Summer can be brutal on pets, make sure to keep them cool

Summer has arrived and the first days of the season are seeing the heat index in the triple digits in some areas.  Those temps are not just brutal on humans, but on the four-legged family members as well.  Louisiana Humane Society Director Jeff Dorson says with the mercury rising, so do the phone calls about pets being tied up in the heat.

“Dogs are social creatures, they love to be the party of the family.  Please don’t leave them outside, tied to a tree, unattended.  Bring them inside.  As you are cooler, they would appreciate it too,” said Dorson.

Dorson recommends making sure pets are properly hydrated and if they do have to stay outside, looking into finding them shade or even getting them a small pool of water in which to help keep them cool.

Dorson says vets are already treating pets for burns to their paws from hot pavement.

“The sidewalks and pavements are already so hot because they absorb heat, that the pads of their paws are being burned and they are having to be treated at vet clinics already here in June,” said Dorson.

Dorson says the most egregious offense is leaving pets in cars unattended as it only takes a few minutes for the heat to cause organ failure and kill an animal.

“The temperature in a car is anywhere from ten to twenty degrees hotter than outside, so you can imagine that with no airflow, no ventilation, plus they are wearing a fur coat,” said Dorson.