Keeping your home cool for a dog or cat in hot weather

Hot days change the way a home is used

In hot weather, blinds come down, fans come out and windows open at night. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s warm weather guidance warns that warm weather poses health risks to pets even on days that do not seem that hot to you, and that knowing the risks and being prepared can help keep them safe.

AVMA puts the starting point plainly: if it is hot outside for you, it is even hotter for your pet. The ASPCA’s hot weather safety tips add that pets can get dehydrated quickly, and recommend keeping them indoors when it is extremely hot. This guide turns that advice into a few checks around the house.

Offer more than one cool place to rest

AVMA recommends providing different temperature zones within your house for your pet’s comfort. Your pet can then move between a few spots instead of being shut into one room that warms as the sun moves.

• Shade through the day. A bed that sits in shade at breakfast can be in full sun by mid-afternoon. Check each spot at more than one time of day.
• Moving air. If you put a bed near a fan or a cross-breeze, leave room for your pet to move away from it.
• Easy access. Keep at least one cool spot that does not need stairs or a jump, especially for an older pet.
• Air-conditioned rooms for pets at higher risk. The ASPCA notes that flat-faced animals such as Pugs and Persian cats are more susceptible to heat stroke because they cannot pant as effectively. It says these pets, along with the elderly, the overweight and those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible.

Our guide to a dog’s quiet resting space has a room-planning exercise you can reuse when you choose a summer spot.

Keep fresh water within easy reach

AVMA recommends that pets have unlimited access to fresh water, and access to shade when they are outside. The ASPCA gives the same advice for hot or humid days.

A single kitchen bowl is easy to forget. Put a second bowl beside the coolest resting spot and a third by the door your dog uses after walks. Refill them all at fixed times, such as breakfast and bedtime. A yard bowl belongs in shade that lasts all afternoon.

Check windows, screens and coats

Summer is when windows and doors stay open for air. The ASPCA asks households to keep unscreened windows and doors closed and to make sure adjustable screens are tightly secured, because pets often fall out of open unscreened windows. Test each screen with a gentle push at the start of the season.

Coats need thought too. The ASPCA says you can trim longer hair on your dog but should never shave it, since the layers of a dog’s coat protect against overheating and sunburn. It also suggests brushing cats more often than usual in the heat. AVMA suggests asking your veterinarian whether your pet would benefit from a warm-weather haircut or other protection.

Plan walks, and never leave a pet in the car

AVMA recommends walks, hikes and runs during the cooler hours of the day, avoiding the hottest parts of the day and particularly warm days, taking frequent breaks and bringing enough water for both of you. It also warns that hot surfaces such as asphalt can burn a pet’s paws. The ASPCA adds that a dog close to hot asphalt can heat up quickly, and suggests keeping walks to a minimum when the temperature is very high.

The car is the risk that catches people out. AVMA’s pet safety in vehicles page explains that a vehicle can quickly reach a temperature that puts a pet at risk of serious illness or death, even on a day that does not seem hot and even when parked in the shade, and that cracking the windows makes no difference. Citing research on vehicle safety for children, it says the inside temperature can rise about 20 degrees Fahrenheit in just 10 minutes.

• AVMA says to never leave your pet alone in a parked vehicle, no matter what the outdoor temperature or how long you think you will be gone.
• Before an errand, AVMA suggests asking whether you really need to take your pet. If not, leave it safely at home.
• The ASPCA notes that leaving an animal alone in a parked vehicle can lead to fatal heat stroke, and is illegal in several states.

Find the coolest room, and plan for a power cut

This is an original Housemates exercise. It takes about twenty minutes on one warm afternoon, plus a few minutes with a pen.

1. Walk the home at the hottest part of the day. Go room to room, hallways included. Note which rooms feel cooler and which have sun on the floor.
2. Watch where your pet chooses to lie. Your pet may already have a favorite place on hot days. Add it to your list even if it is an odd one, such as a tiled bathroom floor.
3. Rank the rooms. Write the two coolest rooms at the top, and make sure each has water and a resting spot your pet can reach.
4. Imagine the same afternoon without power. Which room would stay coolest with no fan or air conditioning? Write it down, and note what you could do there, such as closing blinds on the sunny side.
5. Name a backup place. Write the name and number of a friend, relative or boarding option your pet could go to if the power stays off, especially for a pet the ASPCA describes as at higher risk.
6. Post the plan. Put it with your veterinary clinic’s number and the nearest emergency clinic, where a pet sitter would see it.

Our household emergency plan guide covers kits, water supplies and a buddy system that fit alongside this page.

Know the signs and get help fast

AVMA advises seeking emergency veterinary care if you see any of these signs of heat stress: anxiousness, excessive panting, restlessness, excessive drooling, unsteadiness, abnormal gum and tongue color, or collapse. The ASPCA lists excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or even collapse as symptoms of overheating, and says they can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomit.

AVMA also suggests asking your veterinarian how to recognize signs of heat stress before summer, and talking about warm weather risks for your own pet. If you suspect your pet has swallowed something potentially toxic, such as a lawn or garden product, the ASPCA asks you to call your veterinarian or ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 immediately.

This guide is a household planning aid. It does not diagnose heat-related illness or replace advice about your own pet.