Keep you and your pets safe during the heat

Temperatures once again will reach the middle, if not upper 90s, later this afternoon and it's important for you to remember how to keep you, your family and your four-legged friends safe during the heat.

With the high temperatures and high dew points it's important to understand the heat index.  This is how it physically feels to your body when outdoors.  It factors in the air temperature and relative humidity.  The hotter the temperature and the higher the relative humidity, the higher your heat index value will be.  It's important to note that the chart was developed for shady, light wind conditions.  In full sunshine, like we'll have today, your heat index number will likely go up.  We're looking at heat index values over 100° in some locations!

Here are some things you can do to keep yourself and your pets safe during the heat:
- Be sure to drink plenty of fluid; even if you're not thirsty.  You want to make sure you drink plenty of water and stay away from alcoholic beverages!

- Try to stay in the air conditioning as much as possible and limited outdoor activity, if you can.  If you don't have an A/C, go to your local library, grocery store or a cooling center.  You can find cooling centers on our website.

- Wear light weight, light colored clothing as the lighter colors will reflect the sun's rays better than darker colored clothing.  Also be sure to apply sun block to any exposed skin if you're going to be outside and wear a hat to protect your face.

- Exercise or do any strenuous activity during the cooler periods of the day; like early in the morning or in the evening.

-NEVER LEAVE A PET OR CHILD IN YOUR VEHICLE!  Even if it's for a quick moment!  The temperature inside a vehicle can rise very quickly, more so than the actual outside temperature, because the vehicle acts as a greenhouse trapping the heat inside.  Last year I heard of too many stories from around the U.S. where children died inside vehicles either because they were left in them or their parents didn't realize they were playing inside of them.

- Check on your elderly neighbors during the hotter weather.  Making sure that they're okay can mean the world to them.

- Make sure your pets have a nice shaded area to go from the sun and that they have fresh water.

One of our viewers, Dom Castaldo, passed along some helpful tips for pet owners:

During hot weather, the importance of keeping pets well-hydrated (watered) cannot be stressed enough. Dogs and cats don't sweat; they pant. Panting causes water loss and the water needs to be replaced. Good guidelines for dogs are:


Rule of Thumb: One quart of water per pound of dry dog food. .
Rule of Thumb: For dogs less than 20 pounds, 1 cup of water per 5 pounds of body weight.
Rule of thumb: Dogs will drink even if they won’t eat.

A pet owner's simplest option is to keep clean, fresh water available to pets at all times. Give them a bigger water bowl or fill their feed dishes with water. We feed dry dog food but when it is hot, I add water to their food, let it sit so the food absorbes the water, and then I feed it.

Keep the water out of direct sunlight. The water will get hot and won't cool the dog.

There is some controversy about giving ice cubes or cold water to dogs. Our dogs love to chew on ice cubes and we have never had a problem. However, giving ice-cold water to very hot dogs or dogs that are thirsty could cause bloating or cramps. Usually the dog just vomits.

Don't give beer to dogs. Dogs don't metabolize ethanol rapidly and owners could have problems down the road.

I'm not sure about getting dogs wet to cool them. Some experts say water mats the hair, insulating the dog and making it hotter. One of our Lab likes his pool so we let him swim. Our boxer hates the water.

Finally, and I can't say this enough LEAVE THE DOG HOME. No, the dog doesn't want to go to the store. i frequently see dogs locked in cars. The temperature inside the car can rise fast. I've called the police a few times when I've seen this.