Out for a walk in Elba

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to going for an interesting walk in Elba. When you take your dog for a walk, there are, however, some possible risks for him that need special attention. The first problem you might come across are the so called wild rye plants.

Wild rye are a member of the gramineae grasses; when the ears have dried they come off very easily and stick to animals' coats and maybe get into their eyes, ears, nostrils and sometimes they are even inhaled. These ears are very dangerous due to the fact that they are "arrow shaped" so they easily penetrate into any natural opening of the dog's body, but what is worse is that once they are in they never come back out. 

When you are more likely to come across wild rye ears depends on the time of year: to be safe be very careful from April/May till the autumn.

Avoid taking your dog across fields, but be very careful wherever you go because these wild rye ears can be found almost anywhere. Once your walk is over, check your dog closely and take note of any changes: if he has suddenly started coughing (or there is blood in the mucus coming from his nose), or sneezing (or his nose starts bleeding), or he continuously shakes his ears with his head leaning downwards, he has probably got a wild rye ear somewhere inside. Get in touch with a vet as soon as possible who will first take a good look at the dog and then remove the wild rye ear.

Besides wild rye ears, you will have to be very careful as regards heat stroke because while dogs are out walking they tend to tire and might end up with a heat stroke. In order to prevent this happening, stop from time to time in the shade and give him water frequently.

Don't forget to pay attention to the temperature of the ground and make sure it isn't too hot. After all, nobody would want to walk barefoot on a boiling, hot surface, would they?