Summer has arrived, and the team here at Greenhills Vet Hospital would like to provide you with some tips on how to keep your pets safe and cool during these scorching hot days.

• Provide your pets with multiple water bowls – you can even add ice to their bowls
• Ensure they have adequate shade if they are outside
• Freeze some treats in water for a delicious ‘pup’sicle
• Take them for works only during early morning or late afternoon after checking the concrete for heat

Here are some signs that your pet may be experiencing heat stress:

• Rapid breathing
• Weakness
• Bright red tongue and gums
• Vomiting
• Excessive saliva

If you think your pet is under heat stress, take them to your nearest Vet clinic as soon as possible. Here are some thing you might like to do to assist your pet on the way to the Vet:

• Move the animal into a cool shaded area or into an air-conditioned space
• Apply wet tea towels to their underarms, making sure not to make the towels freezing cold
• Give them small drinks of cold, but not freezing water

Be sure to chat to your Vet about further ways to avoid heat stress in animals at your next consultation.