10 Tips for protecting your pet from hot weather
Jun 9th, 2008 by omidog
Whew!! Do you feel that? Here in weather-fickle Massachusetts, it was raining and in the upper 50s on Friday. What a change on Saturday when temperatures skyrocketed to 90. Today it’s already 93, and tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter! Looking at a map from weather.com, it looks like there aren’t too many places in the entire country who aren’t experiencing a heat wave, and that means that it’s important to think of our pets just as much as ourselves when the temperatures start to climb.
Here are some more tips you can follow to keep your pet safe in the heat, and to help everyone feel a bit more comfortable while the weather is sizzling.
- NEVER leave your pet in a hot car, even with the windows cracked. If the temperature is above 80 degrees, the inside of your car can climb to temperatures near 200 degrees in a matter of only minutes.
- Make sure your pet has plenty of fresh, cool water to drink. If you have a dog, be sure their water bowl is full if they spend any time outside. If you have smaller pets that drink from water bottles, be sure that they have enough to drink at all times.
- If you have a small pet that’s susceptible to heat stroke like a guinea pig, or if you notice your dog or cat is panting and showing signs of heat exhaustion, a great way to help soothe them is to provide a water bottle filled with ice water wrapped in a small towel or wash cloth. They can snuggle up against it and cool off.
- Walk your pet at dawn or dusk, not during the hottest hours of the day, and be sure to bring water with you on your walk together.
- If your pet has long hair, feel free to give them a summer hair cut, but don’t shave them since this exposes their skin to the sun and they can get sunburned just like we do.
- If your pet has been shaved, do not let it outside in direct sunlight for very long. You can also apply some suntan lotion to their ears and nose if they have light skin that’s sensitive to burning. You can use people sunscreen or special pet sunscreen.
- Always provide a shady place for your pet to rest. If you have them confined to your yard, ensure that there’s a shady tree or a tent or some other form of shelter for them to get away from the sun’s beating rays.
- Limit exercise after eating, just as you would for yourself. A hot day + food + vigorous exercise = no fun for your pet.
- Give your pet a bath! If you don’t live near a beach or a lake, get out your garden hose or run some water in that bathtub and give your pet a treat. They’ll not only feel much more comfortable, they’ll smell better too!
- If your pet is showing signs of heat stroke, take them to shelter immediately, get them plenty of cold water and bathe them if you can, and if need be, call an animal emergency center.