Keep your pets safe and cool
Owners beware of warm temps
By Rob Daniel
Iowa City Press-CitizenIf you're hot and humid, chances are Fido is, too.
As the heat index Tuesday passed the 100-degree mark, pet owners felt more heat to make sure their animals were healthy and safe. One way to judge whether extra care is needed is for pet owners to put themselves in the animal's situation, said Misha Goodman, director of the Iowa City/Coralville Animal Care Center. This includes everything from getting extra water to determining whether to keep the dog in a car while running errands, which she said is a bad idea.
"If it would be uncomfortable for them to sit in the car, even with the windows cracked, then it will be uncomfortable for the dog," Goodman said.
The inside temperature of a car can climb to 140 to 150 degrees, said Jim Kelly, owner of Lucky Pawz, a dog day care and kennel in Iowa City. Goodman added that this could start the dehydration process. The animal starts panting through its tongue, and then may soon collapse, especially if its body temperature rises to 106 degrees. Normal temperatures for a dog fluctuate between 100.5 degrees to 102.5 degrees.
"If you get to that, you're going to start killing brain cells," Goodman said.Cats have a worse time dealing with heat, Goodman said.
"If a cat is panting, it's in a serious way," she said. "If they get overheated, they need to be cooled down in a hurry."
Goodman said the same measures of providing plenty of water and shade can be applied to cats. Cats, if outside, will dig into the dirt under bushes to find shade if it they have to, she said.
Goodman said the animal control unit for Iowa City averages five calls a week involving animal neglect, which an animal control officer then investigates. While a person could be charged with a misdemeanor, most cases are attributed to ignorance and the owner is given a notice or citation or the animal is impounded.
"It doesn't happen all that often," Goodman said.
Kelly said short-nosed dogs, such as boxers or pugs, tend to be affected more by the heat. The dogs generally will be less active during the summer to conserve energy and work on ridding themselves of excess heat, he said, though pet owners should keep an eye on younger dogs.
"Most of them figure that (less activity) out on their own," Kelly said, "but the younger dogs might keep going."
Kelly also recommended extra grooming for the dogs, cutting the hair of longer-haired breeds and brushing out winter coats. This even works on shorter-haired dogs, he said.
"You can still get a ton of hair out of them," Kelly said.
Cutting the dog's hair is one idea Jill Crouse of Iowa City embraced for her miniature schnauzer, Zana. Along with grooming, she said she keeps Zana in air conditioning and watches when she walks her.
"We do long walks in the morning when it's cooler," Crouse said.Page Bixler of Iowa City also watches what time she takes her golden retriever, Sadie, for a walk, opting to wait until after 8 p.m. when the sun has gone down. She also takes care of other essentials as well.
"She gets plenty of water," Bixler said.Tips for caring for pets in the summer
With the weather getting warmer as summer progresses, pet owners, particularly those with dogs, must be careful with how they control their pets’ environment and care. Some tips include:
• Do make sure the dog has access to water.
• Do make certain the dog has adequate shade.
• Do make certain the dog cannot be entangled in its leash.
• Do groom long-hair dogs, including giving them a hair cut.
• Do consider bringing the dogs indoors under a fan or into air-conditioning.
• Don’t take the dogs to an event like the fair. The hot concrete can hurt their paws.
• Don’t leave the dog in the car even if you park it in the shade. It’s not safe, since it can be 10 to 20 degrees warmer in the car than it is outside.
• Don’t jog with the dog in mid-day heat. Do the run either early in the morning or later in the evening when it’s cooler.Source: Misha Goodman, director of the Iowa City/Coralville Animal Care Center
