Preparing for summer and new legislation

With the warmer weather approaching, many dog owners will be taking the opportunity to make the most of the sunshine. Although being outside in nature with an animal companion is always an enjoyable pass time, there are factors that owners should be aware of in order to keep their animals safe. This issue of Companion Animal contains a host of information which is relevant to veterinarians and owners.

Parasites are an ongoing problem in companion animals. Dog owners should check their pets thoroughly for ticks, especially after adventuring in long grass. Ticks can attach themselves anywhere on the body, so particular attention should be paid to tricky-to-reach areas such as between the toes. Anastasia Diakou highlights the changing parasitic landscape with regards to the importation of parasites resulting from increased pet travel (page 50). Climate change also has an effect on parasite levels, as the warming climate makes previously inhospitable areas much more habitable for non-endemic parasites (Abdullah et al, 2019).