Handling your hound (and other animals) in the heat
January 29th, 2009
Ralph the wonder dog with his steady, plastic bowl of water. Good sitting Ralphy!
Animals and heat don’t mix at the best of times, however when we’re talking about 45 plus degree weather, pet owners need to be ultra vigilant. would. In 45 degree heat we’re not talking about simply keeping our animals cool, we’re dealing with a very, very dangerous, deadly situation and it should not be taken lightly.
TIPS ON KEEPING ANIMALS COOL…
*Make sure your animals, especially dogs, have at least two stable water sources.
In this heat we’re dealing with a number of factors that put your animals water levels at risk. Evaporation will mean that your pet loses a good deal of water without actually drinking it. The other issue is that often dogs will either get IN their water or will kick up the water to cool down their chest and stomach. By the time you take these two factors into consideration, you’re water levels are dangerously low. On top of this if your pooch is excitable it can tip water over.
Of course you know your pet’s habits, so you need to adapt accordingly. If your dog kicks up, lies in or tips over it’s water you can use rocks, bricks - whatever in the bottom of the water to keep it stable.
I also recommend keeping water in the shade (of course!) and try using a plastic bowl; stainless steel type bowls will heat up more quickly and hasten evaporation.
*Icy treats and Ice beds
A concoction of meat, rice, vegetables; whatever you can freeze including normal tinned food, bones or kangaroo/beef etc. mince is a fantastic way of keeping your animal cool. As you probably know when you eat a big bowl of ice cream you get cold; same applies to cats and dogs. it really does help regulate their body temperature.
Ice in their drink bowl is also a great idea.
You can also get ice beds and jackets from pet shops (there are excellent ones online) or simply put some ice in a towel and pop it in their kennel/bed.
*Shade
While it might sound obvious, you would be surprised how many calls we receive relating to an animal in full 40 plus degree heat. We get lots of calls about birds especially, so please ensure (especially caged or tethered animals) are in the shade ALL day! Inside is ideal in this weather, especially for birds.
*Extra backyard precautions
We had an unfortunate incident where a very much loved dog managed to get himself into the fenced off swimming pool area. The door then shut behind him and he was unable to get out. We should all learn from this! Make sure sheds, pool enclosures or any such sealed off area is securely shut off to avoid a tragic find when you get home from work.
*Don’t risk taking your animal in a car
Your car could break down, you could get caught up in the shops and the ‘one minute’ milk run turns into ten, etc etc,. The simple message is don’t take your dog out in the car in these exceptional conditions. In 45 degrees they WILL die in minutes, it’s as simple and as scary as that!
*Check ups
It’s an excellent idea to have your neighbour/friend check on your animal in this heat if you’re at work all day. As mentioned above they may have got themselves caught, or they may be really struggling.
*Inside/Out
A heat wave such as this really does bring home the importance of a doggy door/cat door. You will be able to relax much more if you know that you dog/cat can get into the cool laundry or wherever you choose to put the door. They are relatively cheap, and better yet you don’t have to get up every time they need to go to the toilet!
One other tip: If you have a koala in your backyard or have EVER seen one, please put water out for them. The front page of the paper today (Advertiser, Thursday 29 jan) says it all. They need water and it’s the reason they’re in your backyard. ALSO if you have a dog and there’s a koala in your yard, take him or her inside. Koalas have huge claws, and dogs get territorial so it will most probably end badly for both animals.
Thanks!
If anyone has anymore questions please let me know
Thanks,
Aimee
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7 Comments Add your own
1. aimee | January 30th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I just wanted to clarify - the animals that died WERE NOT dogs AT our shelters…they were owned by people who called us for help.
Thanks
2. Sophie | January 30th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Hi I just wanted to say my Dog is inside but she isnt drinking her water. What do I do?
3. Michelle Cassar | February 1st, 2009 at 3:16 pm
I have just returned from 3 hours at the beach where I observed 3 young women with a young, black dog sitting in the full sun. They had no means of shelter - not even a hat for themselves.. I asked if they would like to sit their dog under my umbrella to get him out of the sun to which 1 of them replied “No its OK, he gets cold in the shade” It’s 40 degrees the dog is black on white sand with a bowl of warm sand filled water. How stupid are you? I know that the RSPCA are overwhelmed with call outs for all manner of animal issues - perhaps a beach patrol to educate the people who see it’s fit to drag their do around in this weather. There are countless cases of people walking their dog on the beach in the heat of the day. I would hasten a guess that it’s better the dog gets no excercise in this weather than tortured through the hellish heat we are experiencing. I am so upset that these people are even allowed to own a dog - another perfect example of: The more i get to know people the more i like dogs!!
4. Mrs D Evans | March 3rd, 2009 at 11:23 am
Is this article about keeping animals cool or keeping DOGS cool?
Come on RSPCA, what happened to ALL creatures great and small - not all of us own dogs. Time to write for a broader audience and people who own animals other than dogs.
5. Anonyms | April 20th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Members of the RSPCA,
Is it true that after you have been given animals you only keep them for three days, then put them down and burn their dead bodies afterwards? That is SO cruel!! You promote looking after and taking care of animals, when you kill them after three days if they are not claimed by someone… That is so mean and hypocritical… Please answer my question I would like to know if this true or not (Hopefully it is just a horrible rumor).
Anonyms
6. aimee | April 21st, 2009 at 11:03 am
Hi there,
Thanks for writing to us. The ‘rumour’ that you have heard is absolutely untrue. Unfortunately there are many, many myths and rumours that surround shelters which is extremely disappointing given many if not all are not for profit organisations that rely on the goodwill of their supporters. Rumours such as these certainly do not entice people to come forth with donations, and given it’s the animals that suffer believing and spreading these rumours is irresponsible and dangerous…therefore i am very glad you’ve asked for clarifcation.
The RSPCA has no ‘time limit’ on the animals that it receives.
There are too reasons animals are euthanased at our shelters; poor health and aggression. If an animal passes it’s health check and behaviour test (and the vast majority of animals do) they are jept at our shelter for as long as it takes for them to find a ‘forever’ home.
Lets never forget who the real ‘bad guys’ are here…it’s the people who have neglected, abandoned and, sometimes, surrendered their animals that we should be questioning. If all pet owners were responsible and ‘in it for the long haul’ ie not surrendering their animal when it all gets too hard, we would never have to put down an animal. Needless to say we work at the Society due to our passion for animals and we will always work extremely hard to ensure the sickest of animals return to health and are rehomed. We also have a behaviour expert that works with the animals to ensure they have the best possible chance of adoption. Our main aim at the Society is keeping animals alive and giving them a second chance - that is why we fundraise, educate, advertise etc.etc,. essentially everyone who works here from PR-HR are working toward that goal.
Thanks again for your comment, we appreciate you taking the time to clarify how we operate. Hopefully you can help educate your friends and family who may have, unfortunately, believed the ‘three day rule’!
***The only thing i can think of as to why this rumour may be circulating is because TECHNICALLY the animal becomes the property of the RSPCA if an owner does not come forward within 72 hours/3 days…this simply means we are able to start the rehoming process - however if an owner comes forward after this period (and there are extenuating circumstances as to why he he/she was unable to retrieve the animal earlier) of course we will return the animal if that is what the ower chooses to do.
Thanks again,
Aimee
7. mikaela | June 19th, 2009 at 7:23 am
i keep my dog inside because its cold here he’s only a puppy maltese cross shitzu hes only small but my cat is big now and he likes to spend most of his time outside but no one will go outside some days becaue it’s to cold because we have a dog and cat door my cat goes outside and my dog allways follows when he comes back hes covered in mud and water
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