
Summer Safety Tips for Pets
Release Date: 2016-06-20
Long Beach
Animal Care Services (LBACS) reminds residents to keep the summer months fun
and safe for all family members including pets. According to Margaret Lee,
Shelter Veterinarian for LBACS, families should practice a few simple tips to
keep their pets healthy and safe during the summer heat:
1. Adjust their exercise routine.
Walk dogs early in the morning or late in day when
temperatures are cooler. Shorten walks if necessary, and avoid runs on hot
days – dogs will keep running even if they are overheating. Cats tend to
restrict their own activity in the heat better than dogs.
2. Remove
clothing from pets.
Sweaters and other clothing on pets during the summer
will trap excessive heat and may contribute to overheating. The ideal
temperature for cats and dogs is between 60-80 degrees. Dogs and cats cool
themselves by panting and do not have sweat glands on their skin (only on
their paw pads). Cats do not pant under normal circumstances – if your cat
is panting, he/she may be extremely overheated or stressed and immediate
action should be taken.
3. Be cautious when walking your dog on
pavement and at the beach.
The hot pavement and sand can burn and blister
your dog’s paws, just as it would your own. Asphalt temperatures can reach
160 degrees. Keep dogs on lawns, or have them wear booties if they will be
on asphalt or on sand.
4. Make sure your pet has plenty of access
to shade and clean water when outdoors.
5. Never leave your pet
unsupervised in a car.
The temperature inside a parked car can reach 200
degrees and higher within a matter of minutes, even with the windows open.
Please contact us to report an animal that is locked inside a parked car.
6. Make arrangements for pet care if you will be out of town.
Ensure the care of your pet by providing proper nutrition,
appropriate care and a secure environment. All pets in Long Beach are
required by law to be licensed. One of the benefits to licensing is the
vacation pet alert. Before leaving town, pet owners with a current license
may call 562-570-PETS to register where and with whom their pet will stay
with while they are gone, and ensure that they are returned home in case
they get lost.
7. Make sure your pet wears proper
identification.
Licensing and microchipping pets greatly increases the
chances of reuniting a lost pet with its owner. For information or assistance
with dog licensing, call Long Beach Animal Care Services at 562-570-7387 or
visit the Animal Care
Services website.
8. Know the Warning Signs
Symptoms of
overheating in pets include excessive panting or difficulty breathing,
increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, weakness, or even collapse.
They can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomit along with an
elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees. Animals with flat faces, like
Pugs and Persian cats, are more susceptible to heat stroke since they cannot
pant as effectively. These pets, along with the elderly, the overweight, and
those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air-conditioned
rooms as much as possible.
9. Make sure you know the number of
the emergency veterinary hospitals in your area.
Take a few minutes to
drive by your local emergency veterinary hospital so you can be sure you can
find it an emergency when you may not be thinking as clearly as on an
ordinary day.
The goal of Long Beach Animal Care Services is to
make Long Beach the safest large city in California for people and animals
through the promotion of responsible pet ownership and recreation. LBACS
serves 600,000 residents and pets in Long Beach, Cerritos, Seal Beach, Los
Alamitos and Signal Hill.
Animal Care Services is located at the
P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village at 7700 East Spring Street in Long
Beach. The Village is open Wednesday through Friday 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.,
Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and is closed on Mondays, Tuesday and
holidays.