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I am possibly relocating from Northern New England and someone mentioned my dogs might have some health issues/reactions when we move so far south. Has anyone who has moved from a 4 season climate seen their dogs experience this? What would the problems be and what would I watch for?
We are very active - hiking/walking every day for an hour or more. I also look forward to taking my dogs to the beach to play.
Are there holistic veterinarians in the area? I like treat with complementary medicine and holistic vets usually are okay with the combination.
Wrinkly breeds like Shar Peis can have skin problems here from the humidity.
Most dogs, whether short or long coated, don't like the extremely high heat, and shouldn't be walked during the heat of the day. You'll learn to take early morning and then evening walks.
I've heard nice things about this vet group on John's Island -
Yes, they are FABULOUS! I don't use them as my regular vet because of the distance, but they were very helpful with some issues I had. Most vets seem to be a little light on knowledge when it comes to problems outside the norm, and these guys are great for that.
The biggest issues for your dogs have already been mentioned. Heart worm preventative is critical because of all the mosquitos, and there are lots of ticks in the forests around here.
The summer temperatures can be devastating on certain breeds of dogs, and you need to be very careful no matter what breed you have. My dogs are giants, and can only stand a few minutes out in the heat of the summer, even though they have very short coats.
One thing that isn't a problem, but was a surprise, were all the dung beetles! My dogs leave mountain size piles, so I am on clean up duty a few times every day. It's amazing to me that even in the short time a poop is left on the ground the beetles manage to find it. This summer I had my first ever experience of watching a ball of poop "walk" across my yard.
You will find the area to be very dog friendly. There are plenty of dog parks, walking trails, and beaches for your pups to roam on.
Like Old Tom Cat said, they'll adjust faster than you will. You may want to get them clipped for the summers depending on the breed. Welcome to the South. I'm from Connecticut and would never go back
Both dogs are mutts.....One is a collie/shepherd/wolf mix with a double coat and the other is a black lab mix. I rescued the black lab mix from Oklahoma so he is used to the heat. In theory a long coat is supposed to insulate them from the heat but of course all the undercoat has to come out first. I have them on heartworm so will just continue with that.
I use natural flea and tick prevention but with the warmer climate I fear that may not be potent enough down South. Guess I'll find out when we get there.
Caili, thank you for the vet recommendation. John's Island is one of the areas I am looking at so that will be convenient if I wind up there.
1lisat where in CT? My parents used to live in Stamford. It was my second home. What is it about the south that really has you hooked?
If your dog develop allergies just give them half or 1 full benadryl every day for up to 5 days and it should pass (that's what we did for one of mine when we moved to Arizona and he was sneezing and coughing and had congestion issues, worked like a charm).
I highly recommend the Trifexis pill for fleas. It's like Comfortis and Interceptor in 1 pill so it prevents heartworms, parasites, AND fleas. I haven't had any problems with fleas since giving it to my dog and our yard is completely infested with 'em. LOVE it.
I am possibly relocating from Northern New England and someone mentioned my dogs might have some health issues/reactions when we move so far south. Has anyone who has moved from a 4 season climate seen their dogs experience this? What would the problems be and what would I watch for?
We are very active - hiking/walking every day for an hour or more. I also look forward to taking my dogs to the beach to play.
Are there holistic veterinarians in the area? I like treat with complementary medicine and holistic vets usually are okay with the combination.
DLK
I haven't had any flea or tick problems with my dog here. She did get lyme disease a few years ago when we lived up north, and that did come back once up north and once down here when she first came here. I had all of her vet records and brought it all to my new vet. He said that he rarely sees lyme disease and it is usually from dogs from the north. He ended up giving her what my prior vet gave her and it went away again.
The biggest problem I have is trying to keep my dog away from fire ants. She has been bit a few times. One time she kept licking one of the bites and it swelled up.
You will have to watch for burrs on the beach. I think they come from a flowering plant and are near the dunes. My dog had one on her leg and they are very sharp. I was thankful she did not get any on the pads on her feet.
In the summer my dog wanted no part of going outside during the day. We just walked her at night and she was fine. Overall she has adjusted great. She seems to love it here. I can see a huge difference in her. She hated the snow and ice, so she didn't want to go outside in the winter when we lived up north.
WHen I lived in Chas decades ago I got a toy poodle. Soon after I returned to the Midwest (just 2-3 months after I got the poodle) the little thing (4 lbs or under) was diagnosed with heartworms. My vet here in IL said she was the smalled dog he had ever seen to survive the arsenic-based heartworm treatment--he considered it a miracle. I now have cavalier king charles spaniels and have had them on heartworm meds since I got them. Haven't needed flea/tick rx up here, amazingly, but when I return to Chas as a retiree in a year or two, I will have my very long-haired cavs trimmed like puppies (I don't show them so I can ignore the show rules) and they will be on both heartworm and flea/tick meds. I highly recommend the heartworm meds (one chewable monthly) for any dogs up here or down there.
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