The Suffolk County SPCA offer these Hot Weather safety tips for your pets.
- Never leave your animal alone in a vehicle. Even with the windows open, a parked automobile can quickly become a furnace.
- Limit exercise. Your pet may slow down when the weather heats up, so the best time for exercise is in the early morning or evening, but never when it’s especially hot or humid.
- Take care not to let your dog stand on hot asphalt, his body can heat up quickly and his sensitive paw pads can easily burn.
- Never trim your pet’s coat to the skin, which can rob your dog of his protection from the sun.
- Always provide plenty of shade and cool, clean water for animals kept outdoors. A properly constructed doghouse is a must if your dog lives outdoors.
- Bring your cat or dog inside during the hottest part of the day.
- Make sure your pet always wears a collar and identification tag.
- In Suffolk County tethering a dog outside in temperatures over 90° is against the law.
- If you see a dog in a HOT car, record information about the vehicle: make, model, color, license plate number. Alert the manager of the business. Call 911 or the Suffolk County SPCA. Stay with the dog until help arrives.
