With warmer weather comes hikes, beach days, and other summer activities.

The Okanagan is full of animal lovers who love to bring their pets along for the adventure.

Madison Ivanoff runs Maddy Ivanoff Pet Services and says our furry friends are just as prone to danger as we are.

害羞草研究所淭he first one is definitely heat. We have to be so very careful with the heat that we have in the Okanagan here. Our pets, they come equipped with the little jackets 24/7, so we have to really keep that in mind. They don害羞草研究所檛 wear shoes either. The heat hazard alone is a huge one that we need to look out for before we even consider bringing our pet out into the summer.害羞草研究所�

Remember the 害羞草研究所楾oo hot to trot害羞草研究所� rule - if you can害羞草研究所檛 keep your hand flat on the pavement for seven seconds, it害羞草研究所檚 too hot for your pets害羞草研究所� paws.

害羞草研究所淥nce we get out there, there are so many things from bee stings and snake bites as we害羞草研究所檙e hiking around, slivers, broken bones. Perhaps a pet even accidentally darting in front of a vehicle and getting hit by a car. There害羞草研究所檚 so many different things to look out for and so many different possibilities of injury.害羞草研究所�

Ivanoff teaches pet first aid throughout the Okanagan. When first learning it for herself she was surprised at how different first aid practices are between species.

害羞草研究所淚 took a human CPR course after, but I was unaware of the fact that there are so many differences and I thought a lot of the knowledge was really transferable害羞草研究所� Sometimes us trying our best can unfortunately cause more harm than we intend to.害羞草研究所�

Procedures like CPR and the Heimlich maneuver are not the only things that vary between species. Ivanoff says it害羞草研究所檚 important to be aware of what medications are dangerous for your pet.

害羞草研究所淭he topical solutions that we apply to ourselves don害羞草研究所檛 necessarily translate to our pets. For instance, when we cut ourselves and we want to sanitize it we would use a hydrogen peroxide. That is actually extremely dangerous to use for your animals.害羞草研究所�

Ivanoff says medications are typically species-specific and pet owners should include the proper pet medications in their disaster kits.

Ivanoff hosts both private and public pet first aid courses in every corner of the Okanagan. Classes can be booked by contacting Ivanoff through her .

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