Summer has arrived in the northern hemisphere. I know this because our cats are now seeking the shade in the middle of the day. They even appreciate the tiled floor at this time of year and stretch out on it to cool down. The rest of the year they take the shortest route across it that they can because they think it feels cold on their paws!
Sometimes I like to be in the shade!
We have a heat wave that is forecast to last for the next week or two. I’m taking my walks very early and I enjoy having a splash in a cool stream to cool down. I’ve written before about the ways I stay cool – Wise Up, Cool Down.
I hardly get to go in the car at all in the hot weather, but I hear that some people still leave dogs and young children in the car when it’s hot. Some of them have died. The car heats up very quickly and becomes unbearably hot. Veterinarian Dr Ernie Ward closed himself in a car with the windows slightly open and made a YouTube video showing how quickly it became unbearably hot – you can see it here. It was a hot day when Dr Ward did this, but even at moderate temperatures of 22°C/72°F the temperature inside the car can soar to 47°C/117°F in under an hour.
Heatstroke can be fatal. Some warning signs of heatstroke are:
- heavy panting
- profuse salivation
- a rapid pulse
- very red gums/tongue
- lethargy
- lack of coordination
- reluctance or inability to rise after collapsing
- vomiting
- diarrhoea
- loss of consciousness in extreme circumstances.
If a dog is showing signs of heatstroke, it is important to get the dog into a cool place. Here is some advice from the RSPCA about first aid to cool the dog down. It is important to do this and take the dog to a veterinary surgery as, even if the dog appears recovered, there could be complications later.
Puppies are more at risk of getting heatstroke than adult dogs, so it’s important to keep an eye on them. Don’t let them keep tearing around in the heat, calm them down and get them to sit in the cool.
My guinea pig friends at Hutch A Good Life have written some excellent advice about keeping our smaller furry friends safe in the hot weather. Our little grass-munching buddies just need a few simple precautions to protect them, so that they can enjoy being outside.
I’ve been very serious this week, but just remember that even lizards get too hot and move out of the sun! Be safe and enjoy the summer!
See you next Wednesday!
Update: Some really important points that shouldn’t be missed were made in the comments.
Ann “Paws” Staub took her own temperature after a hot car journey and her temperature was high, so we need to be aware that animals can overheat while we are on the move.
Animalcouriers reminded us that the ground can be very hot and burn paws badly.
Piranhabanana raised the point that some rooms, such as garages, can get very hot. It depends on the design of the house, be aware which rooms get too hot and don’t close animals in them.
Cody posted a link to an infographic giving signs of heatstroke in cats, while his brother Dakota posted about what you can do to help if you see a dog in a hot car.
Flea told us that our feathered friends, such as chickens and ducks, need plenty of water and shady spots.
Clowie's Corner 
Splotchy will be glad when this heat wave goes away. She isn’t allowed to go for any
car rides either! It wore her out to even go along on very short trips.
Thanks for posting this important info.
The heat is tiring. I spend most of the day resting in a cool place while it’s this hot. I don’t think all humans realise it’s harder for us to keep cool.
Glad your staying cool Clowie! Wooooowoooooo, Ku
I like to keep cool!
Great advice Clowie! I know my car sure does get hot. It’s air conditioner is broken so I don’t drive far in the summer time. When I worked during the summer time, I got SO hot driving home after work. I decided to take my temperature when I got home when day and it was pretty high! I’ve read the piggies post and think it’s great advice.
Thank you. I find it very interesting that you took your temperature and that it was high. Humans are much better at regulating their body temperature in the heat than dogs are.
Scary times in this heat Clowie – those dips in the stream must help enormously. Great advice. Another bit of advice I’d give is not to walk dogs on tarmac or concrete when it’s this hot. I saw the most horrifying photo of what can happen to your pads.
That is a very important point, thank you. Bipeds don’t tend to think about how hot the ground can be because their feet have the protection of shoes. I’m planning to add a summary at the end of the post with important information like this from the comments.
I don’t think we are going to get summer. It has been raining almost every day. If it stops for a little while it is dark clouds, no sun. The girls have nothing to do, we are tired of sitting inside and watching it rain. Our temps are 72/22C to 74F/23.3 C everyday with only 3 days at 84F/28C! That is early spring weather without sun. Our 4 day holiday we got 4″ of rain in 2 days. Dad went down in the rain to see the creek and it was running so fast and high we couldn’t go even if it got sunny. The rivers are flooding our roofs and people’s houses. July is suppose to be hot and dry. Mica still has a lot of her winter coat from chilly nights. We would all like some sun. Always good advice about cars and pets don’t leave them in cars in any of this weather. We would however like it to stop raining so we could go for a ride! Our car has great air conditioning and the girls are really depressed 😦
`I hope it stops raining and you see some sunshine! We would expect it to be hot at this time of year, but it has come very suddenly which makes it feel worse than usual. We’ve also had a lot of rain over the last few months. The reservoirs are still full, they are usually getting quite low by now. The higher mountains are still very white with snow, they look very pretty. The snow has usually melted by now, leaving them looking grey.
Good advice Clowie – and can we make mention of one more thing? I’ve seen people leave their dogs in the garage around my neighborhood. It gets really, really hot in there. My pawrents have a thermometer in the garage and when it’s about 65 out, it gets to 80 in the garage. So you can just imagine what happens when it is 85 degrees out. It is like putting a pet in the oven – same as a car. I want to implore to people to please, please, please do not leave your pets in the garage during the hot weather. Especially a closed garage! Put your pet in the basement or even bathroom if you have to – but not in a car, not in a garage and never, ever, ever without any water. I will step off my peanut gallery podium now. Thank you! WOOF.
That’s an important point, thank you. I’m going to add a summary of information from the comments that really shouldn’t be missed.
We got the hots in the UK Clowie, I didn’t go out the other day as it was too hot so Humom put my pool up, so we played in that. I am banned from the car at the moment. Stay cool Buddy, see you next week xx00xx
Mollie and Alfie
Enjoy your pool, Mollie! That’s a lovely way to keep cool.
Have I gone in the spam Clowie, my comment has gone.. xxx
You had, but I found you!
Very important information. Hoomans need to remember that whee don’t stop needing them just because the sun is out!
Nutty, Buddy & Basil
xxxxx
It’s important for them to remember that it’s harder for us to keep cool than it is for them.
It’s a super dangerous time of the year in the heat for we furries AND our humans too. Especially us though because we have HOT fur coats and tender paws…..stay cool Clowie – I know I’m going to!
Kitty Hugs, Sammy
You’re right, Sammy. We all need to be careful when it’s hot. I’ll stay in a cool place and drink cool water with ice in it!
Good advice for all of us. I have to remind my human pet to come in from the sun!
Yes, it’s true, humans can get heatstroke as well. I try to keep an eye on mine from a cool place!
Have a wonderful Wednesday and stay cool.
Best wishes Molly
Thank you, Molly!
Thank you for a brilliant post!
Thank you for your kind words!
It has been super hot and humid at our house too but we are lucky to have a/c and we only take long walks early in the morning. We are very careful with heat! Stay cool my friend!
We don’t have a/c, but parts of the house stay really cool – stone walls absorb a lot of heat. I’m glad to hear you’re keeping cool!
We have high humidity which makes it feel worse. Hoping it cools off for next weeks hunt test. 🙂
Happy WW!
It isn’t often humid here. We find it much harder to cope with the heat when it is humid. I hope it cools down for you before your test.
That is such good advice Clowie. Our doggie and cats too, all stay in the shade all the time. We have some great woods right behind us. Have a great day.
Thank you. It’s lovely to have woods nearby for walking. Enjoy your day!
It has been very hot here as well. As a result I see more dogs out for their morning walk when I am out for an early run.
Yes, I’m out for my walk really early now. The morning is nice and cool still. It is very late in the evening before it cools down here.
It has been hot and humid here too. We can’t believe fools who leave their doggies in the car. Such a dumb thing to do!
The car becomes an oven so quickly! Take care and find a nice cool place to wait for the temperatures to drop.
Great and helpful post, Clowie. Your cat sibling (the photo) looks a little like you, all cute and fluffy. Very important advice, considering the heat waves that are going on in several places around the globe. Thankfully, we get to go to the dog park early in the morning. Wag wag, Max & Bella
Thank you. That’s Mulberry and he is very cute and fluffy. He moves out of the sun before Pippin does, Pippin has a short coat. I take my walk early and, if it’s cooled down enough, a short stroll before bed.
Oh what a beautiful cat, i love cats and i´m always very kind towards them.
When it´s hot outside and i´m in the car ( Not that it happens so often ) , Maria puts 12 freezer packs on the floor in my dog crate … Then she puts a blanket on top …
So that way i cool off from below and minimizes the risk of getting a heat stroke … (And yes, she has AC in her car) … // Yarri 🙂
Hi Yarri, we have two cats and I look after them both. The one in the photo is Mulberry and he is very cute!
That sounds as though it should keep your crate nice and cool .