Safeguard Your Dog from Summer Heat

by Loree Walden, Marketing Manager, Yavapai Humane Society

Here are tips to keep your four-legged family member safe and healthy this summer:

• Give appropriate care during the hot summer months: proper grooming, sun protection and precautions to prevent heat stroke.
• Learn signs of heatstroke. Symptoms include elevated body temperature, vigorous panting, unsteady gait, physical depression or agitation, thick saliva or froth, rigid posture, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, collapsing and signs of shock. If any of these symptoms appear, contact your veterinarian immediately.
• Beware hot asphalt. It absorbs enough heat to injure the extra thick flesh on a dog’s paw. Hold the back of your hand on the ground for seven seconds, if it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them. The best thing is to try to restrict outdoor activities to the cool hours of early morning or late evening.
• Never leave a dog in the car.