North Toronto Post, August 2003
Tips To Keep Cottage Dogs Safe This Summer

by Dona Foucault

It's not hard to imagine what goes through a city dog's mind as she watches her owners schlep cottage supplies to the car on a hot sunny Friday afternoon: Okay, where are we going? Oh, boy, oh boy, oh boy, I think we're going to the cottage. I can hardly wait to stick my head out the window ... hope those squirrels are ready for what's comin' to them. It's easier still to remember what goes through our minds as we're doing all that schlepping: Okay, where's the bug spray? What are we forgetting? If we don't hurry up we're going to hit traffic.... Not to mention, Did we pack the dog food yet? I hope he's not sick in the car this time. Where's that dog anyway?

So to bring some peace of mind to the remaining summer cottage days, let's reduce the going away stress by addressing some cottage-dog basics like first aid treatments and kits, doggie proofing and common cottage ailments. First and foremost, get cottage phone number tags for you dog, and make sure that you have your city vet's number handy as well as that of a local vet. Make sure you have all the just-in-case medicine you might need, is local dog guru Deena Cooper's next rule of thumb. Cooper is the owner of Deena's Dog Services as well as Canine Collectibles.

The medicines Cooper refers to are any regular medicines or antibiotics your dog is currently taking as well as over the counter human medicines that come in handy for dogs.

Gravol for car sickness, Benadryl for insect bites and allergies and an antibacterial ointment, she says. Make sure to contact your vet for appropriate dosage information for your dog.

On top of that, Cooper highly recommends putting together or buying a doggie. first aid kit for the cottage

Some things to include in the first aid kit are aspirin, hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting), a blanket (for warmth or to carry a larger injured animal), and a muzzle (injured dogs may behave aggressively), she says. Although dog owners may be able to treat many minor mishaps, it's imperative to get your dog to a vet for major mishaps, such as a broken bone porcupine quills or poison ingestion.

The most common cottage dog mishap is the ingestion of any kind of cleaning solvent, poisons or paint, says Rosedale Animal Hospital veterinarian Dr. Ian Sandler. Puppy-proof the cottage at the beginning of the season to avoid poison problems, he adds.

As far as West Nile concerns for pets, Sandler says that so far the evidence shows that while dogs can be exposed to it, they don't develop symptoms. Although tomato juice seems to have been a time-honoured method to get rid of skunk-stinky dogs, Cooper says that a mixture of dish soap, peroxide and baking soda will do a better job getting rid of the smell. Now, take a deep breath, get the dog in the car, and enjoy your trip up at the cottage.