No, this isn’t about climate change. It’s about how the scorching summer heat can affect the overall health of your pets. You think you’ve got it bad when you don’t have AC. Your pets experience heat ten times worse than people because they lack the ability to perspire, or sweat. You see, when we sweat, the act of sweat evaporating from our skin is what keeps us cool. This very unique mechanism allows us to thermoregulate so we don’t overheat, even when we exercise or during intense physical activity. However, cats and dogs lack the inability to sweat the way that we do.
Instead, they pant in order to allow excess heat disperse from their body as a way to regulate their core body temperature. Panting causes excessive heat to be lost via the large surface area of the tongue and by the warm air expelled from the body. Although dogs typically release heat by panting, this may not always be enough to cool down. As a result, your beloved pet can quickly become overheated (a condition called heat stroke), if not acclimated. Heat stroke is a serious and life-threatening condition which requires immediate veterinary care and stabilization by a veterinarian. Heat stroke induces coagulofibrinolytic activation, which leads to life-threatening disseminated intravascular coagulation, or DIC and eventually death. But who has time for complex medical jargon in this heat? All you need to know as pet owners is that prevention is the best cure for heat stroke.
- Here are some tips to prevent heat stroke in your beloved pets:
– Keep your pet inside in an air-conditioned space
– Keep your furry friends hydrated by having cool water available at all times
– Never leave your pet in the car on hot or humid days, even with the windows down
– Limit outdoor activity, including walks, during hot and humid days
– Walk dogs only during cooler hours of the day, such as early morning or late evening
– Never leave your pet unsupervised outside on hot and humid days
If you think your pet may be experiencing heat exhaustion or heat stroke, please seek immediate veterinary attention. In the mean time, you can also pour cool or room temperature water on your pet. Do not drape wet towels on your pet as towels can serve as insulation and therefore trap additional heat between your pet’s fur and the towels during the process of evaporation. Bring your pet inside in an air-conditioned room and put a fan near your pet to promote active cooling. Offer your pet cool water but do not force your pet to drink water. If you’re unsure of whether or not your pet has heat stroke, please bring your pet to your veterinarian or a veterinary emergency hospital immediately for stabilization. It is advisable to contact your veterinarian in advance or en route so that the veterinary team can be prepared to assist you when your pet arrives to the hospital.
Content provided by Hanh Dao, BA, AS, CVT, VTS-ECC