Your pet and hot weather
Posted August 3, 2014 9:11 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A beautiful long weekend is upon us, and while we may enjoy the warm temperatures, the heat can be hard, and even fatal for your pet if you’re not careful.
The BC SPCA recommends looking for soft trails rather than pavement if you take your dog out for a run or a walk as the harder surfaces can get very hot in the sun, and burn an animal’s foot pads.
Lorie Chortyk from the SPCA says it’s really a matter of common sense, make sure they have lots of water and access to shady areas.
There are also things to keep in mind when it comes to small animals as well, like rabbits.
“Move cages away from the window, to not leave rabbit hatches, you know, enclosures, out in direct sunlight,” she explains.
Chortyk says there will be visible signs if your pet isn’t okay, “panting, they’ll be very listless, sometimes you see a lack of motor coordination or convulsions, they’ll be sick, and a lot of times they’ll just be laying there with no movement at all.”
If that happens, get them to the vet as quickly as possible.
And, as the SPCA has said many times before, don’t leave your pet in a hot car.
Chortyk says SPCA officers in the province responded to more than 300 calls of dogs in distress while in hot vehicles last month.
