For most pet owners, Fido and Fluffy are nothing less than four-legged family members whose unconditional love helps make our every day. But urgent care centers nationwide have treated more than a few pet lovers who present with conditions caused by dogs, cats and other domesticated animals. Pets’ claws, pads and fur can harbor bacterial, viral and fungal infections picked up simply by walking in a park, playing with other animals or rooting through trash to seek out a tasty treat. Protecting yourself and your pets can keep you both healthy.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care Center offers tips to help keep your family - including its four-legged members - healthy.

The two most common pet-prompted conditions that could send a two-legged to the nearest urgent care center are worms and ringworms. Called “larval migrans” by veterinarians, worms are found in the intestinal tract and are eliminated via feces. A case of the worms can be caused by touching feces while cleaning out your cat’s litter box or your pup’s accident, or even simply by touching soil contaminated by feces. If you fail to wash your hands after cleaning up feces, holding your pet or doing yard work in areas where your pet may have defecated, you may accidentally ingest worm eggs.  Gone unchecked, this can cause damage to your eyes, lungs, brain and other internal organs.

Pets can carry and transmit ringworm and other fungal injections in their fur. This is important to remember especially if you have cats, as they are more apt than dogs to carry fungus on their fur, but show no symptoms. Dogs, however, do exhibit signs of fungal infections including hair loss and round, raised lesions on the skin. Humans exhibit similar signs, including a raised, circular lesion that is red, inflamed, often appearing flaky and nearly always quite itchy. Pets also can harbor bacterial in their claws that can be transmitted to you through scratches or broken skin, causing infections.

Protecting yourself and your pets can be as simple as washing your hands after handling your pet or cleaning up after them. Getting your pet de-wormed regularly and giving them preventative medications can help you both avoid health woes.

Of course, pet ownership comes with health benefits aplenty as well. Multiple medical studies have shown that hypertensive patients who own cats or dogs were less likely to experience spikes in blood pressure and heart rate prompted by tension and stress than were those who did not have pets. Research also shows that pet owners are better able to deal with stress and fend off depression, and are more likely to exercise. Walking, running and playing Frisbee help keep both your pets and you in shape.

If you believe you may be affected by pet-related condition, visit your nearest Solantic Baptist Urgent Care walk-in clinic.

Halloween is a favorite holiday among both kids and adults, and Solantic Baptist Urgent Care wants to make sure yours is more treat than trick. Dressing up in elaborate costumes, decking out your yard or home in hauntingly cool decorations and, of course, stuffing your face with sweet treats - who can resist? As enjoyable as each of these Halloween traditions is, each also poses health and safety risks. In fact, statistics show that from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. each October 31, there is a considerable risk in falls, burns and pedestrian accidents. Child pedestrian accidents are more than twice as likely to occur on Halloween as on any other night of the year according to Safe Kids USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating preventable childhood injuries.

To help keep your Halloween festivities rockin’ Solantic Baptist Urgent Care offers these tips:

Incidents of child injuries from tripping, burn-related accidents and pedestrian accidents more than double on Halloween night compared to any other night of the year. Solantic Baptist Urgent Care offers tips for a safe and healthy Halloween.

• - Help your child choose a costume that’s both fun and safe. Check the label to ensure materials are fireproof or treated with a fire retardant. If you opt for a homemade costume and you’re unsure whether the materials are fireproof, use a fire retardant spray.
• - Choose close-fitting costumes. Flowing fabrics increase injury risks from tripping or catching fire if the costume grazes a flame.
• - Instruct your kids to stay clear of candle-lit luminaries and jack-o- lanterns to avoid potential burns - even if costumes are marked fireproof. You can never be too safe when it comes to fire. If you’re doing the decorating, use glow sticks or battery-operated lights rather than flames.
• - Choose masks with eye holes that are large enough to allow full peripheral vision - especially if you’ll be out trick-or-treating and crossing streets.
• - Make sure that props such as knives, pitchforks and even magic wands have smooth tips and are flexible and light-weight.
• - Work reflector strips, a flash light or light stick into your child’s costume to make it more visible at night. Not only will this assure that drivers see your child, but it will help you keep an eye on him/her while trick-or-treating.
• - Fill your children’s tummies with a healthy meal or snack before trick-or-treating to ensure they won’t be tempted to munch candies along the way. In fact, instruct them to wait until they get home and allow you to inspect their loot before digging in.
• - When checking their trick-or-treat bags, throw away anything unwrapped and check for treats with ingredients to which your child may be allergic including chocolate or nuts.
• - While there’s not much healthy about candy in general, some candies are healthier than others. Dark chocolate, sugar-free gums and candies, and unopened granola, fruit and nut bars are great choices.
• - To help avoid a candy-gorging tummy ache and instill a sense of good will, convince your children to split their trick-or-treat candy with a charitable organization. Children staying at homeless shelters or domestic abuse centers often are unable to enjoy the fun of trick-or-treating. Sharing will not only make a less fortunate child’s day, but your children may find they truly enjoy and are proud of making a charitable and socially responsible choice.

In case your child does fall victim to a Halloween hazard, make sure you know the location and hours of your nearest walk-in Solantic Baptist Urgent Care clinic or hospital emergency room.

Since news of the tragic explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon and the resulting BP oil spill hit, concerns about health risks associated with oil exposure have taken center stage in the media. Florida urgent care facilities are getting lots of calls from both coastal residents and would-be vacationers worried about whether the Sunshine State’s beaches are safe to swim in, the air is safe to breath and the seafood is safe to eat.

Health advisories have been issued at beaches in three Florida gulf counties as a result of the BP oil spill.

When it comes to needing urgent care, Florida beaches in three counties could pose a risk. The state’s Division of Health has issued impact notices for fifteen beaches in Escambia, Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Tar balls, tar mats and a light, oily sheen have been spotted along these beaches in the water and in the sands. While there have not yet been any reports of major illnesses or injuries caused by contact with tar, oil or dispersant deposits found in Florida, prolonged contact can cause health problems that could carry long-term impacts.

The most common urgent care risk Florida beach-goers face is respiratory problems induced by odors and fumes given off by oil and toxic oil dispersants. Nasal irritation and nausea may occur, particularly in people with seasonal allergies, sensitivity to pollen or pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma. If you experience this, leave the area immediately, avoid strenuous activity and get to an air-conditioned space. If symptoms worsen, go to the nearest Florida urgent care clinic immediately. Seafood purchased at restaurants and markets have been sampled and deemed safe. But NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) just recently expanded the no-fishing zone and various agencies have differing standards of safety. Petroleum contamination (whether by touching, ingesting or inhaling) is known to cause cancer and neurological conditions down the road.

To minimize your potential health risk while visiting beaches in Florida, Solantic Urgent Care and the Florida DOH offer these tips:

- Avoid wading or swimming, skiing or using personal water craft in oil-affected areas;
- If your skin comes in contact with an oil product, quickly wash it with grease-cutting liquid dishwashing detergent and water;
- Avoid contact with oil and oily materials spotted in the water or on the beach. Note that items such as tar balls may be buried beneath the sand, so be careful digging your feet into the sand and closely watch children digging holes and building sand castles (in fact, young children age five and younger should be kept from affected areas altogether);
- Do not collect tar balls or other items for souvenirs;
- Do not pick up oil product to throw in the trash. Instead, notify local officials. Only trained community workers are authorized to remove and dispose of oil product from Florida’s beaches;
- Avoid contact with dead or dying fish or other aquatic life that may be impacted by the oil. If you see an animal in distress, call (866) 557-1401;
- Do not boat through oil slicks or sheens and exercise caution when hoisting boat anchors from waters that may be affected;
- Young children (five and younger), pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and pets should not visit oil-affected areas.

If you believe you are suffering a medical condition from contact with oil products or fumes, head to your nearest Florida Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care clinic.