VIDEO: Keeping Your Pets Cool

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It is heartbreaking, stories about pets that overheat during the summer.

Animals die every day from sitting in hot cars and there are plenty of injuries to paws from hot pavement.

Contrary to popular belief, pets don’t really have that much higher of a heat tolerance than we do.

Those minutes in a car and on pavement is a different story.

If you think it’s going to be a quick run into the store while you leave a pet in the car, you don’t know how quickly a car can heat up.

“During 10 minutes, the first 10 minutes, temperature can go from 20 degrees to 30 degree to higher, so it can kill an animal very very fast,” said Karen Emerson, owner of Emerson Animal Hospital.

It’s not just cars.

Choosing the wrong time to go outside for a walk or run with your pet could be just as bad.

“My friend during the summertime in July, he came home and he had been biking with his Doberman at noon, in the middle of the day. It was pretty hot, and his dog overheated and died,” said pet owner, Amanda Lacklen.

Pet body temperatures are about the same as ours, and just like us one 107 degrees is the point where it can be deadly.

Leading up to that, a pet will experience dizziness, tongue discoloration, and panting.

“…and then once they reach that 107 degrees, almost reach there, they’re going to start having severe vomiting, diarrhea, they’re going to normally lose consciousness/pass out, and then all of their vital organs will fail and they will die,” said Emerson.

It’s important to take the right steps to keep your pets cool.

“I have a black dog, and I only run him if I wake up early enough in the morning or if, you know, late at night so he doesn’t overheat. I try and watch him, and I try to make sure if I do go out I have water for him,” said Lacklen.

“Make sure that when you have an outdoor dog that you have an area where they can be in the shade, plenty of access to water. A lot of people are putting ventilation in their dog houses, or they’re getting those igloo houses and installing a cooling unit, because the temperatures are just drastic,” said Emerson.

Of course there’s also the obvious solution: don’t leave your animal in the car.

Dogs and cats are not the only pets victim here.

Birds, reptiles, and rodents are also at risk from hot temperatures and cars.

It’s important they have plenty of water, shorter fur, and some shade.