Ways to Prevent Your Pets From Getting Heat Stroke

With summer rapidly approaching, dog owners need to be more aware of the dangers their pets face due to extreme weather. When your pet's body temperature climbs above the typical range of 100 to 102 degrees, this is known as overheating or heat exhaustion. Pets like dogs and cats have fewer sweat glands than humans and cannot cool themselves by sweating, so they overheat more rapidly. 

 

Here are ways to prevent your pets from getting a heatstroke: 

 

Do Not Leave Them Alone Outside on a Hot Day

Never leave your pet unsupervised outside on hot days. Keep your pets indoors unless they need to go pee/poop. If they must be outside, make sure they have plenty of shade and access to fresh water. Make sure your pet can't spill the water and use many bowls in different locations. Leave your pet in your house with the air conditioning on if you are going outside. 

Take Your Pet Outside During the Morning

Most pets are fond of walks and just going out. If you have to take your pet outside, make sure it’s during the morning. It will prevent them from the dangers of heatstroke. It will also protect you from the blazing heat. 

Never Leave Your Pet in a Car 

Refrain from leaving your pet alone in a parked car. Heat can build quickly in a closed car, even if it isn't too humid or hot. Rolling down the windows doesn’t affect the temperature inside the car. Hence, do not leave your pet in your parked car during a hot, summery day. 

Keep Your Pet Under Shade if You’re Out

Avoid scorching sand, concrete, asphalt, and other regions where heat is reflected, and no shade is available. If you have to take them out, make sure they are under shade. Also, making your pets exercise during extremely hot temperatures isn’t a good idea. 

 

While these tips should help, there's no substitute for monitoring the situation. If your pet is outdoors, make sure to check them regularly throughout the day so that you can get them into some cool shade or water if they're starting to overheat. The main thing is to keep an eye on your pets as the weather heats up to hopefully prevent a heatstroke before it happens.

 

We’ll Support Your Pet’s Health at Northwood Animal Hospital!

No matter what type of care your pet needs, we at Northwood Animal Hospital will provide it. We pride ourselves on our close-knit community of trained and compassionate animal lovers who perform various services for your four-legged friends. At Northwood Animal Hospital, our services include wellness care, surgery, dentistry, in-house diagnosis, etc. 

Request an appointment with us today!