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The Heat and Your Pet

The Heat and Your Pet

 

With summer just starting and the heat not giving up you don’t want to spend your days on the hot pavement in the sweltering sun, right? Of course not and neither does your pet. Here are some tips to keeping your pet cool when the temps are up.

 

  1. Check the pavement. When you first go outside to walk your pooch, feel the pavement. If you wouldn’t go barefoot because the blacktop is too hot, your dog shouldn’t either. Try to keep the blacktop/concrete in a minimum and stick to grassy areas.
  2. Make sure your cooling your pet inside and out. If your pet likes water, perhaps invest in a kiddy pool for him to lounge in outdoors. Also, you can whip up some delicious popsicles made with peanut butter or another favorite treat.
  3. Don’t keep your pet in a hot car. This goes without saying, but even a few minutes could be harmful. On an 85 degree day, the temperature inside a car can reach 102 within 10 minutes.
  4. Watch for heatstroke. Signs of heatstroke include glazed eyes, fast heartbeat, excessive thirst, fever, lethargy, vomiting, dark red or purple tongue, heavy panting, seizure, & unconsciousness.

 

This summer is shaping up to be a hot one! Make sure your pet is happy and comfortable!

Written by: Samantha Roberts

When you see a dog left in a hot car…

During the summer months, some people seem to think it is ok to leave their dog in the car when they run in the store, bank, etc.  Even in the shade, the temperature inside a vehicle can climb to a very dangerous level.  Sadly, dogs and children die in hot cars every single year and this is totally preventable.  Some tips for what you can do if you see an animal left inside a vehicle are to approach the owner (if they are around) and let them know that it is simply too hot for anyone to be left in a car.  Animals do not tolerate hot cars any better than people do, contrary to what some people believe.  If the owner is not around, you can go into the store and speak to the manager to possibly make an announcement.  If that fails, the next thing to do would be to call animal control.  In my opinion, I would do that immediately for the dog’s own safety.  I have even heard of people breaking a window if the dog is in immediate distress.  That is a more drastic measure, but when it is a matter of life and death, it is definitely an option.  If you want to take your pet for a ride during the summer months, go to a pet friendly store where the dog can come in with you or use the drive thru.  We at Gwinnett Pet Watchers love to take our dogs for a doggie ice cream in the drive thru and our dogs are equally as happy to receive the gift!