It's summer again. The beautiful days are here. The sun shines high in the sky and the days are long. This is a great time of the year to enjoy the outdoors with your pets. Anyone who has lived here in Texas knows that summers here can be hot and humid. Pet owners need to take special care of their pets during the summer months.

Animals don't have sweat glands. Instead, they pant to cool them- selves down. If your dog or cat becomes too hot they can become victims of heat stroke, and this can be fatal. Whether you are tra- veling or staying home for the summer, we made a list of things that you could do to make your pet more comfortable.

Water, Water: Always keep out cool fresh water for your pet. It will help your pet to stay cool in the hot months.

Shade: If your pet stays outside, provide adequate shade for them. Remember the sun moves!

Summer haircuts: Some of the longer & thicker coated animals may have more problems in the summer than the shorter haired animals. You can help your pets by shaving them.

Car rides: Please don't leave your pets in a parked car even for a short time. It only takes a few minutes for a car to heat up (even if the window is cracked) and your pet can have heat stroke. You may

want to cool the car before putting your pet into it.

Exercise: Pets should be exercised in the morning or evening to avoid making them too hot.

Fleas: This year we have already heard of a lot of people having problems with fleas. Take control. Treat your yard, your house, and your pet before they overrun you (see our flea section below).

Every year people lose pets to heat stroke. Some of the signs of heat stroke are as listed below: excessive panting and salivation; reluctance to move; or staggering. If you think your pet may be having heat stroke, call us IMMEDIATELY!!

It's flea season again. As the humidity and heat rise, the flea popu- lation rises. Fleas are an ongoing battle each year for pet owners. As summer gets closer, our pets start itching, scratching, and biting themselves. Fleas can cause a great variety of health problems for your pet. There are a variety of products to help control fleas. The bottom line is that fleas are a nuisance and must be taken under control.

A flea must have blood to lay eggs, so soon after a flea bites your dog or cat they start to lay eggs. Females can lay fifty eggs a day on your pet. These nasty critters can cause your pet to become itchy and then the scratching starts and this can lead to open sores, which can become infected. Some dogs are allergic to flea saliva and only one or two fleas can cause them to have skin reactions. One interesting fact is that

fleas are the interme- diate host to tape- worms. If your pet ingests a flea they may get tapeworms. This is why one pet may have tapeworms and the other does not.

You need to start flea proofing your house early. Start with your pets. There are many products that we have to keep the fleas off your pets. Next spray your house and yard. Make sure you get products that kill the

eggs. After you spray or fog your house, vacuum or clean the carpet. This will help pick up more fleas and flea eggs. One note: make sure you throw away the vacuum bag immediately because the bag will have un- hatched eggs in it. One treatment may not be enough to get rid of fleas. You may need to repeat the treatments. Flea eggs usually hatch about every 3 weeks, but if it rains you may see them sooner.