From sniffing dewy daffodils to scampering through snow, each season brings a special brand of fun for you and Spot. But changes in temperature, and even holiday celebrations, can have a dangerous side too. The following guide will help you keep Spot happy and healthy all year.

Spring

Along with the flowers and showers come pests. Of these, the mosquito, carrier of heart-worm larvae, is one of the most dangerous. Since mosquitoes are most abundant between April and October (except in the deep south where there is no respite from their bite), every dog should be blood-tested in the early spring. If Spot tests free of heartworm, your veterinarian will start him on another season of preventative medication. But if he tests positive, he will need immediate treatment.

Since you’re visiting your veterinarian anyway, spring is an appropriate time to update Spot’s vaccinations. So-called “permanent shots” are only permanent in the sense that Spot doesn’t need a series of puppy shots. But all dogs need booster shots once a year. Don't forget to bring along a stool sample for the fecal exam. That’s how the veterinarian finds out whether Spot has any worms in his body tissue or intestines.

Are fleas a problem in your area? Then ask your veterinarian’s advice on prevention or treatment, because some dogs (especially sighthounds) are dangerously sensitive to flea products. Dogs react to fleas in various ways. A dog with a flea-bite allergy may become miserable over one or two fleas, while another dog may be quite infested without giving any indication. Your veterinarian can treat the allergies, but Spot will itch again in no time unless you get rid of the fleas.

With flea prevention, earlier is better. Fleas are capable of producing another generation every twenty-one days and one female can produce thousands of eggs in her lifetime. Once Spot is infested, your house probably is too. One way to check for fleas in your house is to take a large, shallow pan, fill it with water and add some liquid dish soap. Before retiring for the night, put the pan on the floor and place a desk lamp next to it with the light aimed at the water. After you go to bed and the lamp is the only light in the house, fleas will jump at it, fall in the water, and sink immediately because the dish soap made the water soft. Drowned fleas in the pan the next morning means there are fleas in your home. If you aren’t in a hurry, you may choose to use the water-and-lamp method of flea control. Just repeat every night until there are no fleas in the pan three nights in a row. The “bombs” sold in pet supply stores and supermarkets are faster, but check with your veterinarian before using any pesticides. If you do use a “bomb,” remember to protect small pets, and always follow the label directions.

Beware of red ants (fire ants) anywhere Spot plays. Since you shouldn’t put poison in your dog’s yard, try pouring boiling water on the nest several times. Just be careful where you stand while pouring, or ants near the nest will attack your feet. Taking a shovel full of red ants from one nest and placing them on another nest is also effective. Maybe they hate each other as much as we detest them, because it often makes them leave the area. Once your yard has been infested by red ants, check it frequently because long after you think they are gone, they often reappear in a different place.

Dangerous chemicals are commonly used in the springtime and include the pesticides and herbicides used in gardening, radiator coolant (which tastes wonderful to dogs and cats but kills them), swimming pool conditioners, and even suntan lotion (not meant to be swallowed, so don’t let Spot lick you when you have it on). Everything is blooming in the spring and some attractive plants are exceedingly poisonous when chewed or eaten. If Spot is a walking vacuum cleaner, keep the number of your nearest poison control center where you can find it in an emergency.

If Spot has a lot of loose hair, more than you can remove with daily brushing, a bath will help you get rid of most of it. Are you proud of Spot’s glossy dark coat? If you want it to stay that way, let him play outside for extended periods only during the early morning, late afternoon, and evening hours. Otherwise the sun may bleach his hair and make it dry and brittle.

If Spot is outside during the evening, an electric bug zapper in the yard will get rid of most biting bugs, but not flies. Be extremely careful when using fly bait because it can be fatal if Spot eats it.

Summer

Fresh, clean water must always be available, especially when Spot is outdoors. If he plays in his water and regularly upsets his dish, try one that is weighted, or attach a galvanized steel bucket to the fence or the side of the dog house. Should Spot topple those, go to a livestock supply store and purchase the type of bucket-holder used in stables.

If Spot is lethargic, depressed, or lacks appetite after upsetting his water, he may be in danger from dehydration. To check, pinch up a fold of skin from his back and release it. The fold will flatten into place immediately unless Spot is dehydrated. This is an extremely serious condition that requires prompt medical attention. If dehydration is diagnosed, your veterinarian may have to administer fluids subcutaneously (under the skin) or intravenously (into the vein).

When Spot is outside during the summer, make sure he has shade in some section of his exercise area all the time. Natural shade from trees and shrubs is best because regular evaporation of moisture from the leaves cools the air, but be careful not to plant anything that is poisonous when chewed. When building a dog run, use shade screen over the top and down a side or two. A doghouse alone can become dangerously hot unless it’s in a permanently shaded area. Spot will survive as best he can, so if you don’t give him a spot of shade, he may have to dig himself a cool bed in your flower garden.

If Spot spends most of his time in your air-conditioned home, don’t put him out in the heat of the day for prolonged periods. Instead, give him most of his outdoor exercise in the early morning and evening, with just a quick trip to the yard to relieve himself, if necessary, at midday. No matter where Spot spends most of his time, avoid strenuous play during extreme heat.

The temperature inside a car or truck, even one parked in the shade, is usually twenty-five degrees hotter than outside the vehicle. Every year hundreds of pets die from being left in closed vehicles for just a few minutes. Try not to leave Spot alone inside your car at all, but if you must, make sure the car is in the shade. The windows should be partially open on both sides to provide plenty of ventilation, but shouldn’t be down so low that Spot can squeeze out.

Don’t overfeed Spot in the summer. Obese dogs suffer from the heat more than dogs of normal weight, and dogs need fewer calories during the summer than they do the rest of the year. Also, try to schedule Spot’s feeding for the cooler part of the day.

To keep Spot’s summer coat beautiful, brush or comb it regularly. Grooming stimulates the skin and promotes air circulation.

A wire crate is best during the summer because it has ventilation all the way around. Heat can build up inside a plastic crate. Put Spot’s crate in a cool part of the house, not where the sun will shine on it through a window. When crating Spot outdoors, put the crate in the shade and provide water.

Keep Spot indoors and safely confined on the 4th of July. Some dogs become so frightened by fireworks that they break loose and run away—usually into the street.

Veterinarians constantly patch up the tragedies caused by pets riding in the back of pickup trucks. Many dogs do it without mishap for years, until one abrupt stop or quick swerve tumbles them out on the highway. Dogs who ride inside the car with their head hanging out the window are also in danger. They often suffer serious eye injuries when hit at high speed by flying bugs or seeds.

Fall

Fall is a good time to take a stool sample to your veterinarian for a fecal exam and ask if any booster shots are recommended in your locale. Temperatures can fluctuate rapidly during the fall, so be ready for sudden changes. It may be freezing cold for several days and then hit eighty degrees for Indian summer. When frigid weather comes suddenly, it's smart to have Spot wear a sweater outdoors if he is short-coated or small.

Spot may start scratching soon after you start heating your house. This is usually caused by low humidity, which makes his outer layer of skin lose much of its moisture. Complications of dry skin are bacterial infections, which can be caused by Spot scratching and biting himself. A humidifier often helps prevent dry skin in dogs and humans.

Keep Spot away from the good tasting, sweet-smelling, deadly antifreeze you put in your vehicles during the fall, and clean up all spills completely. Just a little on the paws can kill a dog when he licks them clean. Signs of antifreeze poisoning are depression, lethargy, loss of coordination, and liver failure.

While every dog deserves a Thanksgiving treat, too much turkey, turkey skin, mashed potatoes, and rich gravy can give Spot a tummy ache or worse. You may already know this, but your guests probably don’t. If some of your guests are children, and Spot eats gently from young hands, portion-pack a sandwich bag with the amount of goodies you know Spot can handle. Then let your young visitors feed Spot his holiday treats either before or after you serve dinner.

Winter

Watch Spot’s weight during the winter. His coat will grow thicker and may make him appear heavier, but underneath he might be losing weight. An active dog, especially an outside dog, needs to take in more calories during cold weather. Spot also needs fresh drinking water in the winter just as much as he did in the summer. The dry, heated air in our homes causes water loss.

Purchase a warm sweater for short-coated Spot so he can be bundled up on frigid days, and you can both enjoy invigorating wintry walks. A canine coat may look more stylish than a sweater, but seldom provides the underbelly protection that a bald-bellied breed appreciates.

Just as senior citizens mind the cold more than younger folks, so do senior dogs—and they can’t pack up and retire to Florida. Keep your old dog’s bed away from drafts, raised a little off the floor, and cushion-soft. Younger dogs will also enjoy the same treatment.

Spot may love to lay down close to a source of heat, but that can present several dangers. Although humans feel a spark on their skin immediately, dogs don’t realize one has landed on them until it burns through their hair and reaches their skin. A cozy fireplace will be Spot’s favorite winter resting place, so protect him by always having a firescreen in place. Sometimes the warmth from a wood-burning stove feels so inviting that dogs fall asleep too close to the heat and suffer burns, so use a firescreen there too. Space heaters pose a triple threat. Dogs may chew the cord, burn themselves on the heater, or knock the unit over and cause a fire.

Many dogs enjoy playing in snow. Just provide water afterwards (snow is not a substitute for drinking water), take normal precautions against frostbite, and watch for cracked pads or tiny cuts on the feet. If Spot is usually your couch companion, winter sports should be introduced gradually and enjoyed in moderation.

If you must leave Spot unattended in your car during the winter, don’t shut all the windows no matter how cold it is outside. Your dog still needs some ventilation, so open opposite windows about two inches.

The always-hazardous practice of allowing a dog to ride in the back of a pickup truck is most dangerous during the winter. Besides the potential for Spot to go flying in the event of a skid or an accident, winter adds the threat of frostbite.

Walking in winter also has hazards, one of which is road salt. Unlike ordinary salt, road salt can burn Spot’s feet and mouth, and he can kick it up onto his belly and burn himself there too. Road sand, used mainly for traction, also contains chemicals for melting ice that can burn your dog. So keep a towel and an old throw rug by the door, and after a walk, towel Spot’s chest, underbelly, and feet, in that order. Besides warming him and increasing circulation, it will get rid of snow and chemical accumulations and keep your floors clean and dry. If Spot’s hair still feels gritty, assume it is road salt or sand, and wash it off with warm water and a gentle pH-balanced dog shampoo.

Christmas cheer presents its own doggie dangers. Pretty poinsettia plants and merry mistletoe are both poisonous if chewed, and those glittery balls, so appealing to a playful dog, may be made of glass or easily shattered plastic. Every year dogs are shocked by mouthing the electric cords attached to Christmas tree lights and poisoned by getting into chocolate goodies (chocolate is fatal to some dogs). Also, reliably housebroken Spot may think the natural Christmas tree with its woods-like aroma makes part of your home an appropriate potty spot, so be prepared with an immediate correction. If children are on your visitors list for Christmas dinner, prepare a portion for Spot just as you did at Thanksgiving.

If Spot lives outside during the winter, he needs a well-insulated doghouse with deep, clean bedding and a main room free from drafts. Metal water dishes are taboo in winter because a dog’s tongue can get painfully stuck to the frozen surface. Constant access to fresh water is vital, so if you can’t remove the ice from Spot’s dish frequently, purchase a self-warming water dish.

It takes commitment and dedication to safely maintain a dog outside during the winter. Inviting Spot indoors is often easier, and surely more fun for both of you.