To keep your pet happy and cool:
Paw Care is important! Dogs and cats have sensitive pads on the bottom of their paws, these can easily burn on hot pavement (parking lots & sidewalks) or sand. Their paws can burn and blister! Walk your dog in grass. Mist his paws. This is the only place animals sweat, making them prone to heat stroke. Spray your dogs paws with cool water and use a cool moist cloth for cats.
Keep your pet groomed! Matted coats retain excess heat. Brush them often to keep them tangle free. Keeping your pets coat clipped to one inch in length will help with grooming also. Invest in a set of clippers and do it yourself to save money. I purchased a set of clippers for $100. I was money ahead after I clipped my two poodles myself twice.
NEVER LEAVE AN ANIMAL IN A PARKED CAR! Even when a car is parked in the shade with the windows cracked, the temperature can rise to over 120 in a matter of a few minutes.
Twice in the last three years I have seen dogs left in cars (with windows cracked) in parking lots. Both times I called Animal Control, stayed there until they showed up, which took them 10-15 minutes and the owner was still no where in sight. Both times they alerted store managers who announced over the intercom for the owners to report back to their vehicle, where they were given citations. Have you ever reported anyone? The first time I did, I was very uneasy, and kept thinking, "It's none of your business, don't be so nosey" but then I asked myself, "IF it were a child, would you keep walking?"
Outside pets must have access to shade and fresh cool water at all times. One thing that I found hard to make both my sons understand during their summer feeding chores was that even though their dogs have water, it heats up quickly in such a small container. The dogs will not drink HOT water.
What's your favorite summer time pet tip? Do you have a "pet" peeve?
Lucky, Teddy and I hope you and your fur babies have a great safe summer.
And my boys say don't forget, make some summer time cool treats for your fur babies too! Just freeze some no/low sodium beef or chicken broth in ice cube trays, a chunk of watermelon, or balls of cantaloupe to munch on (outside of course). Your furbaby will love you even more! PS... Here is a great resource for all animal lovers!
Merck Online Vet Manual
Our outside (feral) cats have all gone elsewhere (my gut feeling is that they found new homes, not that any harm came to them), so I don't have to worry now about them having plenty of cool water.
ReplyDeleteOur inside cats like having a couple of ice cubes in their water bowls. They like to play around with them for a while, then drink the cool water.
Very cute doggies! My biggest problem is keeping the dirt and bugs out of my outside cats' water.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of homemade treats to cool down hot dogs! For more ideas to keep dogs happy and healthy while living the frugal life, have a look at http://www.thriftydog.net/
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