Elder Care Can Help Protect Your Seniors Pets From Extreme Heat

Seniors who have pets may need to change the way they care for their pets to protect them from the extreme heat. Animals can get heat-related illnesses just like people can. Elder care can help seniors take care of their pets when it’s very warm out. Elder care is a great thing for seniors to have when the weather is warm because a care provider can help seniors with lots of different household tasks, including pet care and shopping for pets.

Seniors should keep a close eye on their pets during hot weather. Some of the signs that a pet is suffering from the heat and may need vet care are:

• Heavy panting and difficulty breathing
• Excessively drooling
• The pet appears lethargic, drowsy or uncoordinated
• Passing out or vomiting

Seniors who notice any of those symptoms should get their pet to the vet immediately. Some things that seniors can do to protect their pet in hot weather include:

Walk In The Mornings

The best time of the day for seniors to walk their dogs in the heat is in the morning. Typically, the temperatures in the morning will be the coolest temperatures of the day. And the pavement won’t be too warm for a dog’s paws in the morning. Walking a dog later in the day on a hot summer day can cause the dog to develop heat stress. Remember, the dog is wearing a fur coat. That means they will be very hot when it’s hot outside.

Put Shoes On Your Dog

Shoes on a dog? It’s not ridiculous. There are lots of different types of paw pads, slippers, and footwear for dogs. A dog’s paw pads are very delicate. Walking on sun-heated pavement can cause burns to a dog’s paw pad after a very short time outside. And when the temperature has been very warm the roads and sidewalks can get very hot to the touch. Putting footwear on the dog will protect their delicate paws from burns and injuries.
If the dog won’t wear footwear there are also products that look like deodorant sticks that contain wax. The wax can be applied to the dog’s paw pads to protect them from hot pavement.

Get Your Cat A Cooling Pad

Cats and small dogs will enjoy napping on a cooling pad. Cooling pads come in many different sizes. Put them in the refrigerator until they are nice and cold. Then put a towel over them and your pet can nap in cool comfort laying on the towel with the pad underneath. Some cooling pads can be tucked into your cat’s favorite bed so that they can sleep peacefully.

Get All Pets A Water Fountain

Pets need to drink cool water throughout the day when the weather is hot. A water fountain encourages pets to drink more water because pets love the fresh flowing water. And it keeps the water cool all day so that your pets have a constant source of cool fresh water.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Hampton Bays, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.