Because of the thinner ozone layer, animals are also getting more skin cancer. Animals with light-colored ears and noses are at highest risk for this problem.
If you have pets, it is especially important for you to protect them from skin cancer. Unless your pet is light colored, especially on their heads, then it is not as urgent for you to deal with it. You should not forget about it, however. Medium colored or dark fur is some protection against ultraviolet light, but not enough to ignore skin cancer.
There are manufacturers of sun block for pets, so help is out there. I have rarely seen sun block for lets in pet stores, and don't believe I have ever seen in an Alaskan pet store. This is ironic since skin cancer risk is especially great here due to the hole in the ozone layer passing over us.
I rather like Drs. Foster and Smith for ordering pet meds online. They used to be readily available for giving suggestions about how to deal with pet problem and products. I doubt they are as accessible lately because they have grown so much. They carry more than one type of pet sun block and seem to be careful to carry good products. Their prices are higher than elsewhere on the intenet. I think it is worthwhile to pay a little more for peace of mind with my pet care, since mine are very important to me.
I can't forget how much support Drs. Foster and Smith gave me a couple of times. Once was when I had a cat who needed IVs and they helped me to be able to administer them at home so I could afford to keep her alive a lot longer. Another was when my dog, Hero, ate his Nylabone. I wrote a blog post here about Hero and his Nylabone eating incident, in case you want to read it.
If I could, I would order everything I buy online from Drs. Foster and Smith, but I can't, so I order some stuff from places that give bulk discounts, or that carry hard to find items. I also buy pet supplies from pet stores and grocery stores.
You may need to put a little thought into the sun block that you choose for your pets. An important example is sun block for cats. Since cats groom themselves very often, they could get very sick if you try slathering some of your own sun block on them, or even use your sun block for your dog or horse on them.
Even when I try using a sun block for cats, I take precautions when using it for the first time. I will only use the sun block on a pet the first time during hours our regular vet is open. I also prefer to use it early in the day, so if there is a problem, we can be sure to be taken care of. Not only do emergency vets cost a lot more, but they do not know my animals or have their history readily available.
When I apply sun block to my animals, I do it in a way that they interpret it as normal petting, massage, or grooming. I talk to them soothingly, and apply it gently. You don't have to do this, but if kissing your pet is your normal behavior, you should kiss them when you apply sun block, so they won't get suspicious or upset, wondering what you are up to.
If you have cats or dogs that seldom or never go outdoors and they like to hang out in sunlight from the windows, they especially need sun block on their most vulnerable parts. The effect of sunlight can be magnified when it passes through glass. The first cat that I applied sunblock to was a beautiful Lynxpoint Siamese. She was light beige shading down to white and I soon noticed that she got sunburnt on her nose and ears. This was a long time ago, but I was already aware of the consequences of our thinning ozone layer, so I was concerned about her getting skin cancer.
Not much was available back then for protecting any animals from skin cancer, let alone cats. I feared I would have to learn enough to make my own cat sun block to protect my Lynxpoint. It was a tremendous relief to find that someone else aready made cat sun block.
Another method of protecting your pets from skin cancer if they stay indoors is a film that you can apply to your windows, that blocks ultraviolet light. You may have some juggling to do if you also love plants. I think plants still need UV light. I am probably going to apply some UV blocking film to at least one of my windows, so I should be looking into the matter soon, I expect. I will also be likely to share what I find here.
I spend time researching anything new for my pets to make sure it is safe and is the best for them. Not everyone is up to doing this, but if you are not, ordering from Drs. Foster and Smith might be a decent substitute. You can also get on newsletter mailing lists from some vets. I subscribe to a couple of them myself and have found them very useful. I am considering a blog post or two on the vet newsletters that I subscribe to. Vet newsletters are a nice way to keep more up-to-date on pet care and pet products with less work than doing a lot of research yourself.
Speaking of research, I was just looking for a good sun block to use on my cats now. Both of them love to sit or sleep by my big window and get a lot of sunlight exposure. I have been getting concerned that the older one might get skin cancer on his ears. He has greater exposure risk than most cats because of his age. I am not satisfied with what I have found so far. Since this post is already long, I will share what I have found so far in a new post.
If you have pets, it is especially important for you to protect them from skin cancer. Unless your pet is light colored, especially on their heads, then it is not as urgent for you to deal with it. You should not forget about it, however. Medium colored or dark fur is some protection against ultraviolet light, but not enough to ignore skin cancer.
There are manufacturers of sun block for pets, so help is out there. I have rarely seen sun block for lets in pet stores, and don't believe I have ever seen in an Alaskan pet store. This is ironic since skin cancer risk is especially great here due to the hole in the ozone layer passing over us.
I rather like Drs. Foster and Smith for ordering pet meds online. They used to be readily available for giving suggestions about how to deal with pet problem and products. I doubt they are as accessible lately because they have grown so much. They carry more than one type of pet sun block and seem to be careful to carry good products. Their prices are higher than elsewhere on the intenet. I think it is worthwhile to pay a little more for peace of mind with my pet care, since mine are very important to me.
I can't forget how much support Drs. Foster and Smith gave me a couple of times. Once was when I had a cat who needed IVs and they helped me to be able to administer them at home so I could afford to keep her alive a lot longer. Another was when my dog, Hero, ate his Nylabone. I wrote a blog post here about Hero and his Nylabone eating incident, in case you want to read it.
If I could, I would order everything I buy online from Drs. Foster and Smith, but I can't, so I order some stuff from places that give bulk discounts, or that carry hard to find items. I also buy pet supplies from pet stores and grocery stores.
You may need to put a little thought into the sun block that you choose for your pets. An important example is sun block for cats. Since cats groom themselves very often, they could get very sick if you try slathering some of your own sun block on them, or even use your sun block for your dog or horse on them.
Even when I try using a sun block for cats, I take precautions when using it for the first time. I will only use the sun block on a pet the first time during hours our regular vet is open. I also prefer to use it early in the day, so if there is a problem, we can be sure to be taken care of. Not only do emergency vets cost a lot more, but they do not know my animals or have their history readily available.
When I apply sun block to my animals, I do it in a way that they interpret it as normal petting, massage, or grooming. I talk to them soothingly, and apply it gently. You don't have to do this, but if kissing your pet is your normal behavior, you should kiss them when you apply sun block, so they won't get suspicious or upset, wondering what you are up to.
If you have cats or dogs that seldom or never go outdoors and they like to hang out in sunlight from the windows, they especially need sun block on their most vulnerable parts. The effect of sunlight can be magnified when it passes through glass. The first cat that I applied sunblock to was a beautiful Lynxpoint Siamese. She was light beige shading down to white and I soon noticed that she got sunburnt on her nose and ears. This was a long time ago, but I was already aware of the consequences of our thinning ozone layer, so I was concerned about her getting skin cancer.
Not much was available back then for protecting any animals from skin cancer, let alone cats. I feared I would have to learn enough to make my own cat sun block to protect my Lynxpoint. It was a tremendous relief to find that someone else aready made cat sun block.
Another method of protecting your pets from skin cancer if they stay indoors is a film that you can apply to your windows, that blocks ultraviolet light. You may have some juggling to do if you also love plants. I think plants still need UV light. I am probably going to apply some UV blocking film to at least one of my windows, so I should be looking into the matter soon, I expect. I will also be likely to share what I find here.
I spend time researching anything new for my pets to make sure it is safe and is the best for them. Not everyone is up to doing this, but if you are not, ordering from Drs. Foster and Smith might be a decent substitute. You can also get on newsletter mailing lists from some vets. I subscribe to a couple of them myself and have found them very useful. I am considering a blog post or two on the vet newsletters that I subscribe to. Vet newsletters are a nice way to keep more up-to-date on pet care and pet products with less work than doing a lot of research yourself.
Speaking of research, I was just looking for a good sun block to use on my cats now. Both of them love to sit or sleep by my big window and get a lot of sunlight exposure. I have been getting concerned that the older one might get skin cancer on his ears. He has greater exposure risk than most cats because of his age. I am not satisfied with what I have found so far. Since this post is already long, I will share what I have found so far in a new post.
