Keep your Pets Cool this Summer
By Christina Kilby

It's 90 in the shade. You have locked yourself out of the house and are trapped in your very secure backyard. Your spouse and kids are gone for the day. Your neighbors are out of town on vacation. It's hot, very hot. Even in the shade, you're sweating bullets. You look around for somewhere to cool off. You see your wooden tool shed and figure that it must be better than this. It's slightly cooler, but stuffy and stale. In fact, it's trapping the hot air! You rush back outside. You are starting to get thirsty! Of course you didn't bring water with you, because you didn't expect to be trapped in the backyard! You spot something glistening off the faucet attached to your hose. The knob won't turn, but it has a small leak! You lay on the ground trying to get water until the concrete patio becomes too hot to tolerate lying on. You go back under the giant elm tree to rest in the shade. You are beginning to yell for help! It's been 4 hours already. No one comes. No one hears you. You lie in a patch of mud in under the tree to help cool off...

Now add a hefty layer of fur and lose all of the sweat glands in your body (with the exception of those on the pads of your feet) and you know how your dog or cat feels when left outside in the summer! Summer heat is miserable for everyone, but please consider how your pet is handling the weather to ensure his or her happiness and safety. If your pet spends most of their time outside, consider bringing them in to enjoy the air-conditioning with you! If you don't have air-conditioning, consider pointing a fan or two their way. Give your pet access to tile or hardwood floors, which are much cooler than carpet.

Coat Color:
If your pet has a dark coat, their fur will absorb more heat and they will get hotter faster. Make sure that they have lots of shade. Pets with white or very light coats also need special consideration. They are more prone to sunburn and developing skin cancer.

Age or physical condition:
Your older or overweight pet can't handle the heat like their younger and fitter counterparts. Make sure they have plenty of water and shade. If you have a pet with a short nose, like a Pug or Himalayan, they have a more difficult time cooling off. Leave them inside if possible and out of the sun.

Heatstroke:

• To help prevent heatstroke, be sure to provide your pet with clean water at all times and change the water daily.
• Your pet should have several locations available for shade. The tree that provides perfect shade at 11 am may be burning up when the sun changes its position in the sky.
• Avoid exercise on extremely hot days. Remember, your pet can't sweat like you can!
• Provide your pet with a children's swimming pool! Many pets love playing in the water and it provides them with a way to cool off if necessary.
• Fill a gallon container with water and freeze it. Place it in your backyard in a shady spot or your pet's cage so they can lean against it and cool down. You can also place the frozen bottle in front of a fan inside your house or patio to create a breeze of cold air. Just be sure to place a pan underneath the bottle to collect the water as it melts or you will have quite the mess on your hands!
• Avoid hot pavement and sidewalks when walking your dog. Paws burn!

Leaving your pet in a car:
DON'T DO IT!
Does more really need to be said? OK. Then remember this one fact. If it is 85 degrees outside, the temperature in your car can reach 120 degrees or more within minutes, even with the windows cracked open. Your pet could sustain heatstroke or even brain damage. Is it really that important to you to take Fluffy along while you run your errands? Save her life and leave her at home where it's cooler.

Flying with your pet:
Avoid flying with your pet in cargo at any time of the year. The dangers have been well documented and are too numerous to address here. However, it is especially important to avoid placing your pet in the cargo hold of an airplane during the summer. Not only are animals accidentally left on the tarmac where temperatures can skyrocket, but the cargo hold is generally not temperature regulated. Would you like to be in a crate in cargo in the middle of an August heat wave? Neither would your pet.

Contact your vet immediately if your pet is exhibiting any of these symptoms:

• Profuse panting
• Excessive salivation
• Is staring and unresponsive
• Warm, dry skin
• High fever
• High heart rate
• Muscle weakness
• Is unable to move
• Has collapsed

While on your way to the vet, you can help cool your pet's body temperature by using rubbing alcohol on the pads of their feet. You may also spray your pet with cool, not cold, water or apply ice packs to the head, neck and abdomen.

Treat your pet this summer the way you would like to be treated. Set them up inside, with air conditioning and a nice cold margarita! Wait a minute…maybe the margarita part isn't such a good idea since alcohol is poisonous to pets. Let them watch you drink the margarita then! Have a great summer!

Christina Kilby is currently the Secretary of Valley Cats Inc. and has worked with numerous animal rescue organizations in the Los Angeles area. She is also the owner of Folk Tails, an online gift store for pet lovers that donates 10% of all proceeds to rescue organizations.

Editor's note: Christina has donated this article at no cost to AnimalForum.com. Please support her by visiting and purchasing items from her Web site, Folk Tails, so that AnimalForum can continue to bring you informative content.