Animal Owners Urged to Limit Outdoor Activities During Daytime
Charleston Animal Society is issuing a heat alert for all companion and working animals.
Working Animals
The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture has developed a weather heat-stress index for livestock that can be referenced by zip code. Weather for August 14th in Charleston is at the “Danger” level all day and rises to the “Emergency” level between the hours of Noon and 3pm.
Go to:
- Weather.uky.edu
- Type in zipcode
- Click on AgWeather Forecast
- Scroll down to see Livestock Heatstress
Charleston Animal Society is urging caretakers of working animals, such as horses and mules that pull tour carriages downtown, working dogs, farm animals, service animals and others to minimize work and to offer increased water and rest to avoid heat-related stress that could endanger the animals.
Companion Animals
Keep animals indoors and limit outdoor activities during this August heat. People are urged to leave pets at home and not take them outside to the beach or other events. Even swimming, a dog can overheat.
“Even as summer is winding down, the heat is not letting up,” said Joe Elmore, Charleston Animal Society President & CEO. “Please don’t leave pets in cars – even for a quick run into a store – it is just too dangerous.”
“Cracking a Window” DOES NOT WORK. Plain and simple, cracking the windows in a vehicle makes little to no difference to lessen the temperature within it. On a hot day, the temperature in your vehicle can exceed 120 degrees within 20 minutes, which can be fatal to your pet. If you see a pet in a locked car, car 911. When your pet is outdoors, it should always have access to water. Pets should also have a shady place to escape the sun if outside and they should never linger on hot asphalt during periods of extreme heat. This can cause an animal to heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn.
