Here’s how to keep your pets safe in the excessive heat

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — With an excessive heat warning in effect across the Grand Strand, veterinarians and others say there are several ways to protect your pets from the hot weather.

Many animals can’t cool themselves appropriately when it’s hot and the humidity is high, so it’s important to limit the time your pets spend outdoors. It’s best to take your pet for a walk early in the morning or in the evening after it cools down, said Meaghan Pitman of the North Myrtle Beach Humane Society.

Plus, you should never, ever leave your pet in a car, Pitman said.

“When it’s 75 degrees out, it takes only 10 minutes for the inside of the car to reach 100 degrees,” She said. “Then, in the heat that we’re experiencing right now, it just takes a matter of minutes for the inside of the car to reach over 100 degrees. So, of course, if you’re going anywhere, leave your pets at home.”

Pitman said it’s also important to not allow your pet to walk on hot pavement.

“If you’re taking your dog for a walk, you want to do that first thing early morning or in the evening when it’s a lot cooler out,” she said. “You want to check the pavement before you walk on it. Place your hand on it, if it feels too hot for your hand, it is absolutely too hot for an animal’s paw pads.”

Pitman said you should limit the time you are outside as much as possible and try to stay in shady areas. You should also have plenty of water available and other cold treats available for your pet.

“For dogs, you can get some non-fat plain Greek yogurt, and you can freeze that,” she said. “You can freeze some peanut butter and some pumpkin in some ice cube trays. You can put a little dog bone in it or some berries in it, and then, of course, for cats also you could freeze some little sardines or stuff like that, or even some canned wet food.”

Many people enjoy taking their pets to the beach, but Pitman said even that can be dangerous in the heat. If you are going to take your dog to the beach, you should go early in the morning or in the evening because of how hot the sand can get.

“When you do have them at the beach, you want to make sure that they’re not drinking any of the salt water,” she said. “A lot of people think, ‘oh, it’s OK if they drink some of it.’ No, no, you want to bring your own water for them to have. You don’t want them to ingest salt water, and then if you are at the beach with the animal or just outside, of course, you want to be paying close attention to them. You want to watch for signs of heat stroke.”

Pitman said it’s important to make sure your pet is not lethargic and that there is no excessive panting or drooling. If that happens, then you should take them to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

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Hannah Huffstickler is a multimedia journalist at News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2024 after graduating from Coastal Carolina University in December of 2023. Keep up with Hannah on Facebook , X, formerly Twitter , and Instagram . You can also read more of her work here .

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