Pet care requires special precautions during hot weather

Centennial Hills resident Dora Harrison recently spent nearly 12 hours fearing the worst for her missing Chihuahua, Duke.

The 8-month-old, 4½-pound dog was lodged in the skimmer of Harrison's pool for about 11 hours while she, friends and family scoured the neighborhood looking for him. Duke re-emerged seven hours after he was reported missing, most likely after freeing himself from the pool equipment, Harrison said.

"It was horrible," she said. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh, somebody stole him.' I had a dream he drowned."

Harrison taught Duke and his doggie companion Dasey Mae to swim, and she suspects he jumped in to catch the pool vacuum and skimmer while she was away. He was unable to bark in the skimmer's bucket or easily escape due to a flap that keeps debris in. Harrison said his saving grace was that the skimmer's lid had broken latches and popped off easily.

"He's a miracle dog," Harrison said.

Duke, who now has the middle name "Skimmer," has been given a clean bill of health by his veterinarian, and Harrison has taken precautions to keep the curious pup away from the skimmer. "You're never safe with an animal in the pool totally," she said. "I've reintroduced him to the water, and he's not happy about it."

Pet safety in the summer means more than cracking a window in the car on a hot summer's day, local pet experts say.

As tempting as a pool may be, it can be dangerous to an animal, pawnation.com suggested. Most dogs can swim, but certain breeds, such as bulldogs, do not. Exercise caution with pool covers, skimmers and other equipment, the site said.

Displacement alarms, which measure the water levels in pools and can be set to sound an alarm when a pet or child falls in, may prevent accidental drowning as long as someone is around to hear it, according to pawnation.com.

Animal ladders and platforms are also sold to assist pets out of a body of water.

The American Red Cross of Southern Nevada suggests avoiding leaving a pet in the car, even for a short time. The organization cited a study by the Animal Protection Institute that showed that even moderately warm temperatures outside can quickly lead to deadly temperatures inside a closed car. A car in the study parked outside on an 87-degree day produced an internal temperature of 115 degrees.

Warm weather also brings added concerns, such as being overheated while playing or becoming too hot in a thick coat of fur. An animal might show signs of heat stroke by heavily panting or being unable to calm down even while lying down. Its gum color may be brick red, and its pulse might rise. If its internal temperature reaches 105 degrees, the American Red Cross suggests spraying it with a hose and contacting a veterinarian.

Otherwise, keep extra water handy and groom the pet before temperature spikes to avoid an episode.

Sun exposure also can be damaging under the pet's coat, said Dr. Kimberly Coyner of the Dermatology Clinic for Animals of Las Vegas. Coyner warned pet owners to be mindful of canine solar dermatitis or chronic sun damage, a common skin problem in this climate. Lighter dogs are susceptible to solar dermatitis and go untreated until irreversible damage or sun-induced skin cancers have developed, she said.

"What people don't realize with these light-skinned dogs, especially without a lot of hair, they are so prone to sun damage," she said. "It's like putting a little kid out in the sun and wondering why they got sunburned. We need to be good parents and know it's not good for them."

Symptoms include scaly, red skin infections and inflammation or tumors on the skin. Prevention includes keeping pets indoors during the day or having animals wear topical sunscreen or cotton T-shirts.

"Put baby-safe sunscreen spray all over the body, ideally several times a day," she said. "They may lick some off, but it's better than nothing. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of worry."

The local chapter of the American Red Cross offers life-saving, informational courses regarding pets. A pet first aid class is planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 1771 E. Flamingo Road.

Instructor Jinny Schilling teaches how to assist pets in emergency situations. Participants learn breathing techniques on a cat and dog mannequin, cool-off methods if the animal was left in a hot car and ways to keep a pet part of an emergency preparedness plan. Instruction also includes care for about 70 common canine and 60 feline ailments and emergencies and keeping a pet first aid kit.

Participants receive an instructional manual and take-home DVD as part of the $60 fee. The materials also are available at redcrossstore.org. To register for the class, visit redcrosslasvegas.org or call 369-2428.

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.