06/25/2024
Hi, Friends! Here in Randolph County, we currently have a heat advisory issued until Tuesday of next week! Today we have some information about how to keep your furry friends happy and healthy during high temperature days!
SYMPTOMS OF HEAT STROKE IN PETS: Heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, excessive thirst, lethargy, fever, dizziness, lack of coordination, profuse salivation, vomiting, a deep red or purple tongue, seizure and unconsciousness. Animals are at particular risk for heat stroke if they are very old, very young, overweight, not conditioned to prolonged exercise, or have heart or respiratory disease. Some breeds of dogs—like boxers, pugs, shih tzus and other dogs and cats with short muzzles—will have a much harder time breathing in extreme heat.
To treat heatstroke in a pet, move your pet into the shade or an air-conditioned area. Apply ice packs or cold towels to their head, neck and chest or run cool (not cold) water over them. Let them drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes. Take them directly to a veterinarian.
- If you have your pets outside in the heat, make sure that they have access to shade and clean, cool water. Also make sure to limit their activity on days with high heat.
- Never leave your pet in a hot car with windows up!
- If you notice your dog panting excessively, get them into an air conditioned area as quickly as possible.
- Cats are NOT supposed to pant. If you see your cat panting, take them inside immediately and if the panting persists for more than a few minutes, take them to a veterinary clinic.
- High humidity can amplify the heat's impact on your pets' health. According the the US Humane Society, "When animals pant, moisture from their lungs evaporates and helps reduce their body heat. But high humidity conditions hamper that process and their ability to cool themselves, and their body temperature can skyrocket—rapidly—to dangerous, or even lethal, levels."
Above information and more about your pets' safety can be found below:
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/keep-pets-safe-heat #:~:text=Never%20leave%20your%20pets%20in%20a%20parked%20car&text=On%20an%2085%2Ddegree%20day,irreversible%20organ%20damage%20or%20die.
