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Protect your furry friend from the heat

Maine is under a high heat warning this weekend. Not only do humans need to be careful, but animals should be protected as well.
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With the high heat warning this weekend, humans and animals need to be careful of heatstroke. Here are some guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the ASPCA on how to protect your pet. 

  • Never ever leave your pet in the car.
  • Make sure there is unlimited access to fresh water.
  • Make sure your dog has access to shade when outside. Be careful the shade doesn't go away as the sun moves. 
  • Take walks during the cooler hours of the day.
  • When walking, try to stay off hot surfaces like asphalt or tar because it can      burn your dog's paws. 
  • Animals with flat faces, like Pugs and Persian cats, are at a higher risk for         heatstroke. 

The symptoms of heatstroke are excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or even collapse. Symptoms can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomit along with an elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees. Go to the vet immediately if you suspect your pet has heatstroke. 

RELATED: Click for Maine Local Weather Forecast

While everyone is more familiar with how to protect their smaller pets, this is what you can do to protect the larger animals like horses in your care. Equiseach says to:

  • Keep clean water in limitless supply available 24/7.
  • Make sure plenty of shade from trees, shelters or run-in sheds is available.
  • If a herd situation, observe carefully to make sure weaker, older or less-dominant horses are not being chased away from water or shade.
  • If you work your horse, time your workouts during the cooler parts of the day. 

According to Equisearch an overheated horse, either from exercise or simple heat exposure, needs aggressive cooling. It is simply not true that you can't use cold water on a hot horse. That's a myth. In fact, such cooling may prevent a life-threatening condition from developing.

Using cold water from a hose, run water over the horse's chest, the jugular grooves of his neck, and the lower legs. These areas have many superficial blood vessels that can be rapidly cooled by the water and will carry the cooled blood to the interior of the horse.

Once the horse seems less distressed (breathing eases), progress to hosing the entire body. Continue the hosing until the water running off underneath the horse's body feels cool. This means the water is no longer picking up large amounts of heat from the surface of the skin.

Small or large, pets depend on their owners to protect and take care of them  through this excessive heat.

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