It’s fun to always play with your pet, no matter what. The sheer fun in spending long hours playing during a warm and sunny day can often make you forget how time flies and how much time you have spent.
However, exposure to too much humidity or hot temperatures can be risky, even deadly for your pets. Even in hot weather, it is important for pets to be kept cool and to take necessary precautions for which safety and emergency tips can be provided by any animal hospital Virginia Beach or any veterinary clinic near you.
Hot weather safety tips for pets
For starters, visiting an animal hospital or your pet vet for an early summer or spring checkup can help you get the health status of your pet. Your pet doctor will be able to have your pet tested for parasites such as fleas, ticks, or heartworm as part of your pet’s preventative medication.
During hot weather, pets are highly susceptible to dehydration, so make sure to provide plenty of fresh and clean drinking water when going out for walks or playing outside during humid or hot weather.
Always make sure to find shaded areas outdoors when playing with your pets and avoid too much exercise that could cause additional strain on your pets. Stay indoors when the weather gets too hot.
Avoid taking your pet dog for walks during unbearably hot weather, since the hot pavement or concrete could burn their paws.
Be aware of signs and symptoms of overheating in pets such as difficulty breathing, excessive panting, increased respiratory and heart rates, weakness, uncontrollable drooling, stupor, or vomiting. Failure to provide immediate medical intervention could result in seizures and severe diarrhea, which could lead to death.
Pets with flat faces such as Persian cat and pugs are prone to heatstroke since these animals could not pant as effectively as their long-snouted counterparts. The same goes for pets that are overweight, old, and those with heart or lung disease must be kept in an air-conditioned area during hot weather to avoid the deadly effects of overheating.
Never leave animals inside a car regardless if it’s parked in a shaded area or not. Aside from your pet getting fatal heat stroke, it is also illegal in some states, which can get you penalized or even imprisoned.
Make sure to trim long fur in your dogs, but never shave them clean. Dog fur provides them with a layer of protection for sunburn and overheating. With cats, make sure to brush their fur often, which can help prevent them from overheating. Any sun protection lotion or insect repellent used on pets must be specified as safe and pet friendly.
Always remember to keep your pets safe, especially by keeping them away from too much exposure to heat and humidity, which can be dangerous to their health. When you notice the signs and symptoms enumerated, make sure to take them to the nearest animal hospital Virginia Beach for immediate medical attention.