Keep your pets safe during local summer events

As summer heats up, so do the events that bring us all together—local sports games, concerts in the park, backyard barbecues, and my favorite, the Fourth of July. These favorites create lasting memories for us, but they can be confusing, overwhelming, or even dangerous for our pets.

Each year, veterinarians treat avoidable injuries that occur when pets are caught up in the excitement or the chaos of summer fun. Here are some tips to keep your furry companions safe and stress-free during the busiest months of the year.

Game Day and Outdoor Event Safety

Whether you’re supporting the local baseball team or enjoying an outdoor movie night, these pet safety strategies are essential:

• Stay Hydrated: Bring a collapsible water bowl and offer fresh water often. Dehydration can sneak up quickly, especially on hot days.  Remember Pets need more water than we think, and they cannot speak up when they feel dehydrated. 
• Paw Protection: Asphalt and sidewalks can become blistering hot. If you can’t comfortably hold your hand on the surface for more than five seconds, it’s too hot for your pet’s paws. Please keep this in mind when walking on concrete or asphalt.
• Monitor for Stress: Loud noises, crowds, and high activity levels can overwhelm pets. Watch for signs of anxiety like panting, drooling, shaking, or trying to hide. If your pet suffers from anxiety, be sure to ask your veterinarian for advice or medications to help relieve their anxious feelings. 
• Secure Identification: Make sure your pet’s collar fits snugly and ID tags are legible. Microchips should have up-to-date contact information in case your pet gets separated from you. GPS tags and locators are also useful to have on collars, should your pet escape. Remember, they only work when they are put no before your pet escapes.  

Food and Festivity Precautions

Outdoor parties, food trucks, and cookouts bring temptation and dangerous risks:

• Skip the Table Scraps: Many common cookout foods—onions, garlic, grapes, chocolate, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners, are toxic to pets. Fatty or spicy foods can cause gastrointestinal upset, colitis, and/or pancreatitis. 
• Bone Dangers: Discarded bones can cause serious injuries if swallowed. Always dispose of them securely and out of reach of your pet.  Remember unless your garbage container can lock, don’t assume your pet cannot get into it for a midnight snack of their own.
• Foreign body dangers- Always be on the lookout for potential foreign bodies that can be ingested including sticks, trash, and food that has fallen on the ground are all potential dangers for our pets. Be sure to keep the lids on trash bins.     
• Grill Zone Safety: Pets love to investigate, but hot grills, coals, and lighter fluid do not mix with pets and pose burn and ingestion hazards. Create a pet-free zone around cooking areas especially open fire areas. 

Fourth of July: A Pet’s Nightmare

While fireworks are a Fourth of July tradition for us, they’re terrifying for many pets. In fact, many pets go missing on the 4th and 5th of July each year.

• Safe and Sound Indoors: Keep pets inside during fireworks. Choose a quiet room, close the windows and curtains, and turn on background noise like music or the television.
• Calming Tools: If your pet has a history of anxiety, speak with your veterinarian ahead of time about calming supplements, anxiety wraps, or prescription medications.
• Avoid Fireworks Events: Even pets that normally do well in crowd, can panic and bolt at the sound of explosions. My advice, leave them at home. 

Microchip Check: Make sure your pet’s microchip is registered and the contact info is current, just in case. Double check your GPS locator’s app, if you have one on your pet.If you do not have one, purchase one, they are inexpensive and easy to attach to your pet’s collars with special adapters.

Travel and Boarding Tips

Whether you’re heading out for a festival, a family reunion, or a long weekend trip, consider these travel tips:

• Vet Prep: Ensure your pet is up to date on vaccines, flea/tick prevention, and any needed medications. Keep a copy of vaccination and medical records handy if you’re boarding or traveling with your pet.
• Medications: If your pet takes medications, do not wait until the last minute to ensure you have enough medications for the boarding or traveling time.  Veterinary hospitals cannot refill medications from patients that have not been seen before, and not all veterinary hospitals carry all medications. Have any medications refilled 3-4 days prior to you leaving on the trip. 
• Smart Boarding Choices: Tour boarding facilities in advance, check for emergency protocols, and provide detailed care instructions. 
• Pet First Aid Kit: If you’re going off the grid—camping or hiking—bring along a basic pet first aid kit and know where the nearest emergency veterinary clinic is located. Make sure you know their hours and directions from where you will be hiking and camping.