Protecting Pets From Heat Sickness

HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE MID 90'S THIS WEEKEND WITH DANGEROUS HEAT INDEX VALUES PEAKING IN THE TRIPLE DIGITS THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. THE EXTREME HEAT POSES A THREAT NOT JUST FOR HUMANS, BUT IT CAN ALSO HAVE A HARMFUL EFFECT ON OUR PETS. THE REPORT FROM PETA FOUND THAT FLORIDA TRAILED ONLY TEXAS WITH THE MOST HEAT RELATED PET DEATHS OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD FROM 2018 TO 2022. BUT HOT CARS ARE JUST ONE OF THE RISKS THAT CAN IMPACT YOUR PETS DURING THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER. >> THE CEO OF PATTY BAKER, HUMANE SOCIETY IN NAPLES, MISSED BECCA MORRIS. >> JOINS US NOW ALONG WITH TRINKET LITTLE CHIHUAHUA MIX TO TALK MORE ABOUT HOW WE CAN KEEP OUR PETS SAFE DURING THIS SUMMER HEAT BECAUSE IT IS JUST BRUTAL OUT. THERE IT IS. SO HOT IS NO JOKE. AND WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR PETS BECAUSE PETS ARE FAMILY. AND THIS BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOR BABY IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE VULNERABLE DOGS AND CATS THAT YOU ARE SO CONCERNED ABSOLUTELY. SO PUPPIES AND KITTENS FIT WITHIN THE VULNERABLE POPULATION OF ANIMALS THAT WE REALLY WANT TO BE WATCHING WHEN THE HEAT HITS AS BAD AS IT HITTING RIGHT NOW IN FLORIDA, WE ALSO WANT TO THINK ABOUT OUR SENIOR POPULATIONS, THOSE ANIMALS THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT OVERWEIGHT OR ANY THAT MIGHT HAVE MEDICAL CONDITION SUCH AS HEART CONDITIONS. WE REALLY WANT TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO THOSE ANIMALS RIGHT NOW. YOU KNOW, PUPPIES LIKE DRINK IT. THEY CAN GET OVERHEATED SO QUICKLY. IT'S IMPORTANT DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY THAT WE'RE KEEPING THEM INSIDE IN THE AIR CONDITIONING, REALLY FOCUSING OUR COULD ACTIVATE EASED DURING THE EARLY MORNING AND THE EVENING HOURS. >> AND A LOT OF TIMES WITH VERY WELL-MEANING PET OWNERS DO NOT REALIZE. >> HOW THE HEAT CAN IMPACT THEIR DOGS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE TAKING THEM OUT FOR A LOT NEW IN CHINA. ALSO, REALLY, I THINK, AGAIN, I SAID PETS ARE FAMILY RIGHT UNTIL WE THINK WE WOULD HAVE OUR PET WITH US AT ALL TIMES. BUT THE ONE THING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT ON A REGULAR BASIS, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE GOING OUT AND YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE AND YOUR ANIMAL CANNOT GO WITH YOU. THEY NEED TO STAY HOME. THERE IS NO AMOUNT OF TIME THAT AN ANIMAL CAN BE IN A VEHICLE AND THIS HEAT THAT IS NOT AN EMERGENT SITUATION PLOT, BUT EVEN WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN OUT NICELY HAPPENED. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT AGAIN, WE THINK WE'LL HAVE ALL THE WINDOWS DOWN. I'M ONLY GOING INSIDE FOR 5 MINUTES. I DON'T THINK ANYONE IS DOING THIS THINKING SOMETHING BAD COULD HAPPEN TO THEIR PET. BUT WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT EVEN WITH THE WINDOW CRACKED, IT'S NOT GOING TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT AIRFLOW. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE CALLING NOT SPACE. AND UNFORTUNATELY IT GETS DANGEROUSLY HOT AND NOT VEHICLE VERY QUICKLY. >> AND THEN WHAT IS THE RULE YOU MENTIONED THERE'S A THREE-SECOND RULE WHEN WE ARE TAKING OUR PETS OUT FOR A ABSOLUTE LEAST ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SEE OFTEN STAND THE HEAT OF THE DAY. WE WILL. SO PEOPLE WALKING THEIR PET. >> ON THE PAVEMENT AND THAT PAVEMENT GET DANGEROUSLY HOT. VERY QUICK. SO I LIKE TO TEACH THE THREE-SECOND RULE WITH OUR HAND, TAKE HER HAND. YOU PLACE IT ON THE PAVEMENT IF YOUR HAND CANNOT BE COMFORTABLY ON THE PAVEMENT FOR 3 SECONDS. THEN THIS LITTLE KIDS TOE BEANS DO NOT NEED TO BE TOUCHING THE PAVEMENT. IT'S TOO HOT. WE NEED TO PICK A DIFFERENT TIME FOR THAT WALK. >> WELL, I'M IN LOVE WITH TRINKET. ISN'T HE AMAZING? SHE SURVEYS AND AVAILABLE FOR A DOG AS SHE SO WELL BEHAVED. I HAVE TO SAY GOOD GIRL. >> NOW WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS IF YOU HAVE A PET, YOU'RE WONDERING WHAT TO LOOK FOR. SURE. ENACTED BY THE HEAT. ABSOLUTELY. SO DEHYDRATION IS SOMETHING YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT. SO MAKING SURE THAT YOUR ANIMALS ALWAYS HAS ACCESS TO FOOD, FRESH, CLEAN WATER IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. AND ALSO AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HEAT STROKE AND WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE FOR A PET, IT'S EXCESSIVE SWEATING. SO PANTING. THEY'RE GOING TO POTENTIALLY SEEMED DISORIENTED. THEY MIGHT HAVE PALE GUMS. THAT'S THAT DEHYDRATION COMING ON. AND ULTIMATELY THEY COULD END UP HAVING A SEIZURE. SO IF YOU I FEEL THAT YOUR PET MIGHT BE SUFFERING FROM ANY SIGNS OF HEAT. STROKE IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. THE NEED TO ENSURE THAT YOU'RE GETTING TO A VET. NOW, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO IN THE HOME. IF YOU LIKE YOUR ANIMAL HAS GOTTEN OVERHEATED, YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT GETTING THEM COOL BUT NOT TOO COLD TOO FAST. SO WE ENCOURAGE A NICE COOL SPACE AND AIR FLOW. WE WANT THEM TO BE GETTING THERE. AND WE LOVE ALL YEAR, BUT WE LOVE OUR DOGS THAT WE ALSO LOVE OUR KITTIES. YEAH. AND DOES THIS APPLY AS WELL FOR CATS THAT DOES KITTENS, ESPECIALLY JUST LIKE PUPPIES ARE VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO HEAT. SO YOU DO WANT TO ENSURE IF YOU HAVE CATS OR KITTENS THAT GO OUT ON THAT PORT CHARLOTTE NIGHT THAT YOU ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO HOW HOT IT MIGHT BE A NOT SPACE AND BRING THEM IN DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY AND LET THEM ENJOY THE LANAI SPACE IN THE EARLY MORNING AND IN THE EVENING, THAT'S GOING TO BE SO MUCH BETTER. SO IF SOMEONE NOTICES THAT THEIR PET SEEMS TO BE SUFFERING, SOME OF THE SIGNS FROM THE HEAT, WHAT SHOULD THEY DO IMMEDIATELY? SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT AS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND YOU DO NEED TO GET YOUR ANIMAL TO A VET FOR A CHECK-UP. THAT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. PACKERS MAY SAY NAPLES, WE DO HAVE OUR YANNI MEDICAL CENTER IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT YOU ARE STOP LIST WITH A VET IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR YOUR VET HEALTH. SPECIFICALLY WHEN YOU RUN INTO AN EMERGENCY SUCH AS THIS. SO AGAIN, WE ARE OPEN FOR PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS AT NEW MEDICAL CENTER. IT IS OPEN ON A SLIDING SCALE. SO WE DON'T WANT YOU TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT OR PETS. FAMILY. THAT'S OUR MISSION AS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY PETS AS WELL. WELL, THAT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU POINT OUT BECAUSE COST IS A BIG BARRIER SOMETIMES FOR PET OWNERS TO TO SEEK HELP FOR THE ABSOLUTE LEE. WE SEE, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CHOOSING TO NOT PROVIDE THAT CARE FOR THEIR PETS. AND WE UNDERSTAND WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT BUDGET AND WE'RE THINKING ABOUT GROCERIES AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED TO GO TO PROVIDE FOR OUR FAMILY. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS. BUT IF YOU NEED SUPPORT, PLEASE REACH OUT. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOU AND HELP YOU KEEP YOUR PET WITH YOU AND IF SOMEONE IS INTERESTED IN PERHAPS A LIVING TREE CAN JOIN THEIR FAMILY, WHAT DO THEY NEED TO DO? YOU CAN STOP BY PATTY BAKER, HUMANE STUDY, NAPLES. ANY TIME WE OPEN FOR ADOPTIONS AT 12, 30, WE LOVE TO HAVE YOU. I THINK SHE'S GOING TO HAVE A FAMILY REAL SOON BE A THING. SO I DO THINK SO. SHE'S ADORABLE. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TO AJ TO DRIVING UP FROM NAPLES. ENSURING IS A REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING SAY BYE GUYS.