Please do not leave your pet in a hot car or outside when the temperature gets uncomfortable. Remember, it's much hotter inside the car and the temperature inside rises much faster.
Here is a Vehicle Temperature Chart from VeterinaryClinic.com.
If you find a dog trapped inside a vehicle and it's in distress, call your local Animal Control or Police Department, immediately.
For Shasta County, Redding, and Anderson, CA, the numbers are: City of Redding (530) 241-2550 (24-7) Shasta County (530) 245-6065 (24-7) If in the city of Anderson and its after hours or weekends call Anderson Police Dept (530)378-6600.
To see if it is safe to take your dog outside for a walk place the back of your hand on the ground for 12 seconds. If it is uncomfortable for you then it is too hot for your dog's paws. When it is 77 degrees outside, the asphalt in the sun is 125. (You can fry an egg at 131 degrees.)
Outdoor Summer Fun For Your Pet
Make an ice treat for your dog.
If you are leaving the house to enjoy a 4th of July celebration, please make sure your dog is in a safe stress-free environment. Fireworks can be scary and coming home to a house destroyed by a scared dog or cat can be very frustrating. Put your dog in a bathroom, laundry room etc. with toys and a radio to muffle outdoor sounds. This works great for my blind dogs -- they like hits from the 80s best. Also remember your outside animals. Fireworks are no fun for horses or goats, either.
What to do if your dog gets over-heated.
The following copyrighted information is from http://www.paw-rescue.org, used for nonprofit purposes only.
* Heat Stroke Prevention and Treatment: Heat stroke can be brought on by activity as well as confinement outside in the heat, and the effects can be devastating. Be aware of the signs of heat stroke:
** Excessive panting
** Labored breathing that may signal upper airway obstruction
** Bright red mucous membranes in the gums or eyes and/or bright red tongue
** Lethargy and weakness
** High body temperature
** Collapsing and seizures, even coma
If you notice any of these signs, get your pet inside and place a cool, wet towel over him or submerge him in cool or lukewarm water. Do not use ice, which can damage skin.
Take your pet's temperature using a rectal thermometer. If the animal's temperature exceeds 105 F, get medical attention at once.
Provide drinking water, but do not force an animal to drink. You can apply rubbing alcohol on the skin and feet pads as a cooling agent.
FYI, dogs cool themselves by panting; this draws air over the moist membranes of the nose and tongue and cools by evaporation. But panting works only for short periods. Prolonged panting endangers the metabolic system. In addition, high humidity interferes with the ability of panting to cool the body.
* This information is not a substitute for veterinary care. Contact your veterinarian or emergency animal hospital immediately for any potentially serious injury, condition or illness.
Dogs aren't the only animals to suffer from the heat. Here are some links for ideas to make your other animals more comfortable this summer:
