12 Jun Get Your Paws Out of the Heat
We love taking our furry friends out for walks and they love it when we take them places. It’s fun to take them places, and watch the get all excited to explore and meet new people. California is currently heating up with the approach of summer and as responsible pet owners, we need to be prepared.
Pets can suffer from the heat just like us. They are not immune to the Sun’s rays. In fact they are more sensitive to it than we often realize. Heatstroke and hyperthermia are not uncommon conditions for pets in the warmer months. Leaving you pet in the car in triple digit heat is a very bad idea, but so is leaving them out in the heat. Your pet could suffer from heatstroke by being left in your car too long, or going for an extensive run in the sun. According to Fetch, a dog blog, it’s too hot for dogs to be outside when temperatures reach 85 degrees. When it is in the 80s pet owners should use caution when leaving their pets outside or taking them for runs. Even at a sunny 75 degrees, some pet breeds could suffer from the heat. Large pets are at a high risk in the heat as well as are breeds that are meant for the cold.
Just walking around on a hot day can cause your pet harm. This simple fact is something we forget because we wear shoes. Pets don’t have shoes, and only have the pads on their feet to protect them. Every pet is different, and can have different tolerance level for pain. Depending on their size, breed, weight, and fitness, pets vary in their ability to withstand the heat of the ground on their paws.
Hot pavement is not your pet’s friend. We often forget about pavement, and how hot it can actually get. There is a simple test to find out if it’s too hot for your pet. If you place your palm firmly on the ground for 11 seconds without any discomfort then it is safe for your pet. If you can’t even touch the ground because it too hot, then it’s too hot for your companion. In 87-degree heat, the pavement can heat up to 143 degrees. Pavement like asphalt absorbs the heat making it extremely hot to the touch.
The best rule of the thumb for determining if it’s too hot for your pets is: if it’s too hot for you, then it is definitely too hot for them. If you wouldn’t want to be outside for a long period of time, your pets don’t want to either. If you do find yourself caught outside when the temperatures rise, make sure your pets are staying hydrated and have foot protection for them. We love summer, and our pets, so let’s enjoy them together, safely.