MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Temperatures are heating up once again in the Mid-South. FOX13 has done multiple stories about how dangerous the heat can be to humans.
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Heat can also be dangerous to pets. Like humans, dogs can experience heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Dr. Brittany Washington, associate veterinarian at The Pet Hospitals-Downtown, told FOX13 heat related illnesses can happen quickly.
“If it’s hot, it’s about ten times hotter for them,” Dr. Washington said.
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Here are some symptoms Dr. Washington advises pet owners to look out for:
- Excessive panting
- Collapsing and not being able to get back up
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Looking confused, almost comatose like
Dr. Washington told FOX13 there are some things you can temporarily do to help your pet.
“If your pet collapses on a walk or something, the biggest thing if you have access to alcohol, you can put it on their paw pads,” Dr. Washington said. “That helps cool them really quickly, get a fan on them and get them to the vet immediately.”
If you need to take your pet outside, Dr. Washington suggests walking them early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Also, always check the temperature of the concrete. If the concrete is too hot for your hands, it’s too hot for your pets paws. Ethan Harnish, a dog owner, told FOX13 he’s very cautious about when he takes his dog Brooks for a walk.
“We definitely shorten his walks. He just should definitely not be outside,” said Harnish.
Harnish also keeps a water bottle and a travel dog bowl with him to ensure his dog stays hydrated. Dr. Washington told FOX13 pet owners of certain breeds need to be cautious about taking their pets outside.
“Especially, even smushed face dogs, so think like frenchies, bulldogs, they aren’t able to regulate their temperature as well,” Dr. Washington said. “Those are the ones we really worry about. Anything with a heavy coat that was bred for the snow. Anything considered geriatric or a puppy, can’t regulate their body temperature.”
While a lot of pet owners like to take to their dogs outside to tire them out, Dr. Washington gave several other ways to tire your pet out if it’s too hot to take them outside.
“Snuffle mats are a thing where you put little treats in different places on the mat and they have to find it, they also make a bunch of puzzles for dogs,” Dr. Washington said. “Getting one of those KONG toys and putting peanut butter in and freezing it. Or even doing a milk bone inside of like a low-sodium chicken broth ice cube kind of thing tends to help them.”
Dr. Washington also suggests fun games like hide and seek, running up and down stairs with your dog, tug-of-war or even fetch to help tire your pet out.
Some pet owners also like to take their dogs to doggy daycare to help socialize them and tire them out. FOX13 asked Dr. Washington if that was still a safe option even if it’s hot outside.
“It really depends on what your daycare does. Here at The Pet Hospitals, we have pools, we have water fountains,’ said Dr. Washington. “Our doggy daycare staff is very dedicated to monitoring for that. Use caution, just check out where you’re going.”
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