Top Tips On How To Help Your Pets Cope With The Heat

Even considering that in nature animals have adapted perfectly and easily tolerate both heat and cold, pets suffer greatly from temperature changes. Especially in the conditions of a city apartment: they cannot find a shade with a draft, dig a cold mink for themselves and hide from the suffocating heat.

Pets on the run can also be in danger. Hot weather is dangerous for animals with sun or heat stroke.

So how to help our smaller brothers? Read the list of tips below.

What are the signs of overheating of the animal and how to provide first aid?

Lethargy, salivation, shuffling gait, hot body – all these are symptoms of sun or heat stroke.

If the animal becomes sick, you need to moisten its forehead, armpits, and paws. Blow with a fan and give water. If this happens on the street, move the animal to the shade – it’s important to exclude sunlight.

Throwing into the water or pouring cold water on the animal when the impact has already occurred is forbidden. This becomes a big burden on the cardiovascular system, causing the risk of pulmonary edema due to a sharp temperature drop.

Heatstroke can last for a short time – about ten minutes. But if the animal cannot recover for an hour or more, you need to see a doctor.

How to help your pet endure hot days?

#1. Travel long distances in an air-conditioned car

If you have a long trip ahead of you, use your car instead of public transport. If you don’t have your own car, rent it for the comfort of your pet. Rented cars can be pretty cheap, believe us. Just look how much it costs to rent a car in Deira (and this, by the way, in the luxurious emirates, where every second car is rented). In any case, do not be stingy, the comfort of the pet is more important.

#2. Never EVER leave your pet in the car

Most people don’t even realize how quickly the temperature inside a car can rise in hot weather. Air conditioning won’t help. First, in order for the air conditioner to work, you will need to leave the car in a parking lot with the engine running, which is no longer safe. Secondly, when the car is stopped with a warm engine and the air conditioner turned on, the engine temperature rises sharply, due to which the air conditioner may stop working and soon not cold, but hot air will begin to flow into the passenger compartment.

#3. Leave the access to bathrooms 

It is better to leave the doors of bathrooms and toilets open – it is usually a little cooler there than in the rest of the apartment. Animals that don’t go out for a walk should be able to move freely around the apartment. Dog owners can fill a shallow basin or other container with water at home, in which the pet can bathe if desired.

#4. Turn on the air conditioner and fan

Cool air prevents overheating. Don’t be afraid that the animal will get cold, it will independently determine where in the apartment it is more comfortable for it to be.

#5. Adjust walking

It is necessary to adjust the time of walking – early in the morning, late in the evening. If you are used to walking your dog during the day, try to go out for a short time and stay in the shade. Always take water with you.

Keep in mind that if the dog has a stroke, you will have to carry it on yourself. Therefore, if the animal is large, calculate your strength in advance. It is better not to walk in secluded places, not to stay in an open field.

It is also forbidden to go for a walk in a muzzle – due to the impossibility of opening the mouth wide, the dog cannot restore normal heat exchange. 

#6. Ensure constant access to water!

It is necessary to ensure that the pet has free access to fresh water, not only in its favorite bowl, but also in every room, so that the pet has more opportunities to quench its thirst at any time. In the heat, the water quickly deteriorates, so it is recommended to change it at least once a day. You can also use special drinking fountains.

Under no circumstances should pets be left in hot weather in stuffy conditions. Take care of our little brothers. They only have us!

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