What to Look For After Your Pet Gets Hurt
Warm weather is always welcome, but getting outdoors and enjoying the Colorado sunshine can put our pets, especially dogs, in contact with some pretty unsavory characters.
Rattlesnake Bites
Here in the Denver Metro area, we live with prairie rattlesnakes. While we recognize their warning rattle, our pets do not always heed this warning and their curiosity gets the better of them. Often, a closer look has a very nasty consequence. Dogs typically get bitten on the face or front legs and are about 20 times more likely than people to be bitten by venomous snakes. Swelling and pain will develop, and there may be bleeding where the fangs punctured the skin. In this case, dogs should be taken to a vet immediately.
Treatment includes IV fluids, antibiotics, and an anti-venom treatment.
Insect Stings and Spider Bites
If your pet is stung by a hornet or a bee, or bitten by a non-venomous spider, don't panic, they'll likely be fine. Just like with humans, most of these types of bites will cause some discomfort but are not life-threatening. Monitor your pet closely for symptoms that might be getting worse such as vomiting, lethargy, facial swelling, or hives.
Common treatments are antihistamines or steroids, but more severe cases could require hospitalization, IV fluids, or oxygen.
Ticks
Ticks are common parasites that inhabit both remote forested areas and urban parks. Each year, thousands of dogs are bitten by ticks and become infected with vector-borne diseases such as anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and Lyme disease. Symptoms of these diseases can be vague and difficult to recognize (until it's too late) making that annual checkup even more important.
The good news is, however, preventative measures can be taken, like topical medications to reduce your pet's exposure to ticks. Talk to your vet about keeping your dog or outdoor cat safe from ticks!
