As summer peeks around the corner in the Wasatch Back, there are a few seasonal risks that dog owners should be aware of as outdoor activity increases. Warmer temperatures and receding snowpack can expose dogs to parasites, bacteria and environmental hazards that could lead to an unwanted trip to t he vet. Dr. Graham Johnson, a veterinarian at Park City Animal Clinic, said one of the most immediate concerns comes from what the snow leaves behind. As dogs return to trails and open space, they may encounter decomposing wildlife that was buried over the winter. “We’re concerned about, did something die in the snowpack and it’s now melting out, and some dogs can go dig it up,” he said. “They’re going to get diarrhea or worms or something from it. That’s really the big concern (this time of year).”  One common concern is dogs drinking contaminated water from spring runoff, which can cause Giardia. But Johnson said the Wasatch Back is unique in that contaminated water is actually a year-round issue. “Park City is riddled with Giardia,” Johnson said. “We see so much Giardia here that it’s not a sort of specific concern at any one time of year. It’s always a problem.” The parasite, which spreads through fecal contamination, can infect a dog through drinking contaminated water or by ingesting trace amounts of infected material in the environment. Because Giardia can spread easily, even indirect contact can be enough to transmit the parasite. “They don’t actually have to eat the poop, but they could eat, like, (a) blade of grass a little bit away from the poop, but it could be Giardia,” Johnson said. Complicating matters, many dogs carry the parasite without showing symptoms. “The frustrating thing about Giardia is a lot of dogs are asymptomatic carriers. So your dog could be having normal stools, feeling fine, and just shedding Giardia everywhere, and you wouldn’t know unless you did a fecal test,” Johnson said. Routine fecal testing is recommended at least annually, particularly for dogs that frequent trails or dog parks. The veterinarian said proper waste disposal and keeping infected dogs at home during treatment are also key to limiting the spread. “What I tell my new puppy owners is, if your dog lives up here, it’s going to get Giardia. It’s treatable, but it’s probably going to happen if you’re living the average Park City lifestyle, which is going out on trails and having adventures,” he said. In addition to the more familiar Giardia, another lesser-known risk to dogs is leptospirosis, a bacterial disease transmitted through contaminated water. Though cases remain relatively rare in the area, Johnson said the severity warrants attention and that the disease can progress quickly if untreated. “What leptospirosis does is it essentially destroys your kidneys first, usually, and it goes, fine, fine, fine, almost dead,” Johnson said. “You can progress into multiple organ failure. You can go into a coma. It can cross the blood-brain barrier. It’s pretty nasty.” The good news is that leptospirosis is very easy to treat with antibiotics, and there’s a vaccine, though it does not cover every strain. “It used to be kind of what’s called a lifestyle vaccine, like, ‘Oh, you’re a hunting dog, or you are a farm dog. You could be more exposed to these things. You’re going to get the leptospirosis vaccine,’” Johnson said. Now, the vaccine is part of the core vaccination protocol for every dog, he said. As temperatures continue to rise through the summer months, Johnson said harmful algal blooms are another serious risk to dogs. “Stagnant bodies of water, under certain conditions, you can have algae that bloom and have toxins in them, and they can be deadly to dogs. They can make them sick, or they can kill them. So that’s something that we’re concerned with,” Johnson said. Starting in June, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, which monitors for any blooms, will begin reporting on areas in the Wasatch Back. Pet owners can sign up for email alerts for any harmful cases. Other summer season hazards include the seed head of grass, more commonly referred to as foxtails, which can embed in a dog’s skin. “They are out there, they are nasty and they will not generally come out on their own,” Johnson said. “So owners, when you come back, especially if you have a Velcro-type dog, check for foxtails, especially in the armpits, in the ears, any sort of hairy spot where they might hide. You should be giving a good brush down afterward.” The same thorough check is key to mitigating another major concern in the summer: ticks. Johnson said after such a mild winter, he’s especially concerned about the rise of tick-borne diseases in the Wasatch Back. Lyme disease is not considered endemic to Utah, but other diseases could be transmitted, such as Colorado tick fever or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. “We’re still at a low risk relative to other places, but that risk is increasing. … Believe it or not, the climate is changing, and with it, the flora and fauna of this area is changing, and so with winters like this, there will be good tick survival. I bet there will be more ticks this summer than we have seen in the past,” Johnson said. “We recommend that everybody be on flea and tick and heartworm prevention all year round.”  Spring also brings increased wildlife activity — like the Uinta ground squirrel, also known as potguts — which carry worms or parasites that can pass to dogs. “If your dog is a killer in general, we should be checking fecals probably more often, looking for worms, than if your dog’s not a killer and not scavenging carcasses off the trail,” Johnson said. “If your dog’s just eating dog food, there’s probably no way it’s going to get worms. But if your dog’s like, ‘I’m going to go out and kill some stuff,’ it’s probably going to get some worms.” All of these are treatable, he said, but as the saying goes: Prevention is still the best medicine. For any other questions or concerns, dog owners can contact the Park City Animal Clinic at 435-359-1856. 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