Living in my own personal zoo (two cats and two dogs with a bevy of fish), summer heat is something that my family has to take into consideration especially since we don’t have air conditioning. Here are some tips for making sure your pets stay cool and healthy this summer.
Water
The importance of easy access to fresh water at all times is crucial, especially during the summer. If your animals are indoor/outdoor, make sure there is water outside as well as inside.
To keep the water cool, you can put ice cubes in it or, to help keep the supply fresh and cool, freeze a plastic container of water (such as a margarine container) and unmold the ice block into your pet’s water bowl. It will slowly melt, providing a supply of fresh, cool water. Animals can lick the ice, too, and cool their tongues (the tongue is the primary way a dog cools itself).
And water isn’t just for drinking. My golden retriever likes nothing better than sitting inside the wading pool to cool off. And on really, really hot days I’ve even caught our cats taking a quick walk through it too.
Shade
Shade is vital for keeping pets cool outdoors. If you have dogs and cats that are exclusively outdoors, make sure to provide shady areas besides just a doghouse or one tree. Remember, at noon one tree doesn’t provide much shade.
Grooming
This is probably obvious to most of you, but keeping your dog’s hair short in the summer can be the best thing you can do for your pet. My golden really seemed to appreciate the coolness as she sported her golden Labrador Retriever look last summer. (And I definitely appreciated not having to vacuum all the shedding hair.)
In or Out?
If you have pets that are indoor and outdoor, try to restrict outside time (especially exercise time, like brisk walks) to early morning and evening, when the sun is not strong or is even below the horizon.
If you have to walk them during other times during the day, I take the dogs on an abbreviated walk — instead of doing our regular mile I’ll do a quarter of a mile and try to make up the difference in the evening.
Signs of Heatstroke
Heatstroke is a dangerous condition that your pets can develop after long hours (or even minutes) in the heat. In dogs, heatstroke is signified by excessive panting, agitated behavior, rapid heartbeat, fever, and lethargy.
Cats are a bit different – panting for more than a moment or two is cause for concern in felines, as are rapid pulse, agitation (like pacing), and fever. Ironically, cats may stop drinking or drink very little when experiencing heatstroke. (Cats always want to be special don’t they?)
If you suspect heatstroke here’s what you need to do:
- Get your dog out of the sun right away and into air conditioning if possible.
- Bathe your dog in cool water or cooled peppermint tea and wrap him in cool, wet towels.
- Cats should also be removed from the sun and heat, and placed in the shade in front of a fan or in an air conditioned room or vehicle.
- Try to get cold water into your cat by dropping ice water into the edge of the mouth.
Fish
I was going to skip the fish, but Cat in the Hat (the mayor of our fish tank) took exception so here’s a fish tip — monitor the heat of the water inside of your tank during the summer months.
Fish like a consistent temperature so keep the tank out of direct sunlight. The ideal temperature for most fish-only aquarium is between 76 degrees and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. If you only have fish, the aquarium is stocked properly, and you only need about a 2 to 6 degree temperature drop, here’s a few things you can try:
- Buy an air conditioner! Sometimes this is the only solution.
- When the water heats up, the oxygen level in the water can drop, so aerate your tank with a strong air pump. It will also aid heat exchange at the surface.
- If your aquarium is well-covered, open the covers on your tank, and place nylon netting over the openings to prevent fish from jumping out. This allows heat to escape. You can aid this process further by directing the air-flow of a small fan across the top of the tank.
- Close the shades on windows in the room. Even indirect sunlight will raise the room temperature by a degree or two and every little bit helps.
Now, I’m far from being a fish expert, but the guys over at Aquarium Pros are, so if you have questions I recommend you give them a visit.
Cars
No discussion of summer pet safety is complete without a warning about leaving pets in hot cars. Even if “it’s not that hot” or “it’s just for a minute,” do not ever leave your pet in a car on a sunny day. Even with windows partly down (most pet owners can’t leave the windows all the way down because their pet would escape), the heat in a car can kill your pet in a matter of minutes.
So, how do you plan on keeping your pets cool this summer?
