Tulsa Veterinarian Shares Warning Signs, Tip To Avoid Heat Exhaustion In Animals During Heat Wave

It's not just people who are being impacted by this extreme heat; animals are feeling it as well. Veterinarians say you should consider when you take your dog out for a walk in this weather.

Dr. Paul Welch with Forest Hills Animal Hospital says his office is seeing several cases of heat exhaustion and burned paws in dogs.

He says just like parents know not to leave babies in the car, pet owners shouldn't leave animals in cars.

"Anything over 70 degrees outside that car will heat up to 115 pretty quickly. Because dogs pant to cool down, and as you pant you have more hot air, and so it heats up more than you and I in the car,” Welch said.

Dr. Welch says pets can get dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water when they have to be outdoors and make sure there's a shady place too.

"If you go on walks, make sure you take water with you and you don't overheat the dog because they don't have sweat glands, so they don't have the ability to cool down like we do," Welch said

Being so close to the ground, a dog's body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn.

"It's fine to go for a walk and things, but don't go as far and not quite as far,” Welch said.

He says don't be afraid to let them walk in the grass to protect their paws.

"If you do have a situation where the dog overheats, lets say out in the backyard, they're panting, get them inside and get them in the air conditioning. If you have cool water get it on a towel and wrap them up in that," Welch said.

Some signs to look out for include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, drooling, mild weakness, even collapsing.

These signs could mean your dog is overheated.