Keeping Pets Safe During Extreme Heat - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

With summer temps on the rise and heat records being broken, veterinarians urge keeping a close eye on your pets.

Warning signs of a pets experiencing heat illness can include diarrhea, non-stop panting, and vomiting. If these signs are noticed you should remove your pet to cooler area right away and get them out of the sun. 

Preventing heat illness in pets is simple, make sure you have plenty of cold water on hand for your pets to drink. Even setting up a kiddie pool with some cool water for them to splash around in can make a big difference.

Vets also warn that pets may not know when they need to come indoors, and can continue play and run around until they pass out and it's too late. So make sure you keep close supervision of pets and keep them cool.

From Fargo Police:

It is in the best interest of your pets to minimize their exposure to the outdoors.  This may mean walking them in the early mornings or late evenings.  If your pets need to be outside, please make sure that they have proper shelter from the sun and adequate water to cool off.   

Please do not bring your pets with you while shopping or running errands when it is this hot outside.  Any period of time they are left inside of a vehicle, windows open or not, could be dangerous to their health or may even cause death. 

We also advise that you leave your pets at home instead of bringing them to events with you such as street fairs, parades, sporting events, etc.  Exposing them to large groups of people and other animals can cause additional and unwanted stress.