A representative from the Raccoon River Pet Rescue relays tips about keeping pets safe during extremely hot weather.

Board Member Janelle Repp reminds people to watch for high humidity levels as they can be stressful on animals and says to limit the amount of exercise during extreme heat.

“You need to provide ample shade and water for your pets. They need a way to be able to cool off, so drinking lots of water and having a cool place and shade is going to help them a lot.”

Repp highly suggests never leaving an animal alone in a vehicle because temperatures are exaggerated twice as much as how it feels outside. When walking an animal, Repp recommends sticking to earlier in the day or later in the evening when temperatures are usually cooler.

“The pets, all they have is their paws, so we’re (people) not always aware that the concrete can be very very hot on their feet. So, be very cognizant of hot concrete and how it can actually burn the bottoms of their paws.”

Repp points out that pets can develop heat strokes and to be on the lookout for signs including drooling, excessive panting, and a struggle to maintain balance. She finishes with tips of putting cool towels on their legs to mitigate the heat, and to trim longer hair on pets but reveals not to shave them completely, otherwise that will cause too much exposure from the sun.