MACON, Ga. — In the warm summer months, the heat can have negative effects on pets.
Nick Landis takes his dog, Bosco, to Bark's & Brews, a dog park in downtown Macon quite often. Nick says it's one of Bosco's favorite places in the world. It allows him to interact with other pets and humans.
Dr. Qindasi Silva, a veterinarian with Critter Fixers, wants pet owners to watch for signs of heat stroke when it's hot. To avoid a potential stroke, here's what she recommends:
- "Heat Stroke is what happens when an animal's temperatures gets way too high. Normal body temperatures for dogs are going to be about 99 to 102.5, for cats 99 to 103, when we start to getting above that 103, 104 range, we can get into some dangerous things happening. "
- "Being outside for too long, not having enough water being outside without access to shade or cool areas. Even walking, walking just normally walking on a sidewalk that concrete is going to retain a lot of heat. those really hot areas can cause blistering and pains."
- "Never ever ever leave your babies in the car alone, in a car alone in the hot sun. that car temperatures can heat up about 19 degrees in just 10 min, and if we are talking about being in the 90s. it can be pretty dangerous and be fatal really fast. "
Nick Landis takes these recommendations to heart, and prioritizes Bosco's safety every day.
"It's really lovely being able to takeout dogs out to do stuff like this, to give him some of the interaction with other dogs and people. we always try to think about how we can do it in a way where he's going to be safe," he said.
Doctor Silva says if your pet is showing signs of heat stroke, give them cool water and take them to the nearest pet hospital immediately.