This week I am re-printing an article from last summer. I think it is so important for us to remember how heat can affect our greyhounds.
The lazy days of summer are here. Now is the time to
review some hot weather tips for our pets.
Summer is a season when people and pets
can have much fun together, but it is also when our pets have
many injuries and heat-related health problems. Just
remembering the following tips can help avoid many of the heat
related problems.
We all know that heat stroke is dangerous for humans - it is just
as dangerous for animals. Learning the signs and symptoms of
heat stroke may help you save your pets life. Animals react
differently than humans to heat stroke. We sweat to cool
ourselves; dogs only sweat through the pads of their
feet. Dogs and cats can also cool themselves off by panting. The
panting draws air over the moist membranes of the nose and
tongue and cools by evaporation. But panting only works for a
short time. Prolonged panting can critically upset the metabolic
system. The first symptoms you may notice could be laborious
panting, drooling and a bright red tongue and gums. The tongue
may be swollen and appear "foamy." The inside of the ears can
also appear red, not pink. The animal may appear very hot to the
touch. They may have "twitching" muscles and a dazed look. The
animal may then collapse. You must take EMERGENCY ACTION
at this time. To cool the animal off quickly, you may wrap them in
a towel soaked with tepid water - in severe cases (for example if
your pet has actually collapsed) you can immerse the animal in a
tub of cool (NOT COLD) water, put them under a cool shower or
give a cool water rubdown immediately. Heatstroke can be fatal -
cooling the animal down may help, but you should rush this
animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Never leave your pet in a parked car - not even if you crack the windows or park in the shade. This is the number one cause of heatstroke in animals and causes a number of needless deaths each year. On a 70 F day the interior temperature of your car can rise to above 150 F in just minutes.
You must always provide plenty of cool, clean and fresh water to
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