Protecting Your Pets from Overheating This Summer

By Karen Geissert, D.V.M.

After our long New England winter and relatively cool spring, believe it or not, we now need to make sure that our pets do not become over heated during the summer months. Heat stroke is a real danger and can occur relatively quickly in animals.  Cats and dogs rely on cooling themselves primarily through panting or open mouth breathing.  While there are some sweat glands located in the paws of both cats and dogs, there is minimal ability for this small amount of sweating to cool down their temperatures. 

While overheated pets will try to seek out a shady spot or will want to drink to attempt to cool themselves down, we as their caretakers need to look out for their well-being.

Here are a few tips that will help you to avoid situations that can lead to heatstroke in your pet.

• Never leave pets unattended in a vehicle.  Even if the outdoor temperature is just 70 degrees, your vehicle heats up quickly.  In just 10 minutes the interior vehicle temperature can reach 89 degrees, and in 20 minutes can reach 99 degrees.  The chart with this story illustrates how quickly temperature changes occur in an enclosed car.

• Don’t take pets on errands in the car during warm weather months unless you can have the car air conditioning on and you can take them inside at your destination. 

• Don't exercise your pets in the heat of the day.  Exercise, even walking, should be done in early morning or evening hours. The reflected heat from the street surface adds to your pet’s discomfort. As the humidity rises, pets have an increasingly difficult time exchanging heat from their bodies.

• If your pets are outdoors, make sure they have access to shade at all times. They should never be tethered outdoors as they may get stuck in the sun and will not be able to move to a cooler spot. Make sure they have water, too.

• If you don't have air conditioning in your home, giving your pet access to a cooler basement level will provide relief on the hot summer days.

• Check your pet for matted hair since this prevents heat loss from the skin surface.

• Dogs that have short faces, such as Bulldogs, Boxers, Boston Terriers, Pugs, have a harder time to cool themselves even with heavy panting.  Dark colored hair coats absorb more heat from the sunlight than lighter colored pets.  Pets with extremely thick heavy hair coats will retain heat more so than a short-haired pet. Pets with respiratory problems or with heart disease will more likely suffer heat stroke more easily than a healthy animal.

Signs of heat stroke:

• Excessive panting

• Weakness, staggering, stupor, collapse

• Bright red or dark colored tongue, dry tongue

• Bright red or dark colored gums, dry gums

• Body temperatures over 104 degrees

• Bloody diarrhea, vomiting

• Seizures, coma, death 

If your pet develops heat stress, intervene as quickly as possible.  Move your pet to a cooler place immediately. Cool your pet down with cool water, but not icy cold water.  Wet cool clothes applied to the head area and to the extremities will help cool your pet down gradually. Offer cool water in small amounts at repeated intervals if your pet is not vomiting. Take your pet to a veterinarian for evaluation and further treatment because he or she may need intravenous fluid therapy and monitoring.

Dr. Karen Geissert is the owner of Acton Animal Hospital.