Summertime and the livin’ is easy… and also very hot.  While you may enjoy temperatures up to 99°, your furry friends do not.  The normal body temperature of cats and dogs is between 101° and 102.5° and when their temperature rises to around 104°, long term or permanent neurological damage can occur.  

A parked car’s temperature can rise 43° in just one hour- that means that if it is 90° outside, then in one hour the temperature inside your car would be around 133°!  At the temperature of 133° it could cause incredible physical distress, permanent neurological damage and even death to your pet. Even if you park your car in a shady spot, your car can reach 100° in one hour. Please keep your furry best friend home… they will thank you later, especially if you bring them home a treat! 

Another concern for your pets is walking on asphalt. A temperature of 90° can make the asphalt 150° and that will easily burn your pet’s feet. The best test to see if you can safely walk your dog on something other than grass is to take off your shoe or put your hand on the asphalt- if it is too hot for you, it’s too hot for them! Your pet’s paws are not actually tougher than ours; they may have built up some callouses but hot is hot and they will burn the pads of their paws just as easily as you will burn your own feet.

Some breeds have an even lower tolerance to heat so be mindful of that.  Brachycephalic cats and dogs, such as Persians, Himalayans, Burmese, Pugs, Bulldogs, and Frenchies do not handle the heat well at all.  Even if you have a short haired cat or dog please keep them cool and out of the sun.  Dogs and cats only sweat through their paw pads and their tongues and so they can not cool off enough in the summer heat.

Please keep your cats in during the summer months, even at night, as they may not be able to find safe water. Please don’t tether your dogs out, and leave them, either. In hot weather it is best to take them out, let them do their business and bring them back in.  Take this time to play games with your pets… it will be a great source of enrichment as well as time to bond with them. Trust us, your pets will thank you!