Common Dog and Cat Health Problems in The UAE

We all want our little furry pals to live long and happy lives. Besides, providing them with food, shelter, and love also means adjusting your pets to the local climate. We probably don’t have to point this out, but the UAE is a country with extreme temperatures and plenty of dust. Besides impacting your pet’s well-being, these conditions are also a potent breeding ground for parasites — which can further affect your pets. Therefore, you should be aware of some common dog and cat health problems in the UAE.

So, what can you do as a pet owner? While folks in the UAE keep various breeds, you should learn more about common dog and cat issues before adopting or buying a pet. Don’t worry — you can mitigate most health issues with regular vet visits and careful nutrition. With more sensitive pet breeds, it’s all about preventative care and awareness. Educating yourself on common issues is key. Once you learn to recognize them, you can take action on time and maintain your pets’ health and well-being while attending fun pet events.

With that in mind, let’s dive into all the most common problems.

Heatstroke and Dehydration

Obviously, most dog and cat health problems here will be heat-related. The local high temperatures make the risk of heat stroke and heat exhaustion a real daily problem. If you’re not careful, the heat will also trigger dehydration.

How can you deal with heat and dehydration? Well, it’s important to know where your pets will feel comfortable. Other than that, you should always have some water on hand wherever you are. Remember, pets don’t regulate their body temperature well — which means they can’t handle prolonged heat as well as people.

Be careful before buying or adopting some breeds because they don’t handle heat particularly well — Persian cats and pugs are great examples. This is because their nasal passages are shorter — making them bad at cooling down in intense heat.

Stay vigilant for signs of heat-induced stress. These include:

• Excessive panting and drooling
• Lethargy, weakness.
• Vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of coordination
• Bright red gums or tongue, which may later turn pale
• In more severe cases, seizures and collapse

As mentioned above, taking certain precautions is the best way to prevent these issues. Here are a few useful tips:

• Keep pets indoors when it’s particularly hot (10 AM – 4 PM), especially in summer
• Have fresh water on hand at all times
• Use cooling mats, fans, or pet-safe air conditioning
• Avoid hot pavement, which can burn paws
• Never leave pets in parked cars, even for a few minutes
• Help pets get exercise in early morning or late evening when it’s cooler
• Consider trimming long-haired pets

Tick and Flea Infestations

You probably already know this, but warm places are usually fertile ground for parasites, including ticks and fleas. And they can seriously harm your pets, besides being generally annoying to deal with.

These pests latch onto the host body (in this case, your pet) and slowly suck their blood. In the process, some pests carry awful diseases. Fleas can spread allergy dermatitis, while ticks may induce “tick fever.”

So, the question is — how do you avoid these awful parasites latching onto your little buddies? The key here is knowing where they usually are. After that, you can do your best to avoid these areas during playtime.

Your best bet is to spend as little time in grassy places as possible. This is where ticks and fleas thrive. Also, this is where your pets may get other infectious diseases while playing with their favorite buddies. The best way to prevent serious health issues that spread easily is pet immunization. Regular vaccinations help prevent common dog and cat health problems that can spread quickly in dog parks, pet-friendly cafes, and boarding facilities.

Other Preventive Measures

Besides getting your pets the vaccines they need, you can do other stuff to prevent infestations in the first place. For instance:

• Grooming and checking fur regularly
• Using flea and tick treatments recommended by vets
• Keeping pet bedding and living areas clean and vacuuming regularly
• Avoiding grassy areas
• Using tick-prevention sprays
• Washing pet collars, beds, and soft toys periodically

Respiratory Issues and Allergies

Heat and pests aren’t the only dog and cat health problems you’ll deal with as a responsible pet owner.

If there’s one thing you’ll find in abundance in the UAE, that’s dust, sand, and air-conditioning. Okay, that’s three things — but our point still stands. These conditions are the perfect storm for pets’ breathing issues and allergies.

This is especially true for dog and cat breeds already sensitive to heat and respiratory problems. We usually call these “flat-faced” breeds. So, check if your pet belongs to one of these to know if you need to pay special attention to them.

Also, when you take your pet outside and it’s too hot, you may be tempted to immediately go into an air-conditioned room to help them cool off quickly. Be careful with sudden temperature changes, though — they’re never a good idea if they’re too extreme. Suddenly going from extreme heat to cold is the quickest way to cause your pets’ respiratory discomfort.

Some symptoms of allergies or breathing problems include:

• Sneezing and coughing
• Excessive licking
• Runny eyes and nose
• Itchy, inflamed skin
• Labored breathing or wheezing

How can you keep your buddies away from allergens and similar issues? For example, you can:

• Use air purifiers indoors
• Bathe pets regularly to get rid of dust and pollen
• Give them hypoallergenic food if you think it’s a food allergy
• Clean pet bedding frequently
• Ask your vet if they need anti-allergic medication
• Keep pets indoors during dust storms

Conclusion

If all of this seems like a huge hassle, don’t be discouraged. Keeping pets means a lot of fun and unconditional love — but it’s also a lot of work, no matter where you are. After all, you’re taking care of a living, breathing being. If you want to do it properly, it’ll take a lot of forethought. However, it’s one of the most fulfilling things you can do.

In the end, avoiding common dog and cat health problems in the UAE isn’t hard if you create a routine with all the necessary precautions. Besides informing yourself of potential issues, schedule regular vet visits to ensure your pets stay healthy!