Business & Tech

Tips From a Vet: Is Your Pet Ready for Warm Weather?

Our early spring could mean more ticks, fleas and mosquitoes. Is your dog ready? Patch talks to La Grange Park's newest veterinarian, Dr. Susan Dowd, at Arbor Animal Hospital.

While it was nice to have such a mild winter and such a warm spring, it could have some consequences come summer. The warmer weather could mean more ticks, fleas and mosquitoes looking to dine on your dog.

Luckily, La Grange Park has a new vet who knows her stuff.

Dr. Susan Dowd, owner of , 14 E. 31st St., in La Grange Park, said it’s easier to deal with problems (and cheaper too) with a little foresight.

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Since opening up her new clinic in La Grange Park, Dowd said the response from the community has been amazing. She's seen over 500 pets since opening in March, with nearly half her clients from the practice she worked at previously in Brookfield making the transition with her.

"Ticks are what you need to worry about this year," Dowd said.

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Luckily, she added, they're easily avoidable. Flea and tick medications do the trick just fine, and owners generally don't have to worry about their pets picking up the critters on a walk in the woods, or a roll in the backyard.

A six-month supply of Frontline for dogs runs about $60 on Amazon. However, Dowd suggests that pet owners buy medications directly through their vet, instead of a company like Amazon. The price will run somewhere between $30-100, depending on the pet's weight.

"With Frontline once a month, you don't really need to worry about it," Dowd said.

Protecting dogs and cats from fleas and ticks for about $10 a month is better for your pet's health and a lot cheaper than paying for care they'll need if they catch Lyme disease.

Pet owners also need to watch out for heartworm this summer. Dowd said she's recently changed her mind about how long dogs need to be protected with medications like Heartgard. Especially with our warm spring, we're likely to be see the pesky skeeters that carry diseases like heartworm earlier this year, and in greater abundance.

"I now say keep them on [medication] through the winter," Dowd said in her office recently. "You needed to start it last month. It's going to be an issue this summer."

Warm weather also means pets will be outdoors more. Dowd said owners need to remember that, unlike people who sweat, the only way for dogs to cool down is panting. When temperatures get up to 75 degrees, your dog needs shade and lots of water when it's outside. Cars especially get hot quickly, the vet said, and animals should not be left in them, even for short periods of time.

"If you wouldn't leave your kid in that situation, don't do it to you dog," Dowd advised. Since most pet owners treat their pets like kids anyways, it shouldn't be too hard a rule to follow.

Dowd said owners should take it easy on outdoor play as well in the summer, especially at the start. Dogs, like us, get out of shape in the winter and need to be warmed back up. You know when it's time to call it quits better than they do.

Generally, a once-per-year visit to the vet is fine for young, healthy dogs, Dowd said. A typical visit to Arbor Animal costs about $80-100, with prices starting at $43 for office visit.

"It's good to bring them [yearly], because it you can catch it early, you can get a jump on it," Dowd said.

Corrections: An earlier version of this article attributed roundworm to mosquitoes. This was a misunderstanding on my part in our interview. Heartworm is carried by mosquitoes, roundworm is not.

Dr. Dowd also asked us to clarify that she does not suggest owners buy their medications for pets online through services like Amazon. Instead, she recommends owners buy their pet's meds directly through their vet. I used  Amazon in the story to give readers an idea of the average price of products like Frontline.


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