As temperatures stay in the mid-to-upper 90s with heat indices over 100 degrees, it’s important to not only keep you and your family safe and cool, but your pets, too.
The Humane Society of Louisiana is urging pet and farm animal owners to help make their animals extra comfortable during the extended heat wave we’ve been experiencing. The Humane Society advises animal owners to remember that people are uncomfortable during this heat wave; your pets and farm animals are as well, and to take measures to protect them from the sun and heat.
The Humane Society offers these suggestions to keep your animals cool this summer:
- Hydration: Provide endless fresh, cool water and add ice cubes to water bowls. Lots of dogs also love to play in plastic baby pools or sprinkler systems. Just make sure the pool is not too deep, or if they are cooling off in a backyard pool, that they are wearing a flotation device and keep an eye on them.
- Indoor Shelter: Keep pets inside in air-conditioned rooms or well-ventilated, shaded areas during times of peak heat.
- Safe Exercise: Walk pets only in early mornings or late evenings; test pavement temperatures with your hand—if it is too hot for you, it can burn their paws.
- Vehicle Safety: Never leave an animal alone in a parked car, even for a minute with cracked windows.
Louisiana law allows law enforcement and civilians to break a car’s window to retrieve any confined animal if it appears to be in distress. The law allows individuals to break windows of a parked car and not face any liability if there are no other options available to safely retrieve the animal.
Louisiana law also considers it animal cruelty if a person either intentionally or negligently does not provide proper food, water or shelter, or proper veterinary care.
Recognize signs of heat stroke in your pet. This can mean the difference between life and death, and you should contact a vet immediately if you notice these signs:
- Heavy panting
- Drooling
- Weakness
- Vomiting
Other ways you can help your community’s animals beat the heat:
- Local animal shelters can always use additional supplies to keep temperatures lower at their facilities. Ask if they need box or circulating fans, canned food (easier to digest during the heat), or other donations for the pets in their care.
- Check your local shelter for the opportunity to temporarily foster an animal for the hot weather. Shelters help fosters with all supplies and you can give a shelter pet the opportunity to be in a home environment, which also helps the likelihood they will be adopted, too.
To help the wildlife near your backyard, the Humane Society suggests:
- Let parts of your property grow to create a natural canopy to protect wildlife from the sun, which will lower the temperature naturally.
- Install and keep your bird baths clean and full of fresh water.
- Leave water on the edge of your lawn if it’s next to a wooded area so wildlife can stay hydrated, and don’t forget about water for insects such as bees. They need water and nectar, so grow nectar-rich flowers and bushes.
- Ensure adequate shade and access to shaded water for farm animals and livestock.
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