As temperatures soar, it’s essential to keep pets safe from heat exhaustion and stroke. Alex Crow, a licensed veterinary surgeon, advises pet owners to be extra cautious, especially with flat-faced dogs and overweight dogs, as they are more prone to overheating.

Three Hacks to Keep Pets Cool

Crow shares his top three hacks to keep pets cool: freezing food and water fountains, keeping them inside, and investing in a cooling mat. He explains that adding water to dog food and freezing it is an effective way to keep pets cool and can work as an enrichment activity for dogs. He also recommends leaving plenty of water available and using water fountains for cats, as they prefer fresh and moving water.

Crow advises pet owners to keep their dogs inside, especially on mildly warm days, as asphalt can get very hot and cause ulcerated sore paws. He suggests doing the ‘sidewalk test’ to check if the asphalt is too hot for a dog’s paws. For cats, Crow says it’s generally okay to let them out during a heatwave, as they are good at self-regulating their body temperature and can find shade and cold spots.

Crow also recommends investing in a cooling mat, which can help absorb heat and dissipate it. He explains that animals will naturally be drawn to these mats, and they can be placed in a pet’s favorite cool spots in the house.

Signs of Overheating and What to Do

Crow warns that the most obvious sign of overheating is panting very heavily and frantically, especially if the pet hasn’t been exerting themselves. Other signs include red or dark gums, wobbliness, collapsing, vomiting, drooling, and open-mouth breathing in cats. If a pet is overheating, Crow advises owners to cool them down first by pouring cold water over them or using a damp towel before taking them to the vet.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.