How to Protect Your Furry Friends from the Scorching Sun

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Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)– Humans aren’t the only ones sweating out the summer months. “You think about how hot you are, imagine having to endure that in a fur coat that’s essentially what your animals are having to endure,” says Taylor Wilson with Pawmetto Lifeline. Soaring Midlands temperatures present a new challenge for pet owners looking to protect their furry friends from the scorching sun. According to Wilson,”It’s all about trying to manage your pet’s temperature during the hot heat wave summer months that’s really important.” Wilson says that indoors is the best place for your pets to be but if they must be kept outside, she has a few ways to help keep them cool. “If you don’t have shade in your back yard and your animal is going to stay out there contemplate erecting a tent. The second thing that you need to do is you need to provide them with a very large water source not just for drinking but also for bathing because they’re going to want to get their bodies’ wet. As that water evaporates so will the heat and that will cool them down a little bit.” She reminds pet parents that limiting your animal’s exercise time and paying attention to when they’re going on walks is critical. “Concrete and asphalt gets hot. Don’t walk your pets in the middle of the day wait until its been cool, wait until it’s past dusk do it early in the morning don’t do it in that hot weather, it’s gonna burn their pads,” says Wilson. Most importantly, know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and stroke. “If you start noticing that your pet is panting excessively if they can’t seem to get enough to drink, if they start becoming very lethargic those are all signs that they’re about to go into distress.”