Rain, Heat, and Mud: Surviving Spring with a Healthy Pet and a Healthy You

Spring is here! The cold weather is over! It's hot, rainy, muggy, and the dog is covered in more mud than your two-year-old! Being stuck inside from the cold doesn't look so bad now, does it? Humor aside, every season brings its own troubles. There is the temperature, blooming plants that are not safe for your pets, and other issues.

Dealing with rain, heat, and mud together is like the trifecta of problems for dog owners. You can't stay out of the rain forever. You can't do certain things because of the heat, and you don't have an endless supply of clean towels, let alone paper towels. However, the latter is a good reason to stock up on your Commissary's next case lot sale. 

Here are a few suggestions: 

• Avoid the rain whenever possible. This means keeping a flexible schedule for walks, and even when you let your dog out into the backyard. If your dog will tolerate a raincoat or boots, you should get a pair. Keep in mind that not all dogs will wear them, so ask your vet if your breed will wear them or make them into a set of expensive chew toys. 

• You and your pets can get dehydrated when it rains. Yes, it may not feel as hot with the sun hiding behind the clouds, but that doesn't mean it's cool either. Combine that with the humidity after the rain stops, and you can find yourself in rough shape very quickly.

  • That is actually personal experience talking. I attended OFT (Officer Field Training) at Tyndall AFB in July way back in the 20th Century. The heat knocked down all of my training flight members at least once. Fortunately, no one passed out, but the dry heaves you can get while dehydrated are more painful than taking a 1x4 (flying off a pallet smashed between a forklift and a storage rack) to the gut. You do not want to experience either one. 

• Mud can be harmful and not just dirty. It gets slimy and works its way under the fur and into sensitive skin. Once it dries, even tiny flecks between toes or under the nails can cause skin irritation and more. You need to be especially careful if your dog lives outdoors, since daily baths are not good for its skin either. If you can, consider bringing it inside until the rain stops for at least a day. 

Weather can be a real problem for pet owners, but it doesn't have to be if you use a little ingenuity and introduce a little flexibility into your daily schedule. As service members and family members, you already do it for other parts of your life. After all, it's only one more thing on your checklist, right?

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