6 Tips for Keeping Your Pet Safe This Summer
Health Tips
August 2, 2022
Dogs and cats don’t have the same ability to cool themselves off as their owners do, and therefore pets are at a greater risk of overheating during the warmer temperatures of summertime.
Keep your pet safe this summer with these 6 tips!
1. Make sure they have access to fresh, clean water.
When it is hot or humid outside, be sure to have plenty of fresh, clean drinking water available for your pets. They can dehydrate very quickly during warmer temperatures. Water should be available for them at all times.
2. Exercise in Cooler Parts of the Day.
If you have daily play or exercise time with your dog, avoid the hottest parts of the day. Mornings or early evenings after sundown are the best times in summer for your pet’s “workout.”
3. Know the Signs of Heat Stress & Prevent It
If a pet starts to overheat, they’ll begin excessively panting or drooling. Their heart rate will increase and they might experience stupor or even collapse. More severe symptoms of heat stress can include vomiting, bloody diarrhea or seizures. If you believe your pet is suffering from heat stress, don’t wait: call us at (212) 674-0111.
4. Watch for Hot Surfaces
Remember that hot surfaces can hurt your pet’s paws. When walking a pet during the summer, avoid sidewalks, asphalt or other surface types that can trap and absorb heat. When the temperature is in the 80s outside (Fahrenheit), black pavement can quickly heat up to 120 degrees — which is the initial pain threshold for pets’ feet. Not sure if it’s too hot? Hold the back of your palm to the ground – if it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for their paws.
5. Never Leave Your Pet in a Hot Car
Leaving your pet unattended in a parked car in the summer is never a good idea. The inside of a car heats up quickly, and pets can rapidly go into heat distress or suffer a fatal collapse. In New York, it’s against state law to leave a pet unattended in extreme heat without proper ventilation.
6. Parasite Prevention
Summertime is flea and tick season, and heartworm is more easily spread by mosquitoes during hot and humid weather. Parasite prevention is necessary year-round, but keeping your pets safe during the summer is especially important. Heartworm, flea, and tick preventive medicines are a great way to keep your pets pest-free and healthy.