My two “kids”, I mean dogs, Shadow (left) and Jazz relaxing on a cool day
Our weather is warming up and the meteorologists are predicting a heat wave hitting our area over the weekend and the beginning of next week.
This can be a very dangerous time for our four-legged best friends. I knew a woman who forgot about her dog in her car on a warm day. She had taken her dog on a short trip in the area and when she parked her car in front of the house, she forgot about her dog as she was removing items from her vehicle. All of the windows were closed and the dog subsequently died. Needless to say, she was devastated. It doesn’t take long for a pet to develop heatstroke and die!! Leave your pet at home!!
Please watch out for your pets or other pets. If you see an animal in distress, call the local animal shelters (Humane Society @ 610-921-2348 or the ARL at 610-373-8830) or your local police. Please don’t sit idly by and do nothing. These animals have no voices and depend on us to help them!
Here are some other tips to remember:
If your pet is kept outside for any length of time, have plenty of fresh, clean water available to him/her. Pets need more water during times like this. Keep them out of the sun as much as possible. Have a shaded area for them.
Keep windows secured with bars or a screen. Pets have been known to jump out of them and die. Pets are curious~ they don’t know what fate lies ahead of them.
If you exercise with your dog, do at the cooler times of day, early morning or early evening. This will help your dog not to overheat. Take plenty of water for both him and you!
If you keep your pet on the back of your pick-up (not a good idea), please be sure your pet is secured and can’t jump out. Dogs have been known to do this and get seriously hurt or worse. Debris can get in their eyes and do damage as well.
As I said earlier, don’t keep your pet in a parked car. A car’s temperature can heat up over 100 degrees in minutes. In a matter of minutes, your dog’s temperature can rise above 105. Normal body temperature for a dog is between 100 -102 degrees. When you reach 105, your dog is in a danger zone. Your dog can have a heatstroke.
Symptoms to look for in a heat stroke are heaving, hard panting, gums may be very dark pink or even reddish, your dog may feel hot to the touch. Soak him in cool or cold water and get him to the nearest veterinarian immediately!!! This is an EMERGENCY!! Your dog could die!!
By the way, don’t forget our about our senior citizens. Please check in on them, too!
If you have any other suggestions or reminders for the heat, leave a comment.