𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗮 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁’𝘀 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝗻

There is nothing quite like an Omaha summer weekend. The sun is shining, the air smells like charcoal grills, and your dog is practically doing backflips by the back door because they know what’s coming: a trip to Lake Zorinsky, a float down the Platte River, or a afternoon spent retrieving tennis balls at Standing Bear Lake.

As dog parents, watching our pups leap blindly into a body of water with pure, unadulterated joy is one of the greatest pleasures in life. But let’s be honest—being a pet parent also means being the designated “Safety Captain.” While your furry river monster is thinking about ducks and splashes, you’re left worrying about currents, bug bites, and mystery lake water.

To help you keep the tail wags high and the emergency vet visits at zero, our team at Lone Tree Animal Care Center put together four simple, game-changing water safety rules for your summer checklist!

We’ve all seen 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬—your pup standing knee-deep in the shallows, decked out in a bright yellow life jacket, staring at you like you just traded their favorite chew toy for a piece of kale.

Even if your dog is a natural-born swimmer (looking at you, Labradors!), a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) is an absolute must-have.

• 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁: Dogs don’t know how to pace themselves. Heavy paddling, sudden cramps, or unexpected currents can tire out even the strongest dog in minutes.
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲”: Trying to hoist a 70-pound wet, slippery dog back onto a pontoon boat or kayak is like trying to lift a giant, wriggling water balloon. That sturdy handle on top of a doggy PFD lets you safely scoop them up in seconds.
• 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Buckle up your own life jacket, too! Accidents happen in a heartbeat, and keeping yourself safe ensures you’re always ready to help your pup.

2. 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗦𝗰𝘂𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸” 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀

Before letting your dog charge into local lakes or ponds, take thirty seconds to inspect the shoreline. Nebraska summers can bring blooms of harmful blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), which can produce potent toxins harmful to pets and humans alike.

• 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗙𝗼𝗿: Avoid water that looks like spilled green paint, pea soup, or has a thick layer of scum along the edge.
• 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁, 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗢𝘂𝘁: If the water looks murky or smells foul, stick to dry-land fetch. Toxicity can occur very quickly if a dog drinks infested water or licks algae off their coat.

3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗺 𝗥𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗲: 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝗵!

Once the wet-dog smell hits your car, it’s tempting to head straight home for a post-lake nap. But taking ten minutes to give your pup a thorough rinse with clean tap water (or a mild dog shampoo) is critical.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆: Anything floating in the lake—bacteria, microscopic algae, or plant debris—lands directly on their fur. When dogs dry off, their natural instinct is to groom themselves, ingesting whatever they picked up in the water.
• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿: Lake water and sand can trap moisture against the skin, leading to painful hot spots or fungal infections. A quick bath and a good towel-dry keep their coat fresh and skin healthy.

4. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸: 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗴!

Mosquitoes and ticks love Nebraska water spots just as much as we do, but standard human bug sprays (especially those containing DEET or high concentrations of essential oils) can be toxic to dogs if ingested or absorbed through the skin.

Here is our favorite veterinary hack: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮!

• Take a cute cloth bandana and mist it with a pet-safe bug repellent (or a mild, vet-approved spray).
• Let the bandana dry 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 away from your pet.
• Once dry, tie it loosely around your dog’s neck! This creates a protective bug barrier near their face and shoulders without applying chemicals directly onto their fur or skin.

𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼-𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴!

Summer adventures are what memories are made of, and with just a few quick precautions, you and your dog can enjoy every single splash safely.

If you have questions about pet-safe bug preventatives, ear care after swimming, or general summer wellness, our team at Lone Tree Animal Care Center is always here to help!

📞 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀: 402-389-3356

🗓️ 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: lonetree.vet/schedule

📱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽: lonetree.vet/pet-portal-app/

🇲🇽 𝗘𝗡 𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗔Ñ𝗢𝗟

𝗚𝘂í𝗮 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝘂𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗹 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗼 🌊🐶

¡El verano en Nebraska es perfecto para disfrutar del agua con nuestras mascotas! Sin embargo, para garantizar que la diversión sea segura, el equipo de Lone Tree Animal Care Center comparte 4 consejos fundamentales:

• 1. 𝗨𝘀𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘀 (𝗣𝗙𝗗): Tanto los perros como los humanos deben usar chaleco salvavidas. Los perros pueden cansarse o sufrir calambres rápidamente, y el asa en la espalda del chaleco te permite levantar a tu perro del agua fácilmente.
• 2. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝘂𝗮 (𝗔𝗹𝗴𝗮𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘀): Antes de que tu perro entre al lago, verifica que el agua no tenga capas verdosas parecidas a “sopa de guisantes” o pintura derramada. Las algas verdeazules pueden ser extremadamente tóxicas.
• 3. 𝗕𝗮ñ𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝘂é𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿: Siempre enjuaga a tu perro con agua limpia después de nadar. Esto evita que ingieran bacterias o algas al lamerse el pelaje y previene infecciones en la piel.
• 4. 𝗘𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲: ¡Nunca apliques repelente de insectos para humanos directamente sobre la piel o pelo de tu perro! Rocía el repelente en una pañoleta, deja que se seque por completo y luego colócasela en el cuello.

¿Tienes dudas sobre la salud o seguridad de tu mascota este verano? ¡Contáctanos!

📞 𝗧𝗲𝗹é𝗳𝗼𝗻𝗼: 402-389-3356

🗓️ 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗻 𝗹í𝗻𝗲𝗮: lonetree.vet/schedule

📱 𝗡𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗰𝗶ó𝗻 𝗺ó𝘃𝗶𝗹: lonetree.vet/pet-portal-app/