The most common hot-weather hazard for our pets is OVERHEATING—because of excessive environmental heat and humidity, because of weather conditions, or because of being enclosed in an unventilated room, vehicle, or grooming dryer cage. Older and unhealthy pets are most susceptible, as are the very young. Short-nosed, flat-faced breeds and pets with thick hair coats also are more likely to suffer. Dehydration, insufficient water intake, and restricted access to water can also be causes. So can excessive exercise.
Pets that eliminate heat by panting, like dogs, have some sweat glands in their footpads that help with heat dissipation, but when panting isn’t enough, their body temperature rises. If not remedied immediately, that can be fatal.
Pets suffering from heatstroke display several signs:
- Rapid panting
- Bright red tongue
- Red or pale gums
- Thick, sticky saliva
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Vomiting
The first and most important thing to do when you see those signs, of course, is to remove the animal from the hot environment.
- Cool the pet with a garden hose or place it in a pool or tub of cool water.
- Apply a cold pack to the animal’s head to help lower his body temperature. Use a package of frozen vegetables!
- Let the animal drink as much cool water as it wants.
- Get immediate veterinary attention. Heat stroke can cause serious problems like kidney failure, swelling of the brain, and the abnormal clotting of blood.
- In your vehicle on the way to the veterinarian, keep the windows open and the air conditioning on.
Even when you take the greatest care to not let your pet overheat, the outdoors offers many other warm-weather hazards. TICKS AND FLEAS are very common. Ask your veterinarian about preventive measures to keep these critters from climbing aboard your pet in the first place and, while you’re at it, learn how to remove ticks safely from your pet’s body (and your own)!
The Partnership for Animal Welfare offers these tips for HIKING AND OTHER OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES with your dog:
- Check your dog’s footpads every day, no matter where you hike or camp.
- Check for thistles, debris, or soreness along the way. Bag Balm® and Vaseline® are two good choices for soothing raw paw pads. Check fur, paws, nose, the eye area, and ears for foxtails (see below). Also check for ticks.
- Be very cautious in areas with cliffs, gulches, canyons, caves, big rocks, etc. Many dogs have no concept of height, and they can slip under railings. Some have drowned in geyser areas. Keep your dog close to you.
- Do not let your dog wander into the brush. He can pick up the oils from poison ivy and other plants and transfer the oils to you. Plus you want to minimize his chances of exposure to ticks and wild animals.
- When your dog potties on a trail, bury it.
- Keep watch for piles of feces, whether from other dogs or wildlife. Animal feces carry any number of germs and parasites. Near the water, they may be subject to toxins from dead fish or other pollutants.
- Make sure your dog has access to shade and to a clean, non-tippable bowl of fresh water. Dogs are uncomplaining partners, so you need to pay attention to make sure your pet is not suffering from too much sun, heat, exercise, or thirst.
If your dog is BITTEN BY A SNAKE:
- Keep the pet calm and still.
- Do not manipulate the bitten area any more than necessary.
- Do not cut over the fang marks.
- Do not ice-pack or tourniquet the area.
- Try to identify the type of snake.
- Carry the pet if possible.
- Get to a vet as soon as possible
Another hot-weather hazard in many areas is the FOXTAIL. The AKC offers these tips on foxtails and other “mean seeds”:
“Mean seeds” is a term that has been coined to refer to foxtails or any number of plants, which include Canada wild rye and cheatgrass, that have barbed grass awns. Dogs may pick up a grass awn on an ear, paw, eye, or nose. They can be particularly dangerous, causing pneumonia, if inhaled. The barbs allow the seed to continuously move forward, spreading bacteria that cause infections. Grass-awn disease is a growing problem among hunting dogs, but any dog could come in contact with these plants.
Here are a few measures that might prevent the worst outcome.
- If possible, avoid areas where you see foxtails.
- After walking through any area where foxtails are growing, check your dog for visible seeds, especially between the toes.
- If your dog starts to exhibit strange symptoms of illness, especially sneezing or breathing problems, see your vet and mention that you’ve been in a place where foxtails were growing.
- Learn about the plants and the pathology. A good site is The Grass Awn Project.
Many dogs enjoy SWIMMING in pools, lakes, and rivers.
I’ve heard recently from several sources about one unpleasant—and for the dog, very painful—result of combining a dog who’s been in water long enough to soften his paw pads with that same dog’s then running around on concrete, hot pavement, or rough gravel.
Because the usually tough skin of the pads has been softened by exposure to the water, the pads tear very easily on hard, rough surfaces (like the patio around a pool) and the dog ends up with raw pads on which it is unable to walk.
One solution is doggy boots, which are also great for dogs who must walk on hot pavement any time. However, take care to remove those boots frequently so that your dog’s protected pads can “sweat” as they should to keep the dog from overheating.
Otherwise, keep dogs who’ve recently been swimming on grass or soft dirt, and keep their activity after swimming at a minimum so their pads can dry out and toughen up again. Ask your veterinarian for advice if you think water-softened pads might be a problem for your dog.
