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.
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.
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!
Some folks in the U.S. are experiencing a record high heat wave this summer. As the temps soar, please don't forget your pet is affected by this, too.
Here are a few tips on how you can help them beat the heat - and possibly save a life in the process.
Heat Stroke
A cameraman I often work with told me about a shoot where
the crew was filming in a home. It’s customary for the occupants to leave while
we take over their home (they’re compensated quite nicely for their trouble).
The family had a lovely, friendly
family dog who was also removed from the home.
No one informed the film crew about the dog, nor that she was being
exposed to excessive heat.
At the end of the shoot as the crew was loading out of the home, they discovered this beautiful dog
- she had collapsed and was not breathing.
The crew - many of them animal lovers - were horrified. They did everything they could think of to revive her. They administered CPR, wet her down to cool her off, anything they could think of - but she was beyond their help. Sadly, the family lost their beloved companion that day.
Dogs and cats can 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.
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 secure it to avoid any accidental spills.
A fun summertime tip to help your dog beat the heat is to 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.
If your pet spends any length of time outdoors, sometimes - like in much of the midwest this week - the heat and humidity can be so oppressive, there's no real relief, even in the shade. Especially if there's no breeze to be had, either!
A simple and effective way you can make your family pet feel more comfortable is to apply the principle of evaporative cooling.
Soak a large towel in cold water and use it to wet down your pet. (Yes, it works with cats, too. Though they probably won't thank you for it...!)
A Summer Haircut? Maybe not.
Shaving your pet to keep him cool may sound like a good idea, but it may not always be the best answer.
Check with your vet or groomer for alternatives to shaving. The ASPCA recommends the "one-inch" cut to help keep your pet beat the heat, yet still have some protection from the sun.
Light-skinned animals can sunburn easily! And – surprise! – they can even sunburn inside your home while sunning themselves in front of a window in your family room.
Check with your vet to see if your pet needs extra protection. Warning: many sunblocks are harmful to cats.
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.
Leaving your pet in a car for just a few minutes can be deadly! Just ask Amy of Sebastian the Sensitive Soul. She recently encountered a distraught family who had left their family dog in the car...and lost him to heat stroke. Their five year old son refused to be consoled. He had just lost his best friend.
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 at 9 AM when the outside temp is only 82 degrees. Ready for the car temp? Hold onto your hats. Inside that car, the temp was an unbearable 109°.
Last Saturday's high in our area was 107. Wanna guess how hot the inside of a car will be on a day like that? 1-oh-DEADLY.
Take a look at this video recently posted by a veterinarian - he takes you with him, into a hot car for 30 minutes....
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: here are free flyers you can print out to leave on cars with dogs left unattended.
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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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