6 Hot Summer Tips for Protecting Your Pets |
1. HOT SUMMER TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOUR DOGS!Hot summer days, especially when the humidity is high, is time to keep your eye on your pets and be on the lookout for over exposure to heat! Pets suffer from heat and humidity more than people do! Remember, if you’re hot – your pet has on a fur coat – so he’s more uncomfortable! Keep water and shade available at all times. For dogs that live outside, shade and fresh water are a MUST. A misting system is an excellent way for outdoor dogs to help cool themselves off. Dogs pant to cool themselves off so if they are panting excessively, they are too hot. |
2. WHAT IS HEATSTROKE IN DOGS?Bull dogs, pugs boxers, Pekinese and short-nosed dogs are especially prone to heatstroke because they can’t pant as efficiently as other dogs. Heatstroke means they can’t cool their body off fast enough so they start to show signs of overheating. Make sure they are not out in the sun for more than short periods of time and that there is shade and water available when they are out. Dogs with black coats absorb more heat than the lighter color coats. Walk them early in the morning or late in the evening when it’s cooler. Keep dogs inside in air conditioning during the hottest part of the day to ensure their health and safety. Note that the hottest part of the day in the summer is usually around 4-5pm. |
3. HEATSTROKE SYMPTONS IN DOGSTake your pet straight to the vent when you see symptoms that your dog is overheated and experiencing heat stroke. Here are symptoms to watch for: |
4. SIDEWALKS ARE HOT!Sometimes the sidewalk or asphalt gets so hot it can hurt pet’s feet. While the pads on their feet are made to protect, they hot cement or asphalt can be too much! People, wearing shoes, forget how hot the streets and sidewalks become. Keep your pet on the grass, or consider Paw Protectors on very hot days if you have to walk on parking lots, sidewalks or streets with your pet. |
5. SWIMMING POOLS CAN BE DANGEROUS!Generally, dogs love to swim, but every year dogs, puppies and small children drown in swimming pools. Your dog may swim well - but not be able to get out of the pool! If a pool doesn’t have steps where they can walk out of the water, it’s hard for dogs to climb a ladder or jump up the edge of a pool to get out. If your dog can’t get out of the pool and you’re not there, eventually he will be exhausted and drown. Make sure your pool is fenced and you are with your dog when he swims! If you’re swimming at a lake, don’t let your dog swim out so far he can’t make it back. |
6. NO DOGS ALONE!NEVER leave a dog or a child alone in a car. When it’s 85 outside, it will be 102 inside in 10 Minutes! Like children, dogs will overheat and have trouble breathing. Brain damage and organ failure occurs when the body temperature goes up. If a dog’s temperature goes up just 3 degrees, he’s in trouble, he can’t pant enough to cool himself down. Every state in the U.S. has animal cruelty laws that address leaving a pet unattended in a car. Laws in Arizona, California, Illinois, North Dakota and Wisconsin actually allow an officer to break into a car to rescue an animal that has been confined and left unattended. Plus you’ll get a ticket with a heavy fine. When traveling in the car with a pet keep the car ventilated by air conditioning or open windows and make sure there is water available. |
RIDING IN TRUCKS WITH DOGSIf your dog is riding in the back of a pickup truck, a proper harness and restraint are mandatory. During the hot summer months, some kind of shade protection to help protect your pet from road hazards, rain, wind or hail is also important. A nice cushion makes him more comfortable. |
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