Oakland County pet owners encouraged to keep animals out of the heat
Published: Monday, May 20, 2013
By MEGAN SEMERAZ
Megan.Semeraz@oakpress.com; @MeganSemeraz
With temperatures nearing 90 degrees, the Animal Care Network is warning pet owners to keep pets out of the heat.
The organization recently has found animals in Pontiac that have been suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
Heat stroke can happen in as little as 10 minutes, said Pam Porteous of the Animal Care Network.
“On days like today when it’s hot or humid, you should not walk your dog, you should not take them in the car with you,” Porteous said. “If they are kept outside they should be kept in the shade and have fresh water.”
Signs of heat stroke in a pet include increase temperature, panting and thick saliva, dark red gums, unwillingness to get up, collapses or loss of consciousness and disorientation and dizziness.
If a pet does encounter suffer from heat stroke, owners should take them to the veterinarian immediately. They should never be submerged into cold water because it can be very harmful to them.
“If that’s not a possibly, they should try to slowly cool them down, with not a cold, cold water, but with a cool washcloth,” Porteous said.
“Outdoor animals are a huge problem too, animals that are on a chain they don’t have access to shade … they are at mercy of their owners,” Porteous said.
Porteous said one way to keep animals cool is to fill up kiddie pools. She said she was doing that for her dogs on Monday afternoon, just as the dogs began digging holes in her yard to keep cool.
“Our best, safest, most inexpensive route is just to keep them at home … to avoid any bad accidents or trauma to them,” Porteous said.
