Keep Your Pet
Healthy This Summer
with These 8 Tips
Summer is a great time to enjoy outdoor activities with your pets, but hot weather can be particularly challenging for
companion animals. When temperatures start to soar and insects invade, keep your pets safe and healthy by following
these suggestions.
Understand how heat affects your pet
Just like humans, pets can find a hot summer day a bit
overwhelming. But unlike humans, pets have a limited
ability to deal with soaring temperatures. Humans can
sweat through the skin on their body to cool themselves,
but dogs only release heat through their paw pads and by
panting. Animals with flat faces and short snouts—like
Pugs and Persian cats—have an even more difficult time
because they cannot pant effectively. Heat stroke is a real
threat to pets, so also keep an eye on elderly or overweight
pets or animals with heart and lung issues.
Plenty of water, plenty of shade
Dehydration can be a big problem for pets during the hot
weather, especially if they like to run and play outside for
a long time. Make sure they always have access to plenty
of fresh, cool water, and if they are used to being indoors,
avoid letting them play outside during the hottest parts of
the day.
Keep an eye out for antifreeze
You should keep antifreeze safely out of reach of pets and
children no matter what time of year it is. However, during
the summer, pay close attention to its presence in parking
areas. Cars tend to overheat more and leak antifreeze in
hot weather often leaving puddles that pets can easily lap
up. The sweet taste of antifreeze makes it attractive to dogs
and cats, but this toxic substance can be deadly if ingested.
You should also be attentive to puddles on the streets in
your neighborhood, especially when out walking your dog
in a new territory.
Don’t leave your pet in the car
Leaving your pet in a car for a few minutes may seem
like no big deal, but it can quickly lead to heat stroke
and suffocation in dogs and cats. In direct sunlight your
car acts like an oven, becoming much hotter inside than
outside. On a typical sunny 70 degree day, your car can
heat up to over 100 degrees within minutes becoming
detrimental for pets. Since many pets cool themselves
through the pads of their paws, hot surfaces like those
PROVIDED BY VIDALIA VETERINARY CLINIC
80 Toombs County Magazine