{"id":146,"date":"2012-05-08T09:43:39","date_gmt":"2012-05-08T13:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/?p=146"},"modified":"2012-05-08T09:43:39","modified_gmt":"2012-05-08T13:43:39","slug":"safety-tips-for-the-dog-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/?p=146","title":{"rendered":"Safety Tips for the Dog Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As summer approaches and the weather heats up,\u00a0my clients\u00a0are more likely to frequent dog parks for a fun outdoor escape where their four-legged friends can play and socialize. In fact, more pet owners are utilizing dog parks than ever before.<\/p>\n<p>With a 34 percent increase over the past five years, dog parks are the fastest-growing segment of city parks in the U.S., according to a study by the non-profit Trust for Public Land. As dog park visits increase,I like to \u00a0remind all of my\u00a0dog-owning clients about the importance of safety when visiting their favorite dog park.<\/p>\n<p>In 2011, VPI policyholders spent more than $8.6 million on medical conditions that are commonly associated with a visit to the dog park. According to VPI, here are the most common dog park related injuries:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sprains and soft tissue injuries<\/li>\n<li>Lacerations and bite wounds<\/li>\n<li>Kennel cough\/upper respiratory infection<\/li>\n<li>Insect bites<\/li>\n<li>Head trauma<\/li>\n<li>Hyperthermia or heat stroke<\/li>\n<li>Parasites<\/li>\n<li>Parvovirus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before visiting the dog park, make sure you understand that dog parks have their rules, just like any other community. Below are a few simple but important tips for ensuring a fun and safe trip to the dog park:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Obey all posted rules and regulations<\/li>\n<li>Pay attention to your dog at all times<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t bring a puppy younger than four months old<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your dog is up to date on vaccinations and has a valid license<\/li>\n<li>Keep a collar on your dog<\/li>\n<li>On very warm days, avoid the dog park during peak temperature hours, typically between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.<\/li>\n<li>Look for signs of overheating, including profuse and rapid panting, a bright red tongue, thick drooling saliva, and lack of coordination. If this occurs, take your dog to a veterinarian immediately.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As summer approaches and the weather heats up,\u00a0my clients\u00a0are more likely to frequent dog parks for a fun outdoor escape where their four-legged friends can play and socialize. In fact, more pet owners are utilizing dog parks than ever before. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/?p=146\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=146"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147,"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146\/revisions\/147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interlachenanimalhospital.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}