CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Like many veterinary offices, Animal Medical Corpus Christi is prepared to see cases related to heat for their four-legged patients.
Other than uncontrollable panting and nausea, one of the tips they suggest is making sure the pavement where they're walking isn't too hot.
Dr. Jeanette Curran, Associate veterinarian with Animal Medical Corpus Christi said, "We need to be careful with blacktop concrete, even sand can get pretty hot," Curran said. "And we need to be aware if there are any metal objects on the road."
Think of it this way, if you wouldn't walk around barefoot on it, neither should your pets.
"They do make little dog boots that kind of can help with that," Curran said. "And then we also run into that trapping heat in as well. So we've got to kind of be careful with things like that."
Other symptoms to look out for, are visible signs of fatigue.
"They can become very lethargic, they're not going to want to move around," Curran said. "They can even start vomiting and drooling excessively."
Alisa Mills, Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Humane Society said to keep a close eye on their mouth.
"Their saliva will get all tacky and sticky if they're starting to have heat exhaustion, heat stroke," Mills said.
She added that when keeping pets safe in the heat, hydration is key.
"Lots and lots of hydration," Mills said. "Put out an extra bowl If they're outside, make sure they've got some shade. Shorten up your playtime a little bit."
When relieving your dog of the summer heat, be wary of your method.
A garden hose can leave third degree burns on your pet.
"That hose has been sitting out in the sun, and that water's almost boiling hot inside of it. And then we go to spray it on their backs, they can actually get third degree burns from that. So make sure you let that water run before you use it to cool them off," Curran said.
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