Keep Your Pet From Panting

The weather is getting hot hot hot! While you dive for shade or run for air conditioning, keep in mind that your best friend on the leash handles hot weather differently.

"Early Show" Resident Veterinarian Dr. Debbye Turner Bell joined co-anchor Harry Smith Thursday morning on "The Early Show"to clear up some myths about keeping your puppy cool and happy.

Fiction: Dogs handle heat better than people do because they pant.

When you see a dog with his tongue hanging out and breathing heavily, he is panting. Dogs exhibit this behavior because they do not have sweat glands so it is the most efficient way of cooling their bodies, so they succumb to heat much faster than people do.

Dogs with flat faces are especially vulnerable during hot weather because they cannot breathe as well, making them less efficient at getting rid of heat. Dogs with face shapes like English bulldogs, French bulldogs or pugs should be kept in the air conditioning and out of the heat.

Puppies are also more susceptible to heat exhaustion because they have not developed enough to perfect thermal regulation. Dogs that are older, obese, or sick are also more vulnerable in intense weather.

Fiction: Pets are Okay in the car for fifteen minutes or less.

The Humane Society determined that the temperature within a car rise as quickly as 30 degrees in one minute, which means that after ten minutes, it can be 102 degrees, in half an hour, 130.

"You're cooking your animal," said Bell.

Bell advises pet owners to leave their dogs at home in the comfortable air conditioning if there is a chance that they might have to wait in a car.

Fiction: Shaving fluffy fur or heavy hair keeps your pets cooler.

Though this idea makes a lot of logical sense, Bell says that most dogs have sensitive skin, so shaving them down might actually cause sunburn.

"You can shave them down if they're not out in the sun but I don't recommend it because they have this fur for a reason," explained Bell. "Most important is to keep them inside in the air conditioning. This is what I'd like to say, if you're hot, your dog is hot. If you're uncomfortable, the dog is uncomfortable."

Fiction: Applying sunscreen to your dog is a waste of time.

Bell suggests getting specially made sunscreen for dogs to protect the areas that get the most exposure to the UV rays (tip of the nose, tip of the ears, and groin.)

Though dogs have natural protection against the sun because of their fur, it is still a good idea to take some extra precaution because sunburn and peeling does still happen.

Bell reminds dog owners to make sure they aren't sharing the same sunscreen as their pooch because "of course they lick their bodies so you want to get one that's formulated for them so if they lick it off, it's not toxic to them."

Fact: Profuse salivation is a sign of trouble from the heat.

If your dog is not normally slobbery but they seem to be drooling, that is a sign of trouble. Also, if you have a dog that does normally slobber, but you notice long tracks coming down from their jowls, it could be a sign of heat exhaustion.

Bell gave a few pointers when it comes to heat exhaustion in pets. Some key things to lookout for are:

Signs of Heat Exhaustion:

• Panting
•Profuse Salivation
•Dry Gums
•Extreme Lethargy or weakness
•Confusion

If you notice your dog displaying any of those above symptoms, Bell advises you to get them out of the sun, into some air conditioning, and to pack their neck and groin with ice packs.

But Bell warns pet owners to NOT douse their pets with ice water, even if their dog is panting and displaying troubling signs of exhaustion.

"It is a shock. It causes vasoconstriction, where their blood vessels get smaller and it gets harder to get rid of the heat."

After being out in the sun all day, if you and your pet want to kick back and enjoy some summery dessert, there is specially made doggy ice cream as well, a very appropriate hot weather treat for your best friend.

The puppies featured on Thursday morning's broadcast are looking for a good home, if you are interested in adopting, please visitLiberty Human Society.