As triple-digit temperatures are expected to hit this weekend, Pima Animal Care Center encourages pet owners to take extra precautions to keep their pets safe and cool.
PACC’s Animal Protection Service officers respond to hundreds of calls every year, involving pets suffering from heat-related illness and death because they were left outdoors, in a vehicle, or in another situation that put them at risk.
To prevent this from happening to your pet, follow these safety tips:
* Keep pets indoors.
* Keep them hydrated: provide clean, cool drinking water in an easily accessible, spill-proof container.
* Provide shade. Remember: for dogs with longer coats, even shaded spots can be too hot during 100 degree plus temps.
* Protect their paws: walk your pet in the early morning or in the evening when the asphalt has cooled down and won’t burn their paws. Place the back of your hand on the ground for five seconds. If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for your pet’s paw pads.
* Don’t leave them inside a car: even with the windows cracked, the interior temperature can become deadly within just a couple of minutes.
For more pet safety tips, visit PACC’s Facebook page throughout the month of May as shelter staff share heat awareness information and fun ideas to keep pets cool.
