How to avoid heat strokeAll pets that are kept outside need to have shade and plenty of water provided. If possible- when it gets to be hotter than 90 degrees it is best to bring your pets inside. If they are an outdoor pet- please heed the precautions provided below. If you do plan on spending time outside with your pet, please be aware of several common and serious problems that may arise in the hot weather. Even the most experienced pet owners may sometimes be unaware of these dangers. The following are a few tips on how to avoid undue stress or pain to your beloved 4 footed friend. Dogs can wear shoes…but normally do notDogs can burn their feet running around on cement in the hot summer sun. Grass and dirt tend not to become quite as hot. However, if your pet is generally pampered, his paw pads may not used to rough ground and it can cause severe trauma. Most of our dogs want to please us. They will follow us anywhere even if they are in pain…so please take note. If your pet is used to being indoors, a run on a summer day on the concrete or a trail is probably not the best idea and should be reconsidered. Dogs don’t sweatDogs and cats cannot sweat. They pant to cool off. Sweating, also known as evaporative cooling, is more efficient and works better. The only way that a pet can benefit from evaporative cooling is if they are wet and provided with a breeze by wind or a fan. Fans won’t workA fan will only work to cool your pet if they are wet. Dogs cannot talk and let you know the water is too hot! In the summer your hose becomes heated by the suns rays. When you turn the water on it comes out very hot! Always let the water run out of the hose for a little while before using it on your pet. Test it with your own hands to make sure it is nice and cool. We often see dogs that start losing their hair in a straight line down their back or on their side. This is usually caused by scorching from a hose that was running hot water. After being scorched by hot water, it takes about three to five days for the hair follicles to fully die and for the hair to fall out. These injuries are extremely painful and, if enough skin is involved, this can become a life threatening problem. Even at rest…Overheating and heat stroke DO NOT require activity! When it gets very warm outside, many dogs can’t pant fast enough or hard enough to remove the heat that is accumulating in their bodies. Even lying around in the shade on a very hot day, dogs and cats may over heat. The brachycephalic (short-nosed dogs like pugs, Boston terriers, bulldogs and boxers) breeds have an exceptionally difficult time keeping themselves cool and are very susceptible to overheating. These breeds are inefficient at panting and often have numerous other abnormalities found in the respiratory track (nose to the lungs) so they have difficulty moving air in and out. Obese pets also have difficulty cooling down. Their fat effectively insulates them (like blubber used to keep seals and polar bears warm) so that heat becomes trapped in the body. Being overweight limits the expansion and compression of the chest cavity as well thus making panting even less efficient. The combination can be deadly. So be extra careful in the heat with short-nosed and obese dogs. Dogs love to swim! Evaporative cooling does work when animals are wet. Simple light kiddie pools or wading pools are perfect for dogs to play in. Many of them will not just jump in at first and may need a little convincing. Once they are in though, they may not want to come out! Dogs should not remain wet however, as this may cause some issues with their coat if allowed to stay wet for extended periods of time. Dogs and swimming poolsPeople need to be very careful with their dogs around swimming pools. Even though most dogs swim well, they may not be able to figure out how to get out of a pool. If the dog gets in the pool when you are not around they can panic, become tired and then drown. Smaller dogs sometimes just fall in (especially when they are trying to get a drink out of the pool) and the same thing can happen to them. Protect your pets just as you do your children around the swimming pool. Just because dogs have fur doesn’t mean that they can’t get sunburned. Lighter colored dogs are more susceptible to the sun’s damaging rays but even dark coated dogs can burn their ears and noses. If you shave your dog for the summer they may be more susceptible to becoming sun burned than they would normally. Sunburn can be as painful in dogs as it is in people. There is often a delayed response in pets so you may not notice that your pet is hurting until several hours later. Skin cancer is as big a problem in dogs as it is in people. The sun can cause irreversible damage that leads to cancer, especially in light colored dogs. Dogs and cats can lose portions of their ears, nose or eyelids to cancer. This type of cancer is typically very aggressive (squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma) so that if it is not identified and removed early it is possible that can spread to the lymph nodes or lungs. Sunscreen that is baby safe may be considered to help prevent this deadly disease. Limited exposure to the sun and shade are also considerations. Until next time, please spay and neuter your pet and keep them healthy and indoors! J. Veronika Kiklevich, DVM, DABVP (C,F) and Ariana Finkelstein, DVMI-10 Pet Emergency10822 Fredericksburg RoadSan Antonio, TX 78240