Autumn is a beautiful time of year. From lovely evening walks with crunchy leaves to Halloween. However it brings with it some increased risks for our furry friends!
Falling from trees
Fruit, nuts, conkers etc can pose a risk to your pet when they fall from trees. For example, fruit falling from trees such as apples can ferment and if your pet eats these it can give them an upset stomach.
Conkers can also pose a risk, such as a blockage in your pet’s stomach or poison them as there is aesculin in them.
Acorns pose a similar risk to dogs!
This does pose a low risk but always keep an eye on your pet and if they are eating anything off the ground you haven’t given them.
Mushrooms
Some mushrooms are poisonous to dogs, it’s best to keep an eye on your dog around any mushrooms and to keep your garden clear of them where possible.
Fleas, worms and parasites
Flea infestations tend to increase in the autumn as it gets colder outside and we switch our heating back on. We’d always advise to talk with your vet about appropriate flea control!
Ticks are one of the parasites I dislike the most. I’ve found them on my dogs several times. They can carry diseases such as Lyme disease and can be a risk to us humans as well!
They are most commonly found in the soft warm areas of your pets such as in and around their ears under their legs etc. Always check your pet’s after walks in long grass and close to bogs or water.
Ticks can be removed using a special tool (I’ve added a link to one on Amazon) or by your vet.
Worms such as Lungworm are another risk. Dogs can pick up lungworm from Snails and Slugs. They can infect grass or water which your dog will eat or drink!
If you suspect your dog has worms or you see worms in your dog’s poo contact your vet! Your vet can also give you a preventative treatment to help ensure your dog does not get worms!
Seasonal Canine illness
Seasonal Canine illness is a rare condition that appears to affect dogs shortly after walking in woodland. (Usually within 3 days). Cases are normally found between September and November.
No one is quite sure what causes SCI and there is no known cure.
The symptoms are:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Tiredness
- Stomach pain
- Muscle tremors
- High temperature
If you suspect your dog has SCI go to your vet straight away!
You can read more about SCI HERE.
Poisons such as Anti Freeze and Rat poison
Come Autumn one of the things vets see a lot more of is pet poisonings. We use a lot more products during the Autumn and Winter months than can injure our dogs.
2 common ones are Rat Poison and Anti Freeze!
We should always keep these out of the way of our pets and when we’re out and about we should always ensure our pet doesn’t eat anything they shouldn’t
Chocolate
Autumn brings with it rising chocolate sales as we come into Halloween and Christmas.
Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and cats. The smaller the animal the less chocolate it takes to cause a fatal incident.
Always keep chocolate out of reach of pets and enjoy it yourself!
P.S. My favourite chocolate is Tony’s Chocolate HERE.
Is your microchip registration up to date?
With the darker evenings it becomes even more important to ensure your pet’s microchip is up to date. Search your microchip below to find out which microchip database has your pet’s microchip and make sure your details are up to date with them!
If your pet isn’t registered, register with us today!
Find out more HERE.
