Health and Safety

Keeping your Dog "Paws-itively" Healthy and Safe

Our dog's health and safety are obviously among our primary responsibilities as dog owners. This includes everything from housing and food, to exercise and training, to requisite vaccinations and regular health care checkups. We have posted and linked to a variety of excellent resources and invite you to explore these. We are always open to new sources of information to share, so please let us know of further information and sources at info@waydog.org.

Pet First Aid
Yeah, there’s an App for that!

The American Red Cross presents the first Pet First Aid App and puts expert veterinary advice in the palm of your hand. Get the app and be prepared to act when called upon. With videos, interactive quizzes and simple step-by-step advice, it’s never been easier to know Pet First Aid.

Red Cross Pet First Aid App

Other features include:

Convenient toggle between cat and dog content.
Simple step-by-step instructions guide you through everyday emergencies in the palm of your hand.
Prepare and protect your pet’s health with advice on administering medication, time to say goodbye, behavioral help and how to act in a disaster situation.
Early warning sign checker for preventive care.
Programmable veterinary contact number to be available when needed throughout the app.
Learn first aid steps for over 25 common pet situations through a combination of text, video and images, in addition to identifying common toxic substances.
Locate your nearest emergency vet hospital or pet-friendly hotels.
Respond to pet emergencies with “how to” videos for the common and stressful emergency situations inclusive of size specific CPR techniques.
Customize multiple pet profiles and set veterinary appointments.
Interactive quizzes allow you to earn badges that you can share with your friends along with a picture of your pet.

Cleaner Graphics

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Sources for Health and Safety Information

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has a wealth of information about dog (and other pet) health and safety. Check out their resources here: ASPCA

View and download at the ASCPA Dog Care Tips pdf here.

Fall Safety Tips

Source: ASCPA
"Ah, fall—there's nothing like crisp, cool air, the first months of school and luscious foliage to get you excited for the changing seasons. Your pet, too, is probably welcoming the break from hot, sticky weather. But pet parents, beware—fall is also a time of lurking dangers for our furry friends. From household poisons to cold weather hazards, the season is a minefield! Here are some tips to keep your pet snug and healthy during the autumn months.

The use of rodenticides increases in the fall as rodents seek shelter from the cooler temperatures by attempting to move indoors. Rodenticides are highly toxic to pets—if ingested, the results could be fatal. If you must use these products, do so with extreme caution and put them in places inaccessible to your pets.
It's back-to-school time, and those of you with young children know that means stocking up on fun items like glue sticks, pencils and magic markers. These items are considered “low toxicity” to pets, which means they're unlikely to cause serious problems unless large amounts are ingested. However, since gastrointestinal upset and blockages certainly are possible, be sure your children keep their school supplies out of paw's reach.
Training tip: If you and your pooch haven't been active outdoors in a while because of the summer heat, do some remedial recall training. Dogs, like people, get rusty on their skills if they aren't using them.
Fall and spring and are mushroom seasons. While 99% of mushrooms have little or no toxicity, the 1% that are highly toxic can cause life-threatening problems in pets. Unfortunately, most of the highly toxic mushrooms are difficult to distinguish from the nontoxic ones, so the best way to keep pets from ingesting poisonous mushrooms is to keep them away from areas where any mushrooms are growing. Contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately if you witness your pet eating a wild mushroom.
In order to generate body heat, pets who exercise heavily outdoors, or who live outdoors, should be given more food during colder seasons. Make sure horses and other outdoor animals have access to clean, fresh water that is not frozen.
Autumn is the season when snakes who are preparing for hibernation may be particularly “grumpy,” increasing the possibility of severe bites to those unlucky pups who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pet owners should know what kinds of venomous snakes may be in their environment—and where these snakes are most likely to be found—so they can keep pets out of those areas.
Many people choose fall as the time to change their car's engine coolant. Ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic, so spills should be cleaned up immediately. Consider switching to propylene glycol-based coolants—though they aren't completely nontoxic, they are much less toxic than other engine coolants."

Source: ASCPA