Trupanion Guest Post: 5 Tips to Prepare Your Pets for Spring

The following guest post was written by Stacy Kowalchuk. Stacy is a dog owner and pet blogger at Trupanion pet insurance. She has been writing pet-related blogs, tips, and articles for over 3 years and has owned dogs her entire life.

Spring is finally here! The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and many dog owners are coming out of hibernation and getting back into a regular dog-walking routine again. Now that both dogs and cats are spending more time outside, it's important to take a few safety precautions to ensure that our pets can enjoy the great outdoors to the fullest. Here are five quick tips to get you started:

1. Hi, my name is - It's a great idea to equip your pet with proper identification before letting him loose outside. Place a visible ID tag on his collar as well as getting him microchipped, just in case. This way, you can be sure that your pet will get returned home if he ever gets lost.
2. What the flea? - While it's recommended in many areas to use flea and tick preventive medications year-round, it's especially important to use them during spring and summer when the critters are most active. Ticks can cause lyme disease in pets, and flea infestations are no fun for anyone, so it's best to prevent them before they happen!
3. Walk to run - If your dog has been a couch potato through the winter, then it's a good idea to gradually get him back into running as opposed to going full-sprint right out of the gate. Just like with humans, exercising and gradually building up muscles will help prevent injuries.
4. Got mulch? - When planting your beautiful garden, it's important to steer clear of cocoa mulch which, just like chocolate, is poisonous to pets. Sago palm plants are also poisonous to dogs and cats, and households with cats should keep lilies out of the house and yard.
5. Too cool for school - Because temperatures are rising, we've got to keep our pets cool. If they are outside on hot days, be sure that there is always a shady retreat and plenty of water available. And never never never leave pets in cars. Even on a 60 degree day, temperatures can rise to 100 degrees inside a car!

With a little bit of precaution and a lot of play time with their favorite human, your pets are sure to have an enjoyable springtime!