Countywide : Hot-Weather Perils to Pets Pointed Out

Veterinarians are warning pet owners that even simple activities such as afternoon walks can harm an animal during the current heat wave.

Dogs and cats not only are saddled with fur all year, but they lack the sweat glands that regulate the body temperatures of humans. Heat stroke is a common result without shade, water and the common sense of their owners, according to animal shelters.

“A lot of people just don’t realize that when they leave for work and tie their dogs up in the shade that in the mid-day that shade is gone,� said Lt. Marie Hulett-Curtner of the Orange County Animal Shelter in Orange. “Then they come home in the evening and the shade is back again. So they just don’t know.�

Dogs and cats both require at least double the water that they drink in winter, Hulett-Curtner said. Since dogs have been known to knock their bowls over, she advised putting a second bowl, or even a bucket, in another spot.

The best protection for dogs is access to a cool garage. And do not tie the dog up unless that is absolutely necessary, she added.

That afternoon walk, unpleasant for humans in the heat, can be overwhelming for dogs, said Eileen Pinder of the Orange County Humane Society in Costa Mesa. “Not only that, but the heat of the pavement is so hot on their little paw pads that it can actually burn the skin off,� she added.

It is best to avoid any activity with the dog during the heat of mid-day.

One of the worst things an owner can do is lock a pet in the car, even for a short time. “A car becomes like an oven when it’s parked,� Hulett-Curtner said. “Dogs can suffer brain damage within minutes.�

Shelter workers will come to a car as soon as called and will break the windows if necessary to rescue a pet. Owners can then face prosecution for cruelty to animals, she said.

Once heat stroke occurs, the dog or cat will pant excessively, collapse and may vomit or have diarrhea from the shock, dehydration and brain swelling, said veterinarian Thomas W. Beighlie with Norwalk’s Animal Emergency and Referral Center.

Owners should treat this as an emergency, he and others said. Cool the dog down by putting wet towels on the legs, head and tail, but do not immerse the entire body, Beighlie said. That can send the body temperature below normal, which brings on a whole new set of complications.

The animal should then be taken to a veterinarian.