Summer Newsletter – Pet Edition

There are few things I enjoy more than walking my dogs 🐶. Their excitement is contagious. I get some exercise outdoors. And in my stressful, busy life it’s nice to have a half hour in which I only care about if they poop 💩. All is well except, for all of us,-THE RISK OF SKIN CANCER!!! Yup, little Rocky and Rambo (Instagram rockyandrambo123) can get sunburned and they can get skin cancer too.Their fur shields them to an extent but they still need protection. Pet Prevention Shade. The best protection is sun avoidance. Shade gets pets out of the sun. And because pets don’t sweat like humans, shade helps them to keep cool too. Pets need lots of water and should never be left in a car for more than a few minutes. Clothing. If pets are going to be in the sun for a while, consider clothing. Nowadays, there are companies making sun protective clothing specifically for pets. Window treatment. Dangerous UV rays can penetrate windows both at home and in your car so consider sun protection film or shades. Sunscreen. If your pets are going to be outside for a long time sunscreen is essential. Sunscreen should be placed on the nose and sun-exposed parts of the ears. Do whatever you can to protect them. It’s best to distract the animal while the sunscreen dries. The pet doesn’t know it shouldn’t lick or eat sunscreen! I am an animal sympathizer. I rescued the dog at the top of this page in the ad. I contribute thousands of dollars each year to pro-animal causes. Reference-The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal 2023 Steven Fishman, MD

Dr. Fishman with Rocky and Rambo about to go on an after work walk.