It seems safe to say summer has arrived in Alabama and this coming week looks to be a rough one temperature wise. PLEASE make sure your pets are prepared for this impending non-stop heat. Our dogs and cats cannot sweat like we do so they have to pant to try and control their body temperature. Panting can only cool them down so much so owners need to proceed with caution when undertaking activities with your pet in our hot weather.
First off, our pets need unlimited clean, cool water. Make sure your pets have plenty of fresh water and that it is located in a shaded area to help it stay as cool as possible. Many dogs will benefit from having a children’s plastic wading pool full of nice cool water that they can get into if it gets too hot and those are readily available at local stores for a very small price. Want to give your dog a treat on a really hot day – go buy bags of ice and put in a wading pool for them to play in. And box fans are also cheap and can help your pet as well – think of how much better you feel in front of a fan on a hot day. Just make sure they cannot chew on the power cord.
If you have outside dogs with dog houses, those houses must be under adequate shade else wise they will turn into mini-ovens unsuitable for protecting your dog from the elements. If you think an unshaded dog house is adequate shelter for your pet, just crawl in one as the temps hit the 80’s-90’s and see for yourself how ‘comfy’ it is. If you go to the ‘pinned post’ on our Humane Society of Elmore County Facebook page, you will see a quick ‘study’ we did a few summers ago to illustrate how igloos in the full sun are no better than ovens. Our wish, of course, is for dogs and cats to join in the fun inside your home so they can enjoy the air conditioning or fans with their human family.
If you like taking your pet with you in your vehicle and the outside temperature is probably above about 70 degrees, then you MUST think ahead in regard to your itinerary BEFORE leaving the house. This time of year it is generally better to leave your pet at home than take any chance on it having to stay in your car for any length of time no matter how quick you think your stop will be. If you do have your pet with you in hot weather, please make sure that you will not be stopping anywhere where your pet must stay in the car for more than literally 2-3 minutes as Alabama heat can seriously injure or kill a pet (or child) left in a parked car very quickly. We encourage citizens to call your local police and report any pets in parked cars during hot weather so they can take appropriate actions. And if you leave your vehicle running with the air-conditioning on for your pet, still make sure that you don’t do that for too long as mechanical failures could occur so that the A/C is no longer cooling and the results could be devastating.
For those that travel with their dog in the back of a pickup truck – just DON’T! The bed of a truck is hot enough to scorch your dog’s paws so please put your dog in the cab of the truck with you so it too can enjoy the air conditioning and be much safer.
Before shaving a long-coated dog thinking it will help them, please talk to your Veterinarian as dogs can get sunburned and overheat faster because they have no protection from the sun. For those with ‘short-nosed’ dogs like Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers and more, keep them in air-conditioning as many of these breeds simply cannot handle the heat and will suffer heatstroke or death if left out in the high heat, even if they have shade.
And please, please, please, if you are a flea market lover, just leave your dog at home while you brave the heat to look for ‘treasures.’ You may think taking your pet with you shows how you love it, but far too many dogs are simply miserable on hot sand or pavement and would be much happier (and healthier) staying at home happy to greet you on your return.
Our pets are not super beings able to withstand conditions that we don’t like ourselves. If you are miserable in the heat, your pet is too so please plan accordingly to keep your pet safe and happy throughout our long Alabama summer.
