Summer Pet Safety Tips

Our pets are part of our families, and they need to be kept just as safe during the summer heat just as much as we do, if not with even more precaution since they can’t tell us if they’re too hot!

Here are some simple Summer Pet Safety Tips to keep our furry family members cool, comfortable, and safe this summer:

Keep Pets Inside with A/C
Dogs and cats can experience heat cramps, stress and exhaustion when exposed to high levels of heat. Having the proper cooling system in your home can help cool down yourself and your pets. If you have ever noticed, dogs and cats like to lie on cool surfaces. The cool surfaces help their bodies sweat and release excessive heat through their footpads. If a cat or a dog is in a room for a long time without proper water and air, their body temperature will rise and they will possibly have a fever that they can’t control.

Limited Exercise & Shade
Dogs and cats can get dehydrated faster than humans. Pets need plenty of fresh water and a shady place to get out of the hot sun. Also be careful to limit the amount of exercise they get. Going for shorter runs and walks with your dogs will help them adapt to the hot pavement and ground. Cats and dogs footpads can easily get burned – so be mindful to when your pets give you signs to come inside.

NEVER Leave Your Pet in a Parked Car
This is the number one pet safety rule. Don’t be that pet owner to leave your beloved pet in a hot, parked car with or without the windows rolled up. Either way it can be deadly. Just for some perspective, a hot summer day can be from 80-90 degrees, which means that the inside of a car can reach 120 degrees within a 30-minute range. Would you like to be in a car that is 120 degrees? We didn’t think so. Can you imagine being a dog or cat stuck in a car helpless with no way to cool off? It sounds like torture. If you make a mistake and forget your pet in your car while you run errands, your pet could suffer from organ failure, heatstroke or death. Keep in mind that unlike humans, pets do not cool off the same way that humans do.

 

Observe Your Pet’s Symptoms
Your pet could suffer from heat stress or even a heatstroke in extreme heat conditions. There are a number of ways to identify if your pet is having a heatstroke. Keep an eye out for symptoms such as excessive body temperature, vomit, bloody stools, excessive panting and salivation.

• Heat stress
  • If you think your pet is suffering from heat stress, these are some symptoms to look out for:
    • Panting
    • Drooling
    • Excessive grooming and restlessness
    • Elevated rectal temperature
• Heatstroke
  • If you think your pet is suffering from a heatstroke, these are some symptoms to look out for:
    • Panting
    • Dehydration
    • Excessive drooling
    • Increased body temperature
    • Reddened gums and moist tissues of the body
    • Production of only small amounts of urine or no urine
    • Rapid heart rate

A good rule of thumb is to always leave the A/C on for your furry family members at all times! Don’t forget to value pet safety. Your dogs and cats will love you for it!