Keeping Pets Safe in a Heatwave

Quick answer

In a heatwave, keep pets indoors in the coolest room during the day, give them shade, fresh water and airflow, and save walks and play for early morning and late evening. Never leave an animal in a parked car. Heatstroke can kill quickly: if a pet is panting hard, drooling, weak, wobbly or collapsing, move it somewhere cool, wet it with cool (not ice-cold) water and call a vet straight away.

Why heat is so dangerous for animals

Most animals can't sweat the way people do. Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, cats by panting and grooming, and rabbits partly through their ears. When the air is hot and humid, those systems stop working well and body temperature climbs. Once it gets too high, organs start to fail, and the damage can continue even after the animal has cooled.

Some animals are at much higher risk:

• flat-faced breeds such as Pugs, Bulldogs, Persian cats and short-faced rabbits;
• thick-coated breeds such as Huskies and German Shepherds;
• very young, old or overweight animals;
• pets with heart, breathing or other health problems;
• small animals kept in hutches or cages that can't move to a cooler spot;
• any animal confined somewhere hot, such as a car, a conservatory, a shed or a sunny room.

Signs of heat stress and heatstroke

Early signs include:

• heavy panting or open-mouth breathing (always abnormal in cats, rabbits and guinea pigs);
• drooling, or thick, sticky saliva;
• restlessness, or lying stretched out flat and not wanting to move;
• red gums or tongue, or very warm ears.

Serious signs include:

• weakness, stumbling or confusion;
• vomiting or diarrhoea;
• dark red, pale or blue-grey gums;
• collapse, fitting or unconsciousness.

Birds that are too hot often sit with their wings held away from the body, pant with an open beak and hold their feathers flat against the body.

First aid

If you think a pet is overheating:

1. Move it out of the sun into the coolest place you can, with a breeze or a fan.
2. Cool it straight away. For a dog, pour cool tap water over the body, especially the neck, belly, armpits and groin; a conscious dog can be stood in a bath of cool water with its head well above it. Any water cooler than the animal is better than none, so don't delay to look for ice. Don't leave a wet towel draped over a pet, as it can trap heat; if you use towels, keep re-soaking and swapping them. For rabbits and other small pets, dampen the ears and feet with cool (not cold) water.
3. Offer small amounts of water if the animal is alert and able to drink. Don't force it.
4. Call a vet while you cool (or get someone else to call), then head there, continuing to cool on the way with the car's air conditioning on.

Heatstroke can cause internal damage that isn't obvious, so a vet check is needed even if your pet seems to recover. For dogs, see Heatstroke in Dogs: Signs and First Aid for more detail.

Keeping each type of pet cool

Dogs

Walk early in the morning and late in the evening, and skip walks altogether on the hottest days. Check the pavement by holding the back of your hand on it for several seconds: if it is too hot for you, it is too hot for paws. Swap long runs and ball games for gentle sniffing walks, brain games and chew toys. Provide cool floors, a cooling mat, a shaded paddling pool and plenty of water bowls. Never leave a dog in a car, on a roof, tied up in the sun or in a hot yard.

Cats

Cats usually find cool spots themselves, so make sure they can reach them: tiled floors, shaded rooms, a damp towel to lie on. Add extra water bowls around the house. White and pale-eared cats can get sunburnt, so keep them out of strong midday sun and ask your vet about pet-safe sun cream. Watch elderly and flat-faced cats closely.

Rabbits and guinea pigs

These animals cope badly with heat, and many keepers start taking precautions once temperatures reach the mid-20s °C (mid-70s °F). Bring them indoors to a cool room if you can. Outdoors, make sure the whole hutch and run are in full shade all day (shade moves as the sun does), with good airflow. Give a frozen plastic bottle wrapped in a towel to lie against, ceramic tiles to stretch out on, fresh water in a bowl and a bottle, and wet, washed greens. Check their rear ends twice a day in warm weather for flystrike, which can kill within hours.

Chinchillas and other small pets

Chinchillas are especially sensitive and are at risk of heatstroke above about 27°C (80°F), particularly when it is humid. They really need air conditioning in a hot climate. For hamsters, gerbils and other small rodents, move the cage away from windows and out of the sun, and place a wrapped frozen bottle or chilled tile near, not inside, the enclosure.

Birds

Keep cages out of direct sun and away from windows that heat up. Offer a shallow bath or a gentle mist of plain water if your bird enjoys it, plus water-rich fruit and vegetables. Change drinking water more often, as it warms and spoils quickly. Watch for open-beak panting and wings held out.

Fish

Warm water holds less oxygen, so fish can struggle in a heatwave. Keep tanks out of the sun, turn off the heater if the water is already warm, increase surface movement with the filter outflow or an air stone, and feed a little less. Avoid big, sudden temperature changes; don't add ice directly to the tank.

Reptiles

Reptiles need a temperature gradient, not just warmth. Check the cool end of the enclosure regularly with a thermometer and move the tank away from sunny windows. You may need to reduce basking heat during a heatwave.

Livestock

Cattle, goats, sheep and poultry need shade, ventilation and constant access to clean water. Handle and transport them only in the cooler parts of the day. Dairy Cattle in Hot Climates covers heat stress in cows.

When to see a vet

Go to a vet immediately if your pet:

• is panting heavily and doesn't settle after cooling;
• is weak, wobbly, confused or collapsed;
• has vomiting or diarrhoea in the heat;
• has gums that look dark red, pale or bluish;
• has a seizure;
• is a rabbit, guinea pig or chinchilla that is breathing with its mouth open, lying limp or not eating;
• has maggots or fly eggs on its body.

Call ahead so the clinic can prepare, and keep cooling the animal on the way.

In Pakistan

Summer temperatures across much of Pakistan regularly climb well above 40°C (104°F), and humid coastal cities like Karachi add to the strain. Power cuts can switch off fans and air conditioners just when pets need them most. Plan for them: pick the coolest room in the house, keep battery or rechargeable fans charged, freeze water bottles in advance and keep spare water stored. Rooftops, verandas and courtyards that get full afternoon sun are dangerous places to keep birds, rabbits or tied dogs. Rabbits, chinchillas, flat-faced cats and thick-coated dog breeds such as Huskies struggle most, so find out before May which local vet you would call in an emergency.

A healthy, well-chosen pet copes better with the climate it lives in, so ask sellers about how the animal has been kept through the summer; you can find verified listings on Paalo.