Monday, August 8, 2016

The ... Cat Days of Summer?

As the temps soar, please don't forget your pets are affected by the heat as well. Here are a few tips on how you can help them beat the dog days of summer - and possibly save a life in the process.

Photo: depositphotos.com

Heat Stroke

Dogs and cats succumb to heat exhaustion and heat stroke far faster than people realize. And it can be fatal.


 Signs of heat stroke include (but are not limited to):
  • body temperatures of 104-110F degrees
  • excessive panting
  • dark or bright red tongue and gums
  • sticky or dry tongue and gums
  • staggering
  • stupor
  • seizures
  • bloody diarrhea or vomiting
  • coma
  • death
Please be aware of these danger signals and seek veterinary attention immediately. You may save your pet's life.

Allie insisted on going out the other day. As soon as I saw she was panting, she went right back inside.
Made in the Shade

Is your pet an indoor/outdoor pet? If so, make sure shade is available to your pet at all times. And always have water available for them.  It needs to be placed in the shade as well, and secured to avoid accidental spills.

Here's a fun summertime tip to help your dog beat the heat:

Freeze water or broth with a fave rubber toy inside. As the block melts and the toy is revealed, it'll encourage your pet to ingest more of the wet stuff, helping him to stay hydrated.


Hot Feet Alert!

When walking your pet, remember: paw pads are sensitive and can be burned from walking on hot asphalt. OUCH! Choose grass if possible.

Pavement Test:  Press the back of your hand firmly against the asphalt for 7 seconds. If it's too uncomfortable for you, it's too uncomfortable for your pet's paws. Why would you make your dog or cat do something you wouldn’t do?




Do you run regularly with your dog? Consider this: as the days get hotter, you alter your attire to compensate. Your faithful friend can’t – he’s wearing the same fur coat 24/7, 365 days out of the year.

In hot weather like much of the U.S. is experiencing, please…go running alone, and leave your dog back home where it’s cool & comfy.


Pets do not "call shotgun"
in the heat!


Does your dog love to ride in the car with you wherever you go? As much as you may love his companionship, please...leave your pet at home, not in the car.

cat in car: depositphotos.com


This is serious stuff, folks. Take a look at this study on the temps inside a closed car.  Don’t have time to click through and view? No worries – we’ll give you a quick sneak peek.

The study begins with data from inside a car when the outside temp is only 70 degrees. Ready for the car temp? Hold onto your hats. Within 30 minutes, the temp was an unbearable 104°.

Temperatures this summer have hit triple digits in many parts of the U.S. Wanna guess how hot the inside of a car will be on a day like that? 1-oh-DEADLY.

If you see a dog left inside a car, call 9-1-1 immediately! Then, if you can, locate the owner. At the very least, leave notice that what they are doing can have fatal consequences: the HSUS has a free downloadable flyer you can print out to leave on cars with pets left unattended.

We hope you find these tips helpful. Please feel free to share. Who knows? They may help save the life of a pet!

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21 comments:

  1. We can never understand why people feel the need to take their pets in the car in the Summer.
    The Florida Furkids

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  2. We can never understand why people feel the need to take their pets in the car in the Summer.
    The Florida Furkids

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  3. Thanks for getting this message out there again... peeps still need reminding, year in and out. If a pet cant be with you, it shouldn't be alone in a car, period. purrs ERin

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  4. Fantastic information. In my state we have a new law that windows can be broken to get kids and pets out of cars without repercussions. Heat is so deadly; I just can't understand what people are thinking.

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  5. I love the Allie gif. :)

    Yesterday was so hot the local robin sat in the middle of the shade of a tree and wouldn't move..

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  6. Excellent information, just excellent!! We worry about the woofies being walked on the not pavement all the time.

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  7. Those are great tips! It was so hot last weekend. One of my boys went out on a deck but came right back!

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  8. Excellent reminder, and great tips ! Purrs

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  9. This is all so important! It's been very hot here, so I haven't been able to go out on my harness and leash - the pavement was too hot during the day. And when I go on my therapy cat visits, the car is so hot when we finish that my human has to leave the doors open and blast the A/C before she can strap in my carrier so we can leave. I'm glad it has cooled off some... at least for a while.

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  10. Great advice. Mom is always very cautious with us in the heat of the summer. Just another reason it is our least favorite season.

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  11. grate post two day guys...thanx for sharin.....de food serviss gurl waz out walkin a few back N saw a dood with hiz dawg N de poor dawg looked mizzer a bull.....♥♥♥

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  12. It is too hot to go outdoors for any length of time here. We all feel like panting when we do venture out. Thanks for the great tips.

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  13. This is such important information. Humans who insist on taking their pets along "because they enjoy it" when the temperatures are dangerous like that (not for business like therapy cat visits, but just for a ride to the store or whatever) are being selfish. Be safe so you can enjoy that ride another day.

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  14. Great reminders. I'm always shocked at how little most people know on the subject.

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  15. Excellent post, my cats are spoiled in central air all the time.

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  16. Thanks for sharing this important info. We hate when humans leave their pets in cars in the summer.

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  17. THANK YOU for this wonderful timely reminder!!!!!

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  18. We are glad TBT watches out fer us on all those things. In fact, since a couple trees fell, our deck gets hotter than it used to an TBT put down outdoor carpet from inside to the shaded stairs so we can get out in the yard without hotty feet!

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  19. Terrific post. Mom downloaded the flyer with the information it had on page 2. Our humans know better then to ever leave us in a car, but we know lots of people do it not understanding the consequences. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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  20. Great tips! This is such important information for humans to know. We're glad Allie went right back inside!

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