14
Wednesday, July 19, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
water. Giardia parasites pre-
fer cool, moist environments.
Your dog probably enjoys
running through the tall
grasses, which happens to
include cheat grass. Cheat
grass is sneaky and enters
body cavities (particularly
ears, nose and even under
eyelids) and penetrates skin
between toes and elsewhere
on the body causing irritation
and infection. If Rover starts
shaking his head a lot after
a hike, he could have cheat
grass in his ears. Have your
veterinarian check him over.
Cheatgrass is recog-
nizable by its drooping,
wheat-like seed heads, and
its nothing new to Central
Oregonians. This year, how-
ever, after a wet winter and
spring there are thicker
patches of the grass accord-
ing to Deschutes County
Forester Ed Keith.
Common lawn and gar-
den mushrooms are poison-
ous to dogs. They can cause
seizure-like behavior in dogs
that ingest them. Mushrooms
in yards should be removed
promptly before your furry
friend notices them. If your
dog becomes ill, and you
suspect mushroom inges-
tion, call your veterinarian
immediately.
You’ve been playing ball
outdoors in the yard with
your dog for only 15 min-
utes on a very warm sunny
Paw
Prints
Jodi Schneider McNamee
Columnist
The hidden dangers
of summertime
You’ve got Rover pro-
tected from fleas and ticks
for the summer so now it’s
time to take him on that
camping trip with your fam-
ily. However, there’s a whole
heap more in Central Oregon
that can harm Rover besides
fleas and ticks.
Your furry friend may
love to run through the creek
and lap up water, but there
is danger: the tiny intestinal
protozoa giardia is found in
nearly all streams, rivers,
ponds and lakes in Central
Oregon.
A dog can acquire giardia
by ingesting an infected cyst
in the water through another
animal’s poop; the most com-
mon route of transmission is
through feces-contaminated
day; suddenly Rover begins
to pant heavily and starts to
vomit. You had forgotten
how hot it was outside since
you were wearing shorts and
sandals. Lucky for you that
Rover began to cool down
once you brought him inside
the house in the air-con-
ditioning and began to get
hydrated with a big bowl of
water.
Summer can be a very
dangerous time for your pets,
and the biggest danger to
your furry friend during the
summer is something you
can’t see, smell or hear. Heat
stroke is a common occur-
rence in dogs. Most people
won’t recognize the early
warning signs that a dog is
suffering from heat exhaus-
tion, which left untreated,
leads to heat stroke and ulti-
mately death.
Dehydration can happen
as a result of overheating. Be
sure your dog has access to
plenty of water, whether you
are out playing with him or
he is left alone when you are
running errands, since it’s
too hot to take him in the car
with you.
Your dog needs to be kept
hydrated always.
Remember: if you’re hot,
your furry friend is even hot-
ter. Providing shade, shel-
ter and fresh water to your
dog when he is outside is
extremely important during
PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER MCNAMEE
Cheatgrass is especially thick in Central Oregon this year.
the summer.
Remember to supervise
your dog, no matter where
he is or how well you might
think he is trained, you
need to keep an eye on your
pooch. There are too many
unknown hazards that could
hurt him whether playing
ball in a park or just clown-
ing around by the river.
Living in a forested area
can lead to encounters with
wildlife, even in your own
backyard. Coyotes and
mountain lions actively
seek dogs as prey in Central
Oregon, even in some resi-
dential areas. Small pets
are particularly vulnerable,
and some coyotes may be
bold enough to hunt dur-
ing the day. Deterring the
presence of coyotes by not
feeding deer or other wild-
life are effective preventive
strategies.
There are lots of mule deer
See PAW PRINTS on page 19
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