Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Be kind to 4-legged friends, keep the hot dogs cool

With temperatures lingering in the 90s,

there is no need to accredit a source to say,

Its really hot outside.

But imagine having to wear a coat of fur

during a humid Arkansas summer. Dogs and

cats miraculously manage this task, but

Gurdon Animal Control Officer Ty Oppelt

is urging pet owners to take special care of

their pets during the warm season.

Oppelt said pet owners should make sure

their animals have plenty of water and

food, and that they should be checking on

them a lot  more so than they do in the

winter.

He also urges pet owners to be sure their

animals have a shelter from the sun and the

rain. He said the Gurdon Animal Shelter

still needs the donation of dog houses for

people who cant afford them, to stay in

compliance with animal cruelty laws and

to keep dogs safe from heat. Oppelt said

he is also seeking the donations of fencing

to quarantine puppies. Separating puppies

at the shelter, he said, is necessary to make

sure they do not have parvovirus  a highly

infectious disease that is spread from dog to

dog and is especially severe in puppies.

Another thing to look out for in pets is

heart worms, Oppelt said, because several

dogs have died around town and the symptoms

were most likely related to heart

worms.

The wise thing to do is to get your dog

its annual checkup and annual shots,

including rabies, which is required by law.

While youre there, make sure the dog

is checked for heart worms and get preventative

medicine from your vet. Also, put it

on a monthly regiment of pills.