Ways to Prevent Pets Suffering the Dangers from Excessive Heat

Long, summer days are the perfect time of the year to spend time with your pet. However, a veterinarian at Oak Grove Veterinary Hospital in San Jose might suggest spending more time indoors with your furry friend if the weather is warm and humid. This measure will prevent your pet from suffering the dangers of excessive heat.

As a pet owner, you have several precautionary measures available to prevent your four-legged companion from contracting heat stroke due to the extreme heat conditions. Here are some suggestions:

Caring for Pets in the Outdoors

In general, pets can handle warm, humid days if they're given plenty of water, shade and air circulation. If you're going to spend some time outside on a patio or backyard, then make sure to create a shady place or set up a canopy for your pet lay down under. Try not to obstruct the airflow from coming through. Also, be mindful of not over-exercising your pet in extreme heat conditions.

Most animal hospitals that care San Jose pets suggest keeping them off hot asphalt as their too close to the ground and the animal's body will heat up quickly. Pets with flat faces like pug dogs or Persian cats are susceptible to dangers from excessive heat than any other animals. Most veterinarians would suggest keeping them in a cool, well air-conditioned room during extremely hot days.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke in Pets

Heatstroke is a very common occurrence in pets as their normal body functions cannot keep their body temperature in a safe, healthy range. Unfortunately, pets don't have the capacity to sweat like a human being, which assists with cooling a person down when they're overheated.

There are known symptoms to watch out for in pets suffering from a heat stroke as you'll notice excessive panting or breathing, drooling, mild tenderness or sudden collapsing when walking around your home. If your pet's body temperature exceeds 106 degrees, call for immediate medical attention because if left unattended their condition could escalate into seizures.

Pets get dehydrated quickly, so have plenty of cold water available and add ice to their water bowl on warm, humid days.

Oak Grove Veterinary Hospital is the premier veterinarian service in the San Jose area. You can call us at 402-227-1661 to schedule an appointment today!