Although it is often said that the mild weather of spring makes it the perfect time for dog walking, veterinarians yesterday warned that allergens in the spring air often make that time of year a nightmare for pets.
Cat and dogs have a higher average body temperature than humans, making them far more sensitive to weather and environmental change, the experts said.
While people flock to see the beautiful spring blossoms in Yangmingshan National Park, animals might be allergic.
National Taiwan University (NTU) Veterinary Hospital doctor Huang Hui-bi (黃慧璧) urged pet owners to reduce the amount of time their animals spend outdoors during times of volatile temperature change.
“Owners should also move birds indoors. If a dog is scratching harder than usual, a cat is constantly licking its fur in the abdominal region or experiencing severe shedding, these could all be signs that your pets are suffering. One important measure is to lower your animal’s exposure to allergy risks,” she said.
Huang said pet owners should consider using air purifiers to ensure good air circulation in the home.
Research by Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權), a professor at NTU’s Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, and Jasmine Chao (趙馨), an associate professor at Taipei Medical University School of Public Health, showed that during dust storms, the level of germs in Greater Taipei escalates to a point that can cause lung infection and accelerated heart beats in animals.
Huang said that if a dog begins coughing or wheezing, it could have contracted a yeast infection.
Mycobacterium is also known to lead to pneumonia, she added.
“The average body temperature for a dog is 39.1ºC, 39.5ºC for cats, and 41ºC for birds,” Huang said.
Doctors said animals with heart conditions or bronchitis were at particularly high risk of death because of weather changes during the months of March and April.
In 2000, about 20 percent of dogs with bronchitis were known to have allergies; that figure jumped to 25 percent by 2005, they said.
Lin Wen-chieh (林文傑), a veterinarian at Muan Animal Hospital, said dogs should wear an Elizabethan collar or space collar when outside to prevent canine eye infection.
Another veterinarian, Chang Cheng-tung (張振東), said that given drastic temperature changes in spring, owners should wait until summer to shave their pets.
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