News - Page 9

It’s hard not to smile when you see a dog with its head out of the window in a travelling car. They look so happy and carefree! But travelling with an unrestrained dog in Hawick could be a real risk – to them, to you, and to other drivers.

We all enjoy getting out in the sunshine; however, it is not always true for our pets! Any animal can overheat in hot weather, and we can often forget how tough it can be on our pets that live in hutches in Hawick, such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

The August bank holiday weekend is here…whether you are heading to the coast, off on a walking adventure, or taking it easy at home this bank holiday, we just wanted to let you that our opening hours may differ, should you need us:

Every year we celebrate Rabbit Awareness Week, a week dedicated to our rabbits. This year is the 15^th year of the celebration, where we will be hopping through the years, as we provide you with the best information about how to care for your rabbit and how adapting their care throughout their years will help your bunnies live happily and healthily into their golden years.

Keeping our pets safe is important to all of us as pet owners. They trust us with their care and protection and microchipping can help with keeping them safe. A microchip identifies your pet as belonging to you. It contains a unique reference number that links to your details as an owner, stored on a central database. By scanning this microchip, this data is then accessible for the person scanning your pet.

The very name ‘kennel cough’ suggests that dogs are only at risk of contracting this airborne disease if you put them into boarding kennels, while you go on holiday for example. It’s for this reason that many pet owners don’t get their dog vaccinated; they don’t see the disease as a risk. Hawick Vets look at some myths and facts about kennel cough.

It is the season when issues related to grass seeds are quite common in pets, especially for dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors.

Summer brings longer days, warmer climates, new adventures and outdoor socialising, which with pets in tow, can be made even more enjoyable! However, when the temperatures rise, the dangers to our pets increase too. To keep pets safe, you should be aware of the potential hazards, as well as some top tips to help prevent your pet from endangering themselves throughout the summer months.

As we head into the summer months and temperatures start rising, it’s important to remember that your pets are most vulnerable at this time to many injuries and illnesses brought on by hot weather including sunburn, foot pad burns, dehydration, and the most dangerous of all, heatstroke. While heat stress is more common during the summer months, it can occur at any time throughout the year.

Did you know that there are guidelines for minimum space requirements for housing guinea pigs? 🐹