If you're a dog owner, you don't only have to worry about keeping yourself healthy and hydrated this weekend... but also your beloved canine friends.
With temperatures expected to be in the high 30's and low 40's this weekend, heat may not only affect you significantly, but it can also be a problem for your dog.
"Dogs are susceptible to the heat, just like humans are," said Roxanne Neufeld, Owner & Veterinarian at Dauphin Vet Clinic. "We want owners to do everything they can to prevent their dogs from coming down with Hyperthermia. It can be very dangerous, and sometimes fatal."
If you're wondering what you can do to keep your canine safe this weekend, Neufeld shares how you can.
"You definitely need to keep your pets out of vehicles, especially if it's turned off with no A/C running," said Neufeld. "You need to make sure they always have shade and lots of fresh water. It's always better to have them inside because it'll help them breathe better... as opposed to being outside."
"There is also a lot of algae on bodies of water at this time, and you need to be very careful and not allow your dogs to drink from any body of water that has any," said Neufeld. "That can be very fatal, and very quickly. So, it's really important to be extra careful and make sure your dog is only drinking clean water."
With this being one of the hottest summers in recent years, Neufeld is very happy to say they haven't seen an increase in cases of heat-related illnesses in dogs, and she hopes that continues.
"Fortunately, we haven't seen an increase, and I'm hoping that continues into this weekend," said Neufeld. "But, we always want to keep warning people with the heat-spike we're going to experience this weekend, you have to be extra careful. If it's too hot for you... it's too hot for your dogs."
"Get them in the shade, and have lots of water available for them," she added. "If you have a pool for them, that'd be great as well."
