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Caring for your pet during warm weather | Hastings Veterinary Clinic

Caring for your pet during warm weather

Burnaby Now July 2014 article

The warm, sunny weather is like a blessing, isn’t it! While it is a great time of the year to be out and about, we keep hearing horror stories about pets (and children) suffering, even dying, due to a lack of awareness or bad decision-making by caretakers. We are not used to consistently high temperatures and so it is important to be aware of how best to take care of pets on warm days. Here is a list of simple tricks to ensure your pet can enjoy the warm days best:

  1. Cold water and ice – Thumbs up. Contrary to recent false reports, dogs that lick ice or drink cold water do not face bloat or other gastrointestinal problems. It is a good way to keep cool and some dogs are encouraged to lick ice and maintain good hydration.
  2. Swimming and baths – Thumbs up. Swimming helps cool the body just like a bath. Remember to check if the lake or stream you may go to allows for dogs to be in the water.
  3. Trimming the fur – Thumbs up. It is okay to trim the fur of a long-haired cat or dog to help the skin “breathe” better and for them to be more comfortable. Trained pet groomers best perform trimming of hair without the risk of injuries. Shaving down to the skin is not advisable as pets may be more prone to skin damage from radiation.
  4. Access to drinking water– Thumbs up. It is best to replenish the water bowl a few times during a day to ensure access to fresh drinking water. This helps a pet maintain hydration.
  5. Provide shade to yard dogs – Thumbs up. It is best to keep your dog indoors if you do not have a shaded yard. Also, paved or concrete yards will heat up more so than grass or soil.
  6. Open windows with a screen – Thumbs up. It is important to have screened windows open for indoor only pets (unless of course, if you have an air-conditioned house). This helps maintain ventilation and the pet can choose to be by the window or another part of the house based on its comfort levels.
  7. Long runs and intense exercise – Thumbs down. If your pet is not used to rigorous activity, this is not the time to start. Wait for cooler days to train your dog. Dogs used to rigorous activity should be exercised during the early mornings or late evenings.
  8. Pets in parked cars – Thumbs down. During summer, our cars can heat up to dangerous levels within minutes even on cloudy days. Smart people learn from others mistakes and there are enough bad mistakes that have already been made with regards to overheated cars and pets (or babies). Let us not risk losing a companion to this obvious danger.

Have a wonderful and safe summer.

By – Dr. Bajwa,
Veterinarian at Hastings Veterinary Hospital, Burnaby.

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