Arizona Heat & Valley Pets’ Health Concerns

If you are a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, you know exactly how hot it gets in the summer! From June to September, you can expect it to be 90 degrees or more almost every day with plenty of days well over 100 and this doesn’t even take into account humidity. Despite what you may think, domestic pets don’t handle heat any better than humans and can suffer the same type of medical problems, such as heat cramps, heat stroke, and heat exhaustion. This is why responsible pet owners take precautions to prevent their pets from falling ill during the hottest days of the year.

Beware of Heat Exhaustion in Dogs & Cats

This is more common in dogs than cats, though both can be pretty badly affected. During the sweltering conditions in the Valley, heat exhaustion can happen to your pet while in your yard or when you take him for a walk. Dogs use panting to cool themselves down, but if this doesn’t work to reduce their body temperature, heat stroke could be the result.

Signs of heat exhaustion include heavy panting, rapid breathing, and salivation. When you see signs, such as fatigue, staggering, and muscle tremors, it means your pet is close to being struck by heat exhaustion. If you see your pet suffering from these symptoms, bring him to a cool place immediately and cover him with wet towels to keep his body temperature down. Give him a small amount of water to drink and contact the vet.

Hyperthermia is Common in Unsheltered Pets

Cats are survivors, regardless of whether they’re living in desert or mountain surroundings, but they too suffer from heat related medical conditions. Their method of reducing body temperature is to pant or sweat through the pads on their feet. If you fail to bring down the cat’s body temperature quickly enough, in cases of heat exhaustion, he could suffer serious organ damage or possibly die.

You can spot instances of heat stress in cats by looking for symptoms, including restless behavior, which occurs because your cat is looking for a cool spot to rest in. Sweaty feet, drooling, panting, or excessive grooming in severe heat are also danger signs. Things get more serious when cats start to breathe incredibly fast and their pulse begins to escalate. In serious cases, vomiting, stumbling, and redness of the mouth will all be apparent. If the cat is not assisted, he could collapse and have a seizure, or potentially slip into a coma.

Treatment for Dehydration & Heat-related Illnesses

Once taken to the vet, your pet will be cooled down using various measures ranging from wet towels to ice. The vet will then place an IV line to run cool fluid directly into your pet, which not only lowers the body temperature, but also combats the effects of shock and reduces the risk of organ damage. Your pet will be monitored regularly until his body temperature starts to fall, but the vet will only release him once satisfied that he is stable.

Prevention is always better than cure so have water on hand for your pet and ample shaded spots for him to relax in. Don’t leave him in a car unattended or anywhere else where he can’t find shade.