Tips on keeping pets cool in warmer weather

Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 10:58 am

Any info cited for this post was found via a general online search.

Now that summer is here many of us who have pets need to remember they can overheat just like we can. I thought I’d share a few tips on ways to keep your pets cool during the summer.

Never leave your pets in a hot car. This can be a leading cause of heat death.

Let’s talk about heat stroke signs

Dogs and cats may exhibit different signs of heat stroke.

Heat stroke symptoms in dogs

Some of the common signs of possible heat stroke for dogs are the following:

Heavy panting
excessive drooling
Rapid breathing
skin that is hot to the touch.

In severe cases, your dog may go into shock or even have a seizure.

I found two articles that give you more info. One is from AKC and the other is from VAC.

if the heat stroke case isn’t severe you can get your dog into a cool place and use cool water or cool damp towel(s). You can contact your vet’s office as well.

Heat stroke symptoms in cats

Heat stroke can also be called heat exhaustion in cats. The symptoms are similar to those in dogs.

Some symptoms include the following:

Rapid pulse and breathing
Restlessness
Panting
excessive grooming

I found two articles that are very informative. One is from Chewy and the other is from PetMD.

Just like with dogs, you can bring your cat to a cool location. You can try to cool it down with a damp cloth or cool water. You can contact your vet’s office as well.

Tips to keep your pets cool

offer a cool place to nap or rest

Even if you don’t have A/C you can still provide your pet with a fan or cool place to nap. You can use a box fan or oscillating fan to move the air around. Or even use a ceiling fan. If you have an A/C unit (any type.) you can turn it on for short periods of time to keep them cool.

If you have a ceiling fan you can place a small container with a little ice in it to offer a cooling effect.

If your pet is outdoors

If your pet is outdoors you can provide them with shade. Either with a patio cover or even shade cloth. You can even put out an umbrella for them. You can also provide shade with plants as well.

You can also provide your pet with a mister. Or even a small pool for them to lie in.

water, water everywhere

Always provide your pets with fresh cool water. This can be done with a fountain if they are indoors or just by making sure your pets’ water is in a shady location when they are outdoors.

I like to place a few ice cubes in their water.

If you are using a pet fountain always remember to change the filters and clean it well.

Other cooling tips

I found that if you freeze a water bottle and place it in a sock or wrap it in a towel this might also help your pet keep cool. We used to do with for our rabbit Hop. Pal loved it because he could play against the bottle and keep cool.

If your pet tolerates being damp you can mist your pet or wipe them down with a damp cloth. This also helps keep them cool.

I hope these tips helped.

Share your tips on how you keep your pets cool in the comments below.