Tips for keeping your pets cool in a heat wave

The heat wave that is roasting Inland Southern California is expected to peak mid-week and then start to ease off into the weekend according to regional and national forecasters. A post on Twitter by the National Weather Service Los Angeles office read, “Very Hot Conditions through Wednesday over much of southwest California. Take heat illness seriously and stay safe. #cawx #HeatWaves.”

Temperatures in the City of San Bernardino could easily exceed 100 degrees in the hottest part of the day and a projected 106 degrees is likely.  “Outdoor pets are particularly vulnerable to hot-weather conditions,” according to Dawn Secord, former National Pet Sitter of the Year and Author of the Children’s book No Ghoulish Green Monsters Here.

Secord shared some tips to keep your animals safe in hot weather:

More and more people have backyard chickens and many people in think that cooling them off by spraying them with water is good, but that is actually very bad for them. They use their feathers to insulate themselves, so spraying them actually makes them hotter.

Dogs can lay in a kiddie pool with water or you can spray the dog with water to cool them off – misting the feet of dogs who don’t like water is another way to go.   Do not give your dog’s ice water it will result in the dogs system thinking they are actually cooler than they are and cause convulsions and deadly bloating – keep the water room temperature.

Cats are very heat resilient and will find their own way to a shady spot usually.

If you have rabbits, hamsters, other small furry animals put frozen water bottles in with them and a fan on them and if at all possible bring them inside.

Humans are advised to stay hydrated, avoid outside exertion during the hottest part of the day and in general do whatever they can to stay cool.