07/14/2022
Helpful hints to share with your animal loving friends!
✔Tips for keeping dogs and cats safe in extreme heat:
🆘Never leave your pet on your apartment patio. In this heat, it can be deadly. 🆘
👉If you need a crate to keep your pet off the balcony, please contact Humane Tomorrow at [email protected] and a crate will be provided.
🚗Never leave your pet in a car. On a mild to hot day, temperatures in a closed car (even with the windows cracked) can exceed 120 degrees in minutes, creating a very dangerous condition for any animal. Cracking a window or parking in the shade does not help.
💦Give your pet extra water. Staying hydrated is crucial on hot days to avoid illness. Be sure to fill their water bowls several times a day.
🐾Protect your pet’s paws from hot surfaces. Walk your pet in the grass or the shade whenever possible. A quick tip: if the pavement is too hot for your bare hands or feet, it’s too hot for your pet’s paws. If you need to take them outside to do their business, try wetting the surface with a hose or water bottle to help make it a little cooler for them.
🚶♀️Don’t overdo outdoor exercise. Oftentimes, dogs don’t know when they need a break, so it’s important to stop frequently for shaded breaks and offer plenty of water.
🐶Take extra care with older dogs and dogs with shorter noses. Just like older humans, older dogs can be especially susceptible to higher temperatures. And certain breeds with shorter noses (like pugs and bulldogs) are at a greater risk of heatstroke.
☀Apply pet-safe sunscreen to your dog. Sunburn can affect pets the same way it affects humans – pain, peeling, and skin cancer. Use a pet-safe sunscreen on unprotected areas, like the tips of the ears, the skin around the lips, and the tip of the nose. A good rule of thumb for sunscreen: If it’s safe for babies, it’s safe for your pets.
⚠Don’t leave windows open while your pets are unattended. Don’t rely on window screens to keep your pet from falling.
😁When in doubt, stay indoors. Avoid being outside for long periods of time during the hottest time of the day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Take walks earlier in the morning to avoid as much of the heat as you can. Animals can get sick quickly on hot days, even if they are in the shade.