And you hear me say it everyday throughout the Summer months, “Wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, and take breaks indoors during peak heating hours”. While these tips may seem simple, they are extremely helpful in preventing heat-related illnesses in humans. But did you know that your pet can also develop heat exhaustion and heat stroke just like we can? In this week’s Weather Ready Nation Report, we focus on how to protect our furry friends from the scorching heat.
“Pets are just like people……..They want to be inside in the air conditioning so if you can, have them inside. If you can’t, make sure you have a place of shade that is going to stay shady all day long. Not a place of shade that’s going to be moving throughout the day because that’s not going to stay cool enough for them.”
West Texas is no stranger to hot temperatures with triple digits returning to the forecast this past week and for many more days to come in the future. What people don’t realize is that when the air temperature reaches 100 degrees fahrenheit, the pavement can get much hotter.
“Hot pavement hurts. It hurts a lot. One rule of thumb is if you cannot hold the back of your hand to the pavement for five seconds, it is too hot for your pets paws. It’s going to burn and so don’t take them out.”
Also make sure they have plenty of water throughout the day. Just like us, if they are out in the sun more, they require more liquids to stay hydrated. Finally, while having a fur coat can cause your pups to overheat faster, it does serve as a natural sun barrier so make sure to NOT shave that furry coat because it could cause more harm than good.
Other ways to keep your pets cool is to give them pupsicles – ice cubes with treats, fruit, or toys inside or fill up a kiddy pool with water – but make sure it doesn’t go past their bellies because there are some breeds that can’t swim. For more information, make sure to visit everything Lubbock Dot com and click on the Weather Ready Nation tab under the weather section.
