BATTLE MOUNTAIN - For people, summer can be a time of fun and everlasting memories but for pets that get overheated it can be deadly. Animal Control Officer Terri Glazier, with the Lander County Animal Control, has plenty of tips to offer to keep your pet safe from heat stroke.
She mainly stressed fresh drinking water and shade. She also suggested little pools for dogs that need to be left outside.
"Water, water, water," she said. "Just keep them hydrated like you keep yourself hydrated. If your dogs are exercising or running, carry a water bottle with you and a bowl."
Glazier also cautioned people against walking or running their dogs in the heat of the day. She said people should stick to the early mornings or evenings. Not only can they get overheated, but they can burn their paws on the sidewalk or blacktop, she added.
Glazier stressed that people should not leave dogs in their vehicles on days when temperatures are 90 plus degrees. She said not only is it deadly with pets becoming overheated in as little as 10 minutes, but it is illegal and people can be cited.
She said if a dog is left in a vehicle in Lander County on hot day with the windows rolled up, they are liable to get a ticket.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) also stresses not to leave a pet in a car on a warm day.
"On an 85 degree day, for example, the temperature inside a car, even with the windows cracked open, can reach 102 degrees within just 10 minutes, and after 30 minutes the temperature will reach 120 degrees. Even when the temperature outside is a balmy 72 degrees, the temperature inside your car can rocket to a fatal 116 degrees in less than an hour," it states on the HSUS website.
Glazier urged people to leave their pets home in the hot weather unless they are going to a lake or river where a dog can swim and cool off.
Glazier said she has received five hot-weather related calls in the past month and some of them were unfounded. She said two of the calls involved horses with no water. She said horses and livestock should have access to water at all hours of the day in the heat.
Three of the calls involved dogs with no shade or water. Many of the calls she gets involve livestock. She encouraged people who witness animals in distress to call the Lander County Sheriff's Office dispatch at (775) 635-5161 or the Animal Control at (775) 635-3094. She said if it is urgent, people should call dispatch.
When Glazier receives a valid call, she usually gives a verbal warning to the owner. She said she checks back later that day or the next day and if the problem is not resolved then she issues a written warning.
After checking back a few days later, if the owners have not taken care of the problem, they will usually be issued a citation. She said once the owners get hit in the wallet then the problem is usually resolved.
Glazier urged people who have dogs with hair shaved to their skin or are just suffering from hair loss to use pet safe sunscreen. She said dogs can get sunburned. She has a 3-year-old female naked Chinese crested dog named Nala and she puts sunscreen on her before sending her outdoors.
The HSUS also urges people to use a pet safe sunscreen on their dogs' noses and ears.
Glazier cautioned people with elderly or young dogs and said they can be more susceptible to the heat.
The Lander County Animal Control handles calls from all over the county including the southern part of the county.
The HSUS said that heartworms, ticks and fleas are more of a problem in warmer months and can cause serious health problems.
"Contact your veterinarian about products that will keep your pet healthy and parasite free," states the HSUS website.
Those who would like more pet health and safety tips can visit humanesociety.org/pets.
According to pets.webmd.com, heat stroke is an emergency and requires immediate treatment because dogs do not sweat, except to a minor degree through their foot pads.
The website says that dogs are less tolerant of hot weather than people. They pant in order to stay cool but when the air temperature gets close to their body temperature, cooling by panting does not always work.
Heavy panting and difficulty breathing is the first sign of heat stroke in a dog. The tongue and mucous membranes may appear bright red and the saliva is thick. The dog often vomits, according to the website.
The dog may become unsteady on its feet and have diarrhea. It may also collapse, have seizures or go into a coma and death can occur rapidly.
According to the website, "emergency measures to cool the dog must begin at once."
The dog should be moved away from the heat source immediately and taken into an air conditioned building. Its temperature should be taken every 10 minutes.
Mild cases may be resolved by moving the dog into a cool environment but if its temperature reaches above 104° degrees, then the dog should be sprayed down with a garden hose or immersed in a tub of cool water - not ice water.
Placing the wet dog in front of a fan may help. The cooling process should be stopped once the temperature drops to 103 degrees.
A dog that suffers heat stroke should be taken to a vet as soon as possible, states the website.
[[In-content Ad]]
