3 On Your Side: Summer Heat Warning For Pet Owners
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Hot temperatures and humidity can make us all miserable. But the weather can take a different, sometimes more serious toll on pets. So 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan has some summer reminders for pet owners.
When a heat wave hits, you want to limit your pet's exercise and provide ample water and shade, but there are other things to consider too.
K.C. Theisen, Director of Pet Care Issues for The Humane Society of the United States says when the temperature soars, think about paws on the pavement. According to Theisen, "If you can't put your hand down on the pavement or the surface your pets going to be on, and hold it there comfortably, they can't hold their feet their comfortably necessarily."
She suggests walking pets on the grass in that case or waiting until things cool down, especially since dogs and cats don't sweat the same way humans do to cool down.
Dogs love to cool off in the water. But Theisen says you need to watch pets just like you watch children. Never leave them unattended, and note when they need help getting out of the water. If they take a dip in a pool, they should get a rinse afterwards. Theisen says, "Because a lot of pools are chlorinated with chemicals, you want to do a fresh water rinse, either with the hose or in the shower when your pet comes out. Because our pets self-groom and lick their fur and lick their feet and we don't want them ingesting those chemicals from the pools."
Finally, when a pet comes along for a quick errand, never leave them behind. It is deadly to leave your pet in a car during the summertime. On an 85-degree day the temperature inside a car, even with the windows opened slightly, can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes.