Sizzling Summer Tips For Cool Pets

Summer's just about here and IT'S getting HOT!!!

At the start of summer we put away all our heavy winter stuff, dust off the patio furniture and beach chairs and start shifting our lives to embrace the wonderful outdoors. I like to live outdoors as much as I can in the summer and so do my pets.

I also like to check my 'summer pet safety tips' list, one I've been adding to for the past few years to remind myself of my pet summer safety basics.

Here's my 2009 version for keeping my pets safe and healthy. Check it over and see if you have these essentials in place for your pets too.

The biggest change from winter to summer is, of course, the heat. Heat poses many challenges for pets and it's good to be reminded to make allowances for the heat.

So that is #1 on my list: Summer heat problems prevented.

1. Be aware of how temperatures affect pets. The smaller their bodies, the less tolerant they are of heat (at least for mammals). Move fish, birds and other caged critters away from direct sun where they can get too hot and die. Make sure your dogs and cats have ways to stay cool be watchful for signs of heat stroke which may include: severe panting, unsteadiness, deep red tongue and gums, glazed eyes and vomiting.

If you see any of these signs get your pet into a cooler environment and if needed place them into a bath with a little water to cool their body down. Use tepid (not cold) water and start at the paws, then feet, then legs and the body. It's important that the cooling be gradual, so don't pour cold water on your dogs' body. Cooling too quickly can cause shock making things worse.

If the heat stroke is severe after cooling get your pet to a vet immediately. You can find the closest emergency vet at VetLocator.com, just click on the 'Pet Emergencies" box in the upper left, put in your zip or city and state, and you'll see the closest 24 hour emergency clinic to you. There are also other emergency resources on that page you should familiarize yourself with including the poision hotline, a trip to the emergency vet clinic and what you'll need and much more.

For more on heat stroke prevention and other emergency tips VetLocator.com has a great Emergency Pet Care eBook that's free when you join our mailing list.

I also make sure:

2. there is shade and plenty of water available in the yard. We have a covered patio and a doggie water on demand thing set up on our hose. Our dogs, cats and the local yard creatures, lizards and birds, enjoy access.

3. I give my dogs and cats the option of being in the house or in the yard with our doggy door. We installed one of the pet doors that has a knob control that restricts passage in one or all directions, so they can come in but not go out again, or go out and not come back in again, or unrestrict both directions. This works out well because I can let them out and after they're finished romping and doing their business, they come in and stay in.

4. I also keep a fan going inside on hot days which keeps them cool. I find both the dogs and cats on the floor near the fan during the day rather than being outside, so it must be a cooler place for them.

5. I move their food out of direct sunlight and I switch to dry during the day. Food left out in the heat has the potential of spoiling or growing bacteria that could be harmful to your pets.

6. If I'm going out, I leave my dogs behind unless I know I'm not getting out of the car at all (a drive, one of their favorite things to do), or I plan on taking them with me when I get out.

Of course you know you DON'T take your dogs in the car with you if they have to be left inside for any time. As you're no doubt already aware, even a car that had it's air conditioning running will heat up to death level temperatures in minutes on a hot day.

7. And that brings me to another point. What do you do if you are the one who comes across a pet locked in a car in the heat?

If the pet does not seem to be distressed, you can try to locate the owner. If the vehicle is outside a store, ask the store's manager to page the driver of the vehicle.

However, if the pet is in distress or if you can't locate the pet's owner police departments say it's OK to call 911 to get assistance for the pet. Then stay with the car until assistance arrives and the pet is safe.

Here's a link to a brochure at Puppy Mill Protest that you can leave on the windshield of the offenders car:
http://www.puppymillprotest.org/PuppyMillProtest_DeadlyDecision.pdf

Included in the listing is the fact that more than 5,000 pets die every year from being left inside vehicles. You can print out a few to keep in your car.

8. Did you know dogs can get sunburned? It's true! There are special sun screens you can use to prevent sunburns when your dogs go out. I try and exercise my dogs early before the sun's too hot or after sun has gone down to keep them cooler and we avoid sunburns together.

9. I do take them to the beach now and again (we live near a dog-friendly beach) and observe the early/late walks but and last trip there I saw a pretty cool set-up, its called a petbrella. Not sure if I'm going to spring to get one or not, but the dog using it seemed cool and happy so it's on my maybe list of things to get.

So there you go. My 2009 summer pet list. Do you have anything else to suggest I put here? It's the begining of the summer and I have room for more suggestions. You can send them to me at my email below.