stare, dizziness, vomiting or collapse.
If your pet shows the symptoms of heatstroke, move it into the shade and reduce its temperature by either soaking it with cold water or placing it in an ice bath. If your pet is conscious, give it a small amount of water or allow it to lick ice cubes. Finally, bring your pet to a veterinarian immediately. Don't move the animal until you reduce its temperature.
Keep the grass cut short to reduce the chances of ear mite and tick infestations. Ear mites and ticks are more common in summer.
Remove the fecal matter from the yard as soon as possible. The feces will attract flies which will bite your pet, most commonly in the ears.
Remove leaf piles because the moist, cool leaves will attract bufo toads. Bufo or marine toads excrete a toxin that can be fatal to dogs and can cause irritation to humans. Dogs exposed to the toxin will foam at the mouth. If your dog comes in contact with the toad, wash its mouth out with water from side to side. Then immediately seek emergency veterinary treatment.
For more information, call your veterinarian. To report an animal in distress, call your local police agency or Animal Care Dispatch at 954-359-1313 ext. 400.
Winter Holiday Safety Tips
The winter holidays are a wonderful time for people, but it can be a stressful and potentially dangerous time for pets. Follow these safety tips for a joyous and safe holiday.
Pet-Proof Decorations
Fasten the Christmas tree to a wall or secure it another way to prevent your cat or dog from knocking it over.
Keep the Menorah where your pet cannot knock it over.
Hang breakables, tinsel, and other tempting decorations well out of paw's reach. Tinsel, ribbon, and ornaments are especially dangerous to pets if they chew or swallow them.
Make sure your pet doesn't’t play with or chew electric cords. Keep the cords hidden by routing them through PVC pipe.
Place holiday plants out of pet's reach. Many seasonal plants are poisonous, including mistletoe, holly, and poinsettias.
Some chemicals that extend the life of trees are poisonous. Cover the treated area with a section of window screen.
Treats to Eat
Don't share any candy with your pets, especially chocolate. Candy is toxic for animals and can cause vomiting, restlessness, heart disturbances, and even death. Tell your children not to share their candy with the family pet. If you suspect your pet has eaten chocolate or other candy that causes discomfort, consult your veterinarian immediately.
Poultry bones splinter and can be dangerous for pets to chew.
Pork dishes are rich and will often upset your pet's systems.
Instead of people food, give pets a few of their favorite pet treats during special meals or at parties.
Gifts and Goodies
Avoid toys with small parts or those made of soft materials that pets can chew up and swallow.
Avoid hard plastic dog bones. They can splinter or shed fragments that dogs swallow. Nylon-type chews don’t splinter and last longer.
Don't put catnip or other edibles in hanging stockings (especially if they're by the fire). Better stocking stuffers are county license tags, collars, leashes, beds, and bowls.
Don't forget the homeless animals. Our shelter animals always need donations of food and toys. It's an excellent way to teach children generosity towards those less fortunate.
Reduce the Chances of Losing Your Pet
Confine your pets in a quiet room away from parties and family gatherings. Pets, especially dogs, are easily excitable or threatened by unfamiliar people. Also, you may open the door many times during the evening, providing lots of opportunity for your pets to slip through your legs and outside. Confining dogs will also reduce the chances of them biting the guests.
Make sure your cat and/or dog wears a valid Broward County animal license tag. It's the cheapest form of insurance and the law (required for all cats and dogs four (4) months or older). When ACaRD rescues a lost pet, we identify the owner using the license tag and then notify the owner. ACaRD shelters animals with license tags for five days. For animals without identification, we shelter them for three days. After the waiting period, the animals are evaluated for adoption. To obtain a Broward County license tag, visit a veterinarian.
Pets and Alcohol Don't Mix
Don't give alcohol to pets. While adult humans have the body mass to adjust to alcohol's effects, pets don't. Any alcohol given to pets is dangerous and too much can be fatal.
Halloween Safety Tips
The best way to keep pets safe is to keep them inside the home not outside in the yard or with the kids trick-or-treating. Groups of small ghouls and goblins can scare pets causing them to escape from the yard or break the leash. A pet running loose may fall victim to possible abuse by misguided individuals. If you take your pet trick-or-treating, use a short leash to keep it from fighting with other animals or biting strangers.
Confine pets away from the front door in a separate room. Pets, especially dogs, are easily excitable or threatened by strangers. You open the door many times during the evening, providing lots of chances for Fido or Fluffy to slip outside. Confining dogs will also reduce the chances of them biting strangers.
Don't share any candy with pets, especially chocolate. Tell your children not to share their candy with the family pet. Candy is toxic for animals and can cause vomiting, restlessness, heart disturbances, and even death. If you suspect your pet has eaten chocolate or other candy that causes discomfort, consult your veterinarian immediately.
Take extra precautions if you own a black cat by confining it in your house several days before Halloween. This will reduce the chances of someone abducting your black cat. The mythology about black cats and witches can lead people to do strange things to them. Even kids who mean no harm may yell at or chase a black cat, scaring the cat much more than the cat scares them.
Your companion animal may look very cute in a costume, but be wary of pet costumes that use rubber bands to hold the costume in place. If you mistakenly leave rubber bands on your pet after the costume comes off, they can quickly burrow into the animal's skin.
Make sure your cat or dog wears a current Broward County animal license tag on its collar. If your pet it lost, it is 10 times more likely to be returned to you if your pet is wearing a license tag. A license tag is the cheapest form of insurance and the law (required for all cats and dogs two months or older).
When ACaRD rescues a lost pet wearing a license tag or other form of identification, we call the owner. We shelter animals with license tags for five days. For animals without identification, we shelter them for three days. Most veterinarians sell license tags. After the holding period, those animals not reclaimed by their owners are evaluated for adoption.
July 4 Safety Tips
Bombs bursting in air on the Fourth of July may make you feel patriotic, but your pet may be frightened and escape from your yard. The days after July 4 are some of the busiest days for the Animal Care and Regulation Division. We receive a high number of phone calls for lost pets and Animal Care Officers rescue a high number of stray animals. If you follow these safety tips for July 4, you greatly reduce the chances of losing your pet.
Don't take dogs to places where there may be fireworks.
If you plan to be away from home on the holiday, bring your pet inside the house and leave the animal in a quiet, protected room. Animals left outside in the yard may not only attempt to escape, they may also fall prey to possible abuse by misguided individuals.
If you're at home with a scared dog, don't reinforce its behavior by offering sympathy. Instead, divert its attention by practicing an obedience routine or playing a game.
Leave a scared cat alone. Don't try to force a feline from its hiding place. The cat will come out when it feels safe.
Make sure your cat and/or dog is wearing a current Broward County animal license tag. County law requires all cats and dogs two to four months old to wear a juvenile license tag and four months or older to wear an adult license tag. The license tag provides identification and ensures a call home if your pet is lost. The ACaRD and most veterinarians sell license tags after your pet receives a rabies vaccination.
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