With extremely hot temperatures continuing through part of the weekend, it’s important to keep the safety of our pets in mind.

Jefferson Veterinary Clinic Veterinarian Dr. Mark Peters says on days like today and tomorrow, where the heat index could easily go over 100-degrees, keep pets indoors where it is air conditioned. However, if your animal needs to be outdoors for any length of time, Peters says there should be clean, fresh water and plenty of shade. He cautions people to watch for signs of when your pet is under heat-related stress.

“Well cats and dogs can’t sweat, so panting, they paint extreme amounts. Which brings up a good point about of when we get days like this, it’s not a good idea to take your dog for a long walk around the city or to the dog park, things like that because it doesn’t take very long (like) fifteen or twenty minutes on days like this of intense exercise and it’ll raise their body temperature quickly and hyperthermia sets in and that’s an emergency.”

As for leaving pets inside vehicles, Peters suggests leaving them at home when it’s extremely hot outside because the temperature inside a vehicle could go over 120-degrees.