Today's Hot Take: 6 Safety Tips for Pets in the Face of Rising Temperatures

Name: Veterinary Services
Brand: Gentle Vet Animal Hospital

By Dan Gray, DVM | Gentle Vet Animal Hospital | Green Bay, WI

A couple brought their four-year-old French Bulldog into our clinic on a Tuesday afternoon. He'd been outside for maybe 20 minutes while they weeded the garden — not running, not playing, just lying in a sunny spot on the patio. By the time they noticed something was wrong, he was wobbly and drooling heavily. His temperature was 105.8°F.

That dog was lucky. He recovered fully. But the call we got right before they arrived — “we didn’t think it was that hot out” — is one we hear every summer without fail.

Heat records are being broken with uncomfortable regularity across the U.S., and Northeast Wisconsin is no exception. What was once an occasional spike is now a reliable feature of our summers. Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, reptiles — none of them sweat the way we do, and none of them can tell you when they've crossed the line from warm to dangerously overheated.

These six tips aren't a checklist to skim and forget. They're the things our team wishes every pet owner genuinely understood before summer gets serious.

1. Know the Signs Before You Need Them

Most pet owners think they'll recognize heatstroke when they see it. In practice, the early signs are easy to explain away — a dog that's panting a lot (well, it's a hot day), moving slowly (he's tired), or being a little off his food (probably the heat). By the time the obvious symptoms appear, you're already behind.

Here's what to watch for, from early warning to emergency:

Excessive panting or labored breathing — more than the situation seems to warrant
Thick, stringy drool — saliva that looks ropes or foamy rather than thin
Low energy, stumbling, or reluctance to move
Vomiting or diarrhea
Gums that are bright red, pale, or tacky to the touch
Confusion, glassy eyes, or loss of coordination

A body temperature above 104°F is the threshold for heatstroke — at that point, organ damage can begin within minutes. According to the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, heat-related illness can occur in as little as 30 minutes when conditions are right. You don't need a thermometer in hand to act — if your pet looks or acts wrong in the heat, get them somewhere cool and call your vet.

2. Cool Your Pet the Right Way

Your instinct when a dog is overheating is probably to dunk them in cold water as fast as possible. It's understandable — and it's the wrong move.

Rapid cooling of the skin causes blood vessels to contract, which actually traps heat inside the body and makes core temperature rise further. You want to lower their temperature steadily, not shock their system.

What to do instead:

Move them out of direct sun and into a cool (not frigid) environment
Let them stand with just their paws in cool water — a shallow tub or kiddie pool works well; the paw pads are a key heat-exchange surface
Apply cool (not cold) wet towels to the neck, armpits, and groin — areas with major blood vessels close to the surface
Run a fan to create airflow over damp skin — evaporative cooling is more effective than cold water alone
Offer small amounts of cool water to drink; don't force it

Even if your pet seems to bounce back quickly, a veterinary evaluation is essential after any heat episode. Internal organ damage — especially to the kidneys and liver — can be present even when the animal appears normal. We can run bloodwork to check.

Note for cat owners: Cats are rarely cooperative about standing in water. A misting bottle paired with a fan is your best tool. They also rarely show panting until heat stress is already serious — so the behavioral cues matter more.

3. Some Pets Are Playing on Hard Mode

All pets can overheat. But for some, the margin between fine and emergency is very thin.

The highest-risk group: brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds. If you share your home with a Bulldog, Pug, Boston Terrier, Shih Tzu, French Bulldog, Persian cat, Exotic Shorthair, or similar breed, your approach to summer needs to be more conservative than average. These animals have shortened nasal passages and, in many cases, anatomical airway abnormalities that make panting — their primary cooling mechanism — genuinely inefficient. They can overheat in temperatures that a Labrador would handle just fine.

Other elevated-risk groups:

Senior pets — aging reduces the body's ability to regulate temperature efficiently
Overweight pets — body fat insulates heat in, making cooling harder
Pets with heart or respiratory disease — limited cardiovascular reserve means less ability to compensate for heat stress
Dogs with laryngeal paralysis ("lar par") — the larynx doesn't open properly, severely limiting airflow during panting
Dark-coated dogs and cats — darker fur absorbs significantly more radiant heat from the sun

If your pet falls into one of these categories, don't wait for symptoms. Talk to us about a general medicine check-in before summer peaks so we can assess their specific risk and give you a clear management plan.

Does your pet have a heart condition, breathing difficulty, or flat-faced anatomy? Our team can perform in-house diagnostics — including bloodwork and echocardiograms reviewed by a board-certified cardiologist — to give you real answers about how your pet handles heat stress. Call us at 920.435.5000.

4. The Car Is Not a Safe Waiting Room

This one still needs to be said every year. Cracking the windows is not a meaningful protection. Parking in the shade helps only marginally. Running the air conditioning introduces risks — engine shutdown, mechanical failure, a curious dog accidentally turning it off.

The AVMA reports that when the outside temperature is 70°F, the interior of a parked car can reach 99°F within 20 minutes — and that's not a particularly hot day by Wisconsin summer standards. The AVMA's warm weather safety guidance is unambiguous: no pet should be left unattended in a vehicle on a warm day, for any duration.

If you're running errands and you're unsure whether you'll have to leave your pet in the car, leave them home. If you see a pet alone in a car showing signs of distress, note the license plate, alert nearby businesses, and call local non-emergency services.

5. Time Your Walks and Activities Deliberately

The pavement your dog walks on can reach temperatures that cause paw pad burns long before the air temperature feels dangerous. On a sunny day, asphalt can reach 140–160°F when air temperatures are around 85–90°F — hot enough to cause tissue damage within 60 seconds of contact.

A simple test: press the back of your hand firmly on the pavement for 7 seconds. If you can't comfortably hold it there, the surface is too hot for your dog's paws.

Beyond the pavement issue, early morning (before 8 a.m.) and evening (after 7 p.m.) are significantly cooler for exercise. If midday walks are unavoidable, keep them short, stay in the shade where possible, and bring water.

Wisconsin humidity amplifies heat risk considerably. When humidity is high, evaporative cooling — which is how panting works — becomes less effective. A 78°F day at 90% humidity is genuinely riskier for your dog than an 85°F day with low humidity.

6. Make Cooling Off Part of the Routine

This is the tip that actually gets applied: making cool-down time fun rather than a precaution your pet resists.

For dogs, a shallow kiddie pool in the backyard is one of the most effective heat management tools available — and most dogs think it's the best thing that's ever happened to them. Water play through a sprinkler, a frozen treat made from low-sodium chicken broth in an ice cube tray, or a food-stuffed toy kept in the freezer can all extend comfortable outdoor time without heat risk.

Cats can be encouraged to drink more during hot weather with a pet water fountain (moving water is more appealing to most cats) or ice cubes added to their water bowl. A small battery-operated fan near a favorite resting spot is often enough for an indoor cat.

Exotic pets have their own heat-management needs. Reptiles are ectothermic — their enclosure temperatures need to be monitored and maintained even as ambient room temperatures rise. Birds and small mammals like rabbits and guinea pigs are particularly heat-sensitive — and far less obviously so than dogs and cats. If you have a bird, rabbit, ferret, or reptile and your home reaches high temperatures during a heat wave, this warrants a conversation with our exotic animal team.

The bottom line on this tip: pets aren't going to self-regulate their heat exposure the way adults do. Building shade breaks, water access, and cooling periods into any outdoor activity isn't coddling — it's management.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Heat Safety

What temperature is too hot for my dog to be outside?

There's no single temperature that works for every dog — breed, size, coat type, health status, and humidity all factor in. As a general guideline, exercise should be limited when temperatures exceed 80°F, especially in high humidity. Brachycephalic breeds and senior dogs should go out only for brief bathroom trips once temperatures pass 75°F. When in doubt, apply the pavement test: if the asphalt is too hot for your hand, it's too hot for your dog's paws.

How do I cool down a dog that has overheated?

Move them to a cool area immediately. Let them stand in cool (not cold) water — a shallow tub or kiddie pool — or apply cool, damp towels to their neck, armpits, and groin. Run a fan. Offer small amounts of cool water to drink. Do not use ice or extremely cold water, as this causes blood vessels to contract and can worsen internal heating. After any cooling, call your vet — bloodwork is needed to rule out organ damage even if your pet appears to have recovered.

Can indoor cats get heatstroke?

Yes — if your home doesn't have air conditioning or experiences a power outage during a heat wave, indoor cats are at genuine risk. A home can reach dangerous temperatures surprisingly fast. Cats also show early heat stress less obviously than dogs; watch for panting (unusual in cats at rest), low energy, and decreased interest in food or water. Any cat that is actively panting directly related to heat deserves a cool room and veterinary attention.

Are exotic pets at risk in hot weather?

Absolutely — and this is an area many pet owners don't think about. Birds, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas can experience serious heat stress faster than dogs or cats. Reptiles require stable thermal gradients in their enclosures that can be disrupted by high ambient room temperatures. Our exotic animal medicine team at Gentle Vet is experienced with the specific heat-management needs of these species — don't hesitate to call if you have concerns.

When should I go to the vet versus managing at home?

If your pet has already reached the stage of vomiting, collapse, seizure, extreme disorientation, or has gums that are pale or bright red, this is an emergency — call us at 920.435.5000 or go to your nearest emergency facility immediately. For milder heat exhaustion (excessive panting that resolves with cooling, temporary low energy), cooling at home followed by a same-day or next-day evaluation is appropriate. When in doubt, call us — we'd always rather talk through a situation on the phone than have you wait and wonder. See our emergency care information for more guidance.