Keeping pets safe in the heat

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - The heat is no joke this week, and if it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for your pet.

So, before you go for your walk, you may want to take some precautions.

Joyce Shebley is doing everything she can to keep her dog Merlin entertained.

“We let him outside for a little bit and run around and go to the pool and jump in the pool, you can’t take him out of the pool, that’s his favorite place,” she said.

Merlin usually loves to play outside, but with temperatures closing in on triple digits she’s being more careful.

“We’re trying to do it in the morning as much as possible because in the afternoon it’s just so hot for him,” she explained.

Veterinarian Alexandra Chaney said this heat takes an extreme toll on dogs, especially.

“The biggest issue we run into is they just can’t sweat like us humans can to relieve all of that extra heat, so we see dogs even with temperatures cooler than what it is now having issues of heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” Chaney said.

Dr. Chaney has already seen two cases of heatstroke this summer. She said both were before temperatures started soaring.

“A lot of times the first signs we see in our pets is excessive panting, just not able to quite catch their breath and quite cool down, their gums get quite red, we can even sometimes see more severe signs like seizures, vomiting, drooling,” she said.

Chaney suggested taking shorter walks with your pet, using the grass instead of pavement and making sure there is plenty of cold water and shade.

Shebley said her dog is extremely active so even after a short time outside, he’s hard to calm down.

“Definitely a lot of water, we have a lot of water for him,” she said.

Dr. Chaney also said if you’re worried your pet is showing signs of heatstroke, cool them down with water as quick as you can and make sure you take them to your vet if it’s an emergency.

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