Month: July 2024

It’s the dog days of summer here in the Cincinnati area, and while there’s not much you can do about the heat and humidity in the Queen City, there’s a lot you can do to help keep your pet cool and safe during the summer months.

Create a Cool Zone: If you keep your AC at a higher temperature, or if you don’t have AC, you can create a resting nook for your pet in the coolest and most shaded corner of your home. Use soft, lightweight bedding and place it under a table, in a corner, or in a secluded spot where your pet can, quite literally, chill out. Use a fan for better air circulation, but make sure the fan is in a safe place where it won’t be tipped over or fall, and be sure to keep cords hidden or out of reach, so bored pets won’t find entertainment in chewing wires.

Create a Dog-Friendly Water Park: Your backyard is the perfect place for a pup water park. Set up a sprinkler and let your dog run around in the water or lie down under the sprinkles. You can also buy a kiddie pool for low cost and fill with cool (but not cold) water to let your dog jump in and splash around. For extra credit, toss in floating toys or treats for your dog to retrieve.

Soak It Up: Soaking a bandana or small towel in cool water and wrapping it around your pet will help bring some relief. The water evaporates, creating a cooling effect. You can also invest in a cooling mat that will lower your pet’s body temperature. These mats are made with cooling materials to provide a nice surface for cooling off.

Summer Treats: Fill a Kong with some canned dog food or peanut butter and freeze it. This is both a cooling treat and a fun challenge for your pet. You can also make pup-sicles by blending pet-friendly fruits, such as watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries with water and pouring the blend into popsicle molds. Many Dairy Queens offer soft-serve pup cups, but you’ll have to ask for one specifically, because it’s a menu secret. Some dogs have digestive sensitivities, so check with your vet before offering a pup cup, and make it a once-in-a-while treat.

If It’s Too Hot for You… It goes without saying that if it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for your pet! Don’t leave pets outside for extended periods of time, especially in the hottest part of the day. If you have pets that live outdoors, make sure they have plenty of fresh, cool water, and that their habitat is in a shady area.

Signs of Overheating: In dogs, this can include frantic panting, labored breathing, and extreme salivation. Dehydration may cause vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures. Brachycephalic dogs, such as pugs and bulldogs can be more sensitive to high heat and humidity. Signs of overheating in cats are similar to those found in dogs. Panting, drooling, vocalizing, rapid heartbeat, and lethargy are among the most common symptoms. Small animals, being more sensitive to their environment, should be closely watched in hot weather. Overheated rabbits will have shallow breathing, a wet nose, hot ears, and lethargy. And believe it or not, fish can get overheated, too! Keep aquarium temperatures within normal parameters by floating a small bag of ice in the tank or by placing a clip-on fan to blow across the top of the tank. Turn off any lights. Check the tank frequently to make sure the temperature isn’t dropping too rapidly. You can also invest in an aquarium chiller, which is a special type of refrigerant cooler for aquariums.

Your first response to any overheated pet is to get them quickly to a cool area. Dogs and cats can also be treated with a cool (not cold) water bath. If your cat is stressed by bath time, use a cloth dampened with water. You can quickly cool a bunny by dampening their ears with cool water. Always take an overheated pet to your vet or local emergency clinic as soon as possible, because heatstroke may cause organ damage, which can lead to death.

Taking good care of your pets during a Cincinnati summer will ensure that everyone has a safe and happy season!

When life becomes difficult, dreary, or mundane, it’s good to have something that can change your perspective, lift your spirits, and remind you that you are loved. One beautiful way to do this is a visit with a therapy animal. Pet Partners of Greater Cincinnati helps to share the love of therapy animals by sending teams of volunteers and their pets into the Cincinnati community to bring light, laughter, and joy to people in need and people who might not otherwise have much positive interaction with animals. Volunteers visit diverse locations such as hospitals, hospices, rehabilitation facilities, Ronald McDonald House, police and fire stations, local businesses, and local schools including universities, high schools, grades schools, and special needs programs for children and adults.  A therapy animal can bring joy pretty much anywhere!

Paws-itive interactions with animals have been shown to have many benefits for human health on a physical level, but there are also some great mental, emotional, and spiritual health benefits, too. Trish Smith, who is a Pet Partners volunteer with her Yorkshire Terrier, Rosie, says that when she visits with people, they will sometimes get emotional or hold Rosie on their lap because they’re missing their own pets. A Pet Partners visit helps to bring joy and a positive distraction from what a person or their family members may be going through. “Pet therapy reduces stress and creates a positive reaction in the body,” Smith says. “Some people are afraid of dogs, but that’s very rare. Usually, it’s a very welcome thing to have a dog come in. The reactions are usually really positive.”

Smith moved to Cincinnati in 2021, and when she retired from her position as a Director of Program Management with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., she knew that she wanted to do volunteer work that would include Rosie. She did some exploration of local therapy-animal groups, and felt that Pet Partners had the most to offer, including good opportunities, good resources and training, a comprehensive screening of potential volunteers, and the most respected reputation in the community.

As Smith started doing more within the group, she became a board member, and from there moved into public relations and social media to help create exposure for Pet Partners.

Smith points out that there are important differences among a therapy animal, an Emotional Support Animal (ESA), and service dogs. The purpose of a therapy animal is simply to serve the community and make people happy. This is quite different from service dogs and ESAs, who provide complex support for just one person. There are some other important differences, as well. “Therapy dogs don’t have the same privileges as service dogs in that they can’t go anywhere, anytime,” Smith points out. “They have to be invited in.” All three types of support animals can wear a vest, and while it’s okay to approach and pet a therapy dog in public, this is not the case for ESAs and service dogs. “People see a vest and assume it’s a service dog, but there’s a difference,” Smith says.

A Pet Partners visit can be requested via their website. If you’d like an in-person experience with Pet Partners of Greater Cincinnati, they will have a booth at Paws in the Park, a free, dog-friendly event on September 28, from 11 am-3 pm at Summit Park in Blue Ash. If you’re more of an online kind of person, you can explore the national Pet Partners website at https://www.petpartners.org  and the greater Cincinnati website at https://www.tpgcpets.org/.

“It’s a wonderful organization,” says Smith. “It’s a great group of people that really care about their pets and the people they visit. They’re very passionate about what they do. I encourage anyone who is interested to visit the Pet Partners website.”

Click to watch Rosie’s story here, a Yorkshire Terrier with a big heart and a flair for fashion, who brings joy to all who meet her.

Pet Partners of Greater Cincinnati therapy program click here.