What to watch for,
month by month.

Dog and cat

Easter fireworks and firecrackers (Orthodox Easter falls between early April and early May), summer festivals and weddings (especially around 15 August), autumn storms, and New Year with Epiphany. Many pets panic, bolt and get lost.

• •Make a safe corner in an inside room, with windows and shutters closed, calm music or white noise and places to hide (cats too).
• •Walk your dog before dark and always keep it on a lead outside. Never leave it alone in a yard or tied up outdoors.
• •Check that the microchip has correct details and that your pet wears an ID tag.
• •Do not punish, and do not fuss over the pet too much. Stay calm and carry on as usual.

Dog and cat

In autumn and winter rodent and snail baits and car antifreeze come into use. They are very toxic. Poisoned rodents can also poison a pet that eats them. Cold and damp are hard on small, older and arthritic pets.

• •Do not put out rodent or snail baits where your pet can reach them (and watch what neighbours and fields on your walks have put out).
• •Store antifreeze safely and clean up any spill at once. Its sweet taste attracts pets, and it is deadly even in small amounts, especially for cats.
• •Dry your pet after rain, offer a dry and warm bed, and provide shelter for stray cats.
• •Before starting the car knock on the bonnet: cats may hide near the engine for warmth.

Dog and cat

Ticks are active for most of the year, peaking in spring and autumn. They carry diseases such as ehrlichiosis and babesiosis.

• •Keep tick protection going for the whole time ticks are active. Your vet will suggest a collar, spot-on or tablet to suit your pet.
• •Check your pet after every walk in fields or long grass: ears, between the toes, armpits, groin, neck.
• •Remove a tick with a proper tick tool, pulling straight and whole. Do not use oil, alcohol or a flame.
• •Dog products containing pyrethroids (e.g. permethrin) are toxic to cats. Never put a dog product on a cat.

Dog and cat

Fleas are around all year, even indoors. They peak from spring to autumn. They also carry tapeworm (an intestinal parasite).

• •Keep protection going, following the schedule your vet gives you.
• •Treat all the animals in the home at the same time. Fleas also live in the surroundings, not only on the pet.
• •Wash bedding and covers hot and vacuum regularly.

Dog and cat

Worming is needed all year round, at least 4 times a year (about every 3 months). Puppies and kittens need a more frequent schedule.

• •Give a dewormer about every 3 months. If you have lost track of the last dose, ask us.
• •Pick up droppings. Pets that hunt or eat raw meat get infected more easily.
• •Worming every three months also matters for the health of the people in the home, especially children.

Dog and cat

Pine processionary caterpillars (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) live in white silk nests in pine trees. From about late winter to spring they come down to the ground in nose-to-tail "processions". Their hairs cause a serious reaction on the nose, mouth and tongue.

• •In pine areas keep your dog on a lead and away from trunks, fallen needles and caterpillars on the ground.
• •Do not let your pet sniff or lick caterpillars. If you see a procession, change route.
• •Do not touch nests or caterpillars with bare hands and do not burn or knock them down yourself. Tell the municipality or the relevant service.
• •If contact happens: rinse the mouth gently with plenty of lukewarm water, without rubbing, wearing gloves, and go to the vet at once.

Dog and cat

Many garden plants are toxic: oleander (flowers about May to September), autumn crocus (September to November), daffodil, hyacinth and tulip bulbs (spring), lilies (very dangerous for cats) and sago palm (cycad).

• •Check which plants you have in the garden and home and keep them out of your pet's reach. Digging dogs can dig up bulbs.
• •In cats even the pollen or the water from a vase of lilies can cause kidney damage. Do not keep lilies in a home with a cat.
• •Festive season: also keep away dangerous foods (chocolate, raisins and grapes, onions, xylitol). See the toxic foods page.

Cat

In the breeding season (roughly spring to autumn) cats roam more: traffic, fights with abscesses and infectious diseases, unwanted kittens.

• •Neuter and microchip. It reduces fighting, roaming and unwanted kittens.
• •Keep vaccines and parasite protection up to date. Ask us about FeLV/FIV testing before vaccinating a cat that goes outside.
• •If you can, keep your cat in at night and at dawn, the most dangerous hours.
• •Never put a dog product on a cat (pyrethroids): it is toxic.