MDARD Encourages Owners to Help Keep Their Animals Safe this Labor Day Weekend

Keep animals happy and healthy as they enjoy the last days of summer fun

LANSING, Mich.—As Michiganders prepare to celebrate the last days of summer this Labor Day holiday, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is reminding owners of the best ways to keep their animals healthy and safe.

“When making any holiday plans, it is important not to overlook the needs of our animals,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Nora Wineland, DVM, MS, DACVPM. “From watching what they eat to where they swim, there are many precautions owners can take to keep their animals safe this Labor Day.”

Protect your animals this holiday weekend by following these seven easy tips:

1. Vax & Relax: Keep animals up to date on routine vaccinations

Vaccinations are central to animals’ preventative care as vaccines can help protect them against common diseases, such as rabies and distemper. Contact your veterinarian to ensure your animals’ vaccinations are complete and/or to schedule an appointment.

 2.  Let it Flow: Provide unlimited cool, clean, fresh water

Just like people, animals can quickly get parched in hot temperatures. No matter the species, animals should have access to unlimited cool, clean, fresh water to prevent dehydration. 

 3.  Happy Tummies: Avoid feeding animals people foods

While it may be tempting to toss your animals a few crispy nuggets from the grill, they cannot enjoy all the same foods and treats as we do. Salty, fatty, and/or highly seasoned foods (like chips, nuts, and meat fat) can cause digestive upset. Also, chocolate, grapes/raisins, onions, and xylitol (an artificial sweetener found in many candies and gum) can be poisonous to animals; and bones can cause injury and illness as well.

 4.  Know Their Limits: An animal’s ability to tolerate heat varies

An animal’s age, breed, type of coat, and health history can all play a role in their ability to tolerate the heat. Keep an eye on them for signs of heat stress—like increased panting or drooling and being more lethargic. If they are showing these signs, it is time to immediately move them to a cooler area.

Talking to your veterinarian can also give you more specific guidance on how to best handle your animals in hot weather.

 5.  Look Before They Splash: Avoid harmful algal blooms (HABs) in bodies of water

HABs form due to a rapid growth of cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers, and ponds. To prevent illness in animals, keep them out of areas with scums or discolored water, rinse them off after contact with any lake water, and bring clean, fresh water for them to drink. If an animal becomes sick after contact with a suspected HAB, call your veterinarian right away.

Also, animal illness due to HABs is reportable to MDARD. To report cases, submit a Reportable Disease Form or call 800-292-3939. For more information on HABs or to report a potential HAB on a water body, please visit michigan.gov/habs.

6.  Search No More: Make sure animals have proper identification

With all the summer fun and outdoor activities, it can be easy for animals to sneak away and become lost. Make sure they have identification tags and/or microchips that are up to date with your current contact information, ensuring a better chance they can be returned home.

 7.  Bug Off!: Take steps to prevent mosquito bites

Mosquitoes transmit a number of diseases that can make animals sick, such as West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis. Protect animals from mosquitoes by keeping animals indoors from dusk to dawn, using insect repellants on animals approved for the species, eliminating standing water, and for horses, talking to your veterinarian about vaccinating them against mosquito-borne diseases.

These tips can help keep your animals safe and healthy throughout the holiday. If there are any concerns about your animals’ health now or throughout the year, please talk to your veterinarian.

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