Beating the Summer Heat: Essential Tips for Keeping Your Pets Safe and Cool

As we move into the hotter part of the year, we all need to be mindful of our own water intake and watch ourselves for heat stress. The same cautions must be taken with our animals under our care as well. Dogs and Cats are not designed to eliminate heat as efficiently as we are. They are only equipped with sweat glands located on the bottom of their feet around their paw pads. Most of our canine and feline companions heat is dissipated through evaporation off their tongue with panting. When it is hot and dry outside our pets become dehydrated very quickly. When it is hot and humid outside it is very easy for our pets to become overheated because they are not able to lose enough heat from evaporation. The following are some tips that are helpful for keeping our animals cool this summer.

1. Provide good access to shade with a nice airflow. Shade does wonders for lessening the effects of the sun with a nice breeze assisting in evaporation off of body surfaces such as the tongue/paw pads. If a natural breeze is not available a fan is a great substitute
2. Fresh, cool water at all times. Placing ice cubes in your pet’s water can even be used a nice treat to encourage them to drink more as well as amplifying the cooling effects.
3. Provide a cooling water source for hot pets. Small kid pools can easily be filled with a hose and many pets greatly enjoy laying in them to cool off their hot bodies.
4. Hosing or wetting your pets on their under carriage is a great way to bring down their internal temperature. The largest blood vessels close to the surface that will be able to assist in cooling your pet are located underneath their neck and on the inside of their thighs of both back legs. Water placed on your pets back will not do much to cool them as no large blood vessels are located there and a lot of insulation in present.
5. Avoid strenuous activity during high heat index weather. It is important to be mindful of the heat index and monitor your pet’s internal temperature regularly if there is any concern. A great reference that you can use as a chart to watch activity during hot days, includes: https://www.chelmsforddogassociation.org/media_uploads/Heat-Index-Chart.pdf

Summer weather is a time of outdoor activities with long days and lots of fun. When it comes to playing with our pet’s though there are more considerations that we need to take to ensure their safety. Be mindful of their inability to cool off as efficiently as us. Try to plan more active play sessions during the cooler parts of the day such as early morning and evening before the sun is at its strongest. If you have any concerns or think your pet may be experiencing heat stress don’t hesitate to call right away. If we’re not open we recommend reaching out to an emergency, 24/7 clinic.