MOST owners will think twice before taking the dog out when temperatures are high and will also check the pavement with their hand in case it is too hot for pooches’ paws.
But there is one potentially fatal summer danger most pet owners aren’t aware of – humidity.
With the mercury set to rise again this weekend, Dr Karyn Kanowski, a vet who works with Catster magazine, says humidity is a hidden killer which causes more seriously ill dogs to be brought to her than high heat.
“Not having a walk won’t kill your dog but taking it for one just might,” she said.
“The most common mistake I see from dog owners is overestimating the heat but underestimating the danger humidity poses.
“Everyone knows not to take your dog out when it’s really hot. But if it’s 20 or 21 degrees, people will go for a dog walk.
“But if the humidity is up at 75 or 80 per cent, dogs will still get really hot when being exercised and can’t cool down.
“This is because they pant to cool down but if the air is humid the saliva doesn’t evaporate so the cooling mechanism fails.
“They essentially cook from the inside out.”
Dr Karyn originally trained in Australia and worked in Alice Springs. While out there, she rarely saw dogs with heatstroke, thanks to the heat being dry – and people being aware not to go out.
Since working in the UK, she’s seen several pooches die thanks to the humidity levels.
“A dog that does 10 mins of exercise on the 24 degree day with high humidity is more at risk than a dog doing the same on a 35 degree day at 20 per cent humidity, because the dog on the hotter day can cool down in the right conditions,” she explained.
Most weather forecasts will show the humidity expected each day and can be a handy tool for making sure you don’t leave your pet in danger after a walk when the mercury is lower.
Another common mistake dog owners make is leaving their pet shut in at home, assuming they’ll be safe because it’s out of direct sunlight.
But this can leave them at risk of overheating if there is no air moving around the property.
“In England, houses are designed to keep heat in, not let it out,” Dr Karyn said.
“They can actually heat up and act like a sauna for your pet if there is no moving air.
“People are unlikely to leave doors and windows open if they’re not home.
“As dogs pant to cool down, they need some kind of air movement to make this inefficient system have any effect at all.
“An easy fix is to leave a fan on while you’re out as this keeps air moving around the house and will allow your dog to cool down if things get warm.”
It’s not just our pooches that suffer in the heat, cats can struggle too.
Dr Karyn has one easy trick that works for almost all pets found in the home.
“Forget putting ice cubes in water, it doesn’t really work,” she said.
“Instead, fill their water bowl half full and freeze it. Then when you get it out, top up with cold water from the tap and it’ll keep cool for most of the day.
“The cool water helps both dogs and cats cool down as it lowers body temperature.
“When it comes to your smaller furries, you can do the same with their dropper bottles. Freeze the top half and top up with cool water.
While all pooches can struggle with heatstroke, there are certain breeds that are more at risk.
Dr Karyn sees the following breeds for heat-related issues more often than others.
Brachycephalic – French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, Pugs, and others. Dr Karyn says this is because it’s not just their faces that are squashed; their tongue and soft palate are squashed, their nostrils are narrowed and often their trachea is also narrow. This means their inefficient cooling system is even worse, plus their respiratory system is inherently compromised.
Fluffy and double coated – Pomeranian, Siberian Husky, Malamutes, Labradors, Akita and Chow Chow. This is because their fur is designed to make sure these dogs don’t get too cold. Dr Karyn says you can make things better by giving these pooches a thorough brushing to help removed dead coat and keep them a bit cooler.
“Hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs can also find themselves getting too hot when things are warm.
“Another tip is freezing a big block of ice and putting that in a bowl for them to lick.”
When it comes to freezing water bowls, Karen advises a ceramic one, as they heat up less quickly.
Bowls made of plastic and metal will heat up quickly and so will the water inside.
She also advises placing multiple bowls around the house in shady spots so your four legged friends have lots of options to choose from.
Cats are trickier to persuade to leave the sunshine than dogs, but Dr Karyn says owners needn’t worry.
“Cats are much better at self-regulating than dogs,” she said.
“Just make sure to give them lots of options of shade in and around the house.
“Fans are another good one for cats, as they will happily decide to go and lie in front of them if they’re feeling a bit too hot.
“Just a cheap pedestal one will do the trick.
“If you can persuade them to come in out of the sun, try to do so.
“But we all know cats will just do whatever they want, no matter what we try.”
Often, rabbits and guinea pigs are kept in hutches outside which means when things start getting hot, putting them in the right position is key.
Dr Karyn advises putting them somewhere shady and under some kind of shelter where possible.
If you need to put up something temporary to create shade – make sure it’s up high – not over the cage.
“Putting a blanket or covering over the cage can actually do more damage than good,” she said.
“While it does provide shade, you’re limiting airflow and there’s nothing to stop it heating up under there and becoming very hot.
“If you are going to put up some kind of shelter for the summer, make sure it’s high above the cage so plenty of air can get in.
“The only exception to putting something on the cage is if it’s a towel soaked in cool water with a fan pointing at it, but even then it shouldn’t cover everything.”
Another way to help cool down cages it to place frozen ice blocks underneath them so the coolness seeps through the base.
Dr Karyn doesn’t advise putting them in the cages because the small animals are likely to chew through them and the contents inside could be harmful to them.
If you see your rabbit panting heavily in the heat, that means it’s probably struggling.
“One way to help your rabbits in the heat is to put a cool flannel around their ears,” she said.
“That’s how bunnies lose most of their heat by the veins in the ears.
“By putting the cold flannel on them, it helps cool down the blood and therefore the rabbit.
“Do try to keep them in the shade as well to stop it getting to that point.”
Animals that are suffering from heatstroke will often be panting heavily as they struggle to cool down.
Another sign that they’re struggling is vomiting and diarrhoea which can come on the next day.
“Many owners associate these with a pet being unwell but not necessarily heat,” she said.
“If you see these symptoms in hot or humid weather, it’s worth a trip to the vet to be safe.
“Another sign of heatstroke in dogs is seizures and, unfortunately, if they’ve had one, things aren’t looking good.
“By the time your dog has a seizure, there has been cell damage and the prognosis isn’t great. This is what we want to avoid.”
