Excessive time outdoors can lead to health issues for pets

Dr. Janzen says If you notice any signs of heat stress or heat stroke in your animal, call your vet right away or take them to the nearest animal hospital

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Did you hear the forecast? Temperatures may be near 90 this weekend. While it’s a great time to be outside with your pets, it’s important to protect them from the heat.

A local veterinarian at Emerson Animal Hospital Dr. Ashley Janzen said animals need exercise, but excessive time outdoors can lead to serious health issues in your pets.

“We see a lot of heat stress or heat stroke,” Janzen said. “Mosquitos are huge right now. Heartworms are spread by mosquitos. We want to make sure they’re on heartworm prevention. Fleas and ticks right now are big too. These dogs are out playing in the woods, so make sure they are on a good flea and tick preventative, and that when they come inside, you’re scanning them for fleas and ticks. The other big thing is the hot pavement. Anything above 75 degrees outside is enough on concrete for your pet’s paw pads to be burned. We recommend walks in the grass or early in the morning or later in the evening when it has a chance to cool down.”

Susan Wright has five adult dogs and two litters of puppies. She said she knows all about protecting them during the summer.

“They all love being outside,” Wright said. “We have grass so we don’t have to worry a whole lot about them burning their paws, but on top of their dog houses, we have tarps that are up for shade. When it gets super hot in July and August, we bring them in during the hottest part of the day.”

Janzen said to always check their paws if they’ve been on pavement, and even if they are in the water, their time in the heat should still be limited. This goes for any animal with fur – cats, rabbits, and even guinea pigs.

“Even if they are in the water they are still at risk for heat stress and heat stroke,” Janzen said. Ten of fifteen minutes of exercise maximum in this heat right now,  especially down here in the southeast. That’s enough to put them into heat stress. If you see them laying down, that’s a sign they’re getting too hot or excessively panting. Make sure they have access to water, put cold water on the paw pads, put them in the shade, and cool towels, you can lay them on their chest or up in their armpit areas just to kind of slowly cool them. You got to be careful with how you cool them down. We don’t wanna put them on ice cause you can cause their bodies to go into shock. Any abnormalities with their mental state or they fall over or collapse, is a medical emergency and it can be deadly. Heat stress and heat stroke can be deadly.”

Janzen said if you notice any signs of heat stress or heat stroke in your animal, call your vet right away or take them to the nearest animal hospital

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