Summer is rolling around, which means temperatures are rising. This is an important time to remind yourself what heat exhaustion looks like in pets, and what you can do to avoid it. Check out our tips below.

Heat Exhaustion

According to Mayo Clinic, heat exhaustion is a condition where the body begins to dramatically overheat. This can happen in both humans and animals. It is a bit easier to tell when a human is in heat exhaustion because they can speak to you. That is why it’s so important to know the signs in animals before it’s too late.

Symptoms

If any of these symptoms occur, you need to get your pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible. If you try to deal with these symptoms on your own without proper tools can put your pet in more harm and stress. See a vet immediately is your pet,

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Noticeable bleeding or bruising
• Collapses
• Unresponsive
• Seizures

DO NOT

If you try certain ideas on your own, it can backfire and become extremely dangerous for them. Do not try these when your pet is suffering from heatstroke,

• Poor water into the mouth of a collapsed or unconscious pet
• Force animal to drink water
• Use ice water or an ice bath to cool pet
• Cool pet too fast or too far

Prevention

One way to ensure your pet will not suffer from heatstroke is prevention. Before you do anything with your pet, think to yourself, is it too hot for me? For example, if the pavement is too hot for your barefoot to touch, then your pet’s paw shouldn’t touch it either. Never leave your animal in a car, even with low-temperature days. The temperature in a car rises almost immediately with no air-conditioning to help keep it cool. Your pet can sustain brain damage or even worse, death, if left in a hot car for just five minutes. It is a slow and painful death, so just avoid the car at all costs unless you plan to be in it with the AC on. If the heat index is too high for people to be outside for more than a couple minutes, that applies to your animals too.

Do not leave your pet outdoors for extended periods of time, with little or no access to water, on warm summer days. Make sure your pets have direct and easy access to clean and cool water daily. Your dog loves to run around outside in your backyard, but on hot days, it can become deadly. If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for your pet too.

For more information on heat exhaustion or heat stroke in pets, visit Andes-Straley Veterinarian Hospital online here. At Andes-Straley, we provide a variety of services including general veterinarian services, treatment plans, grooming, and more. If your animal suffers from heat exhaustion, call us immediately. If you would like to schedule an appointment, check us out online here or call us at (423) 378-4443 today.