With temperatures set to peak at 36 degrees today, protecting wildlife and pets from heatstroke is crucial to their health.
Heatstroke in pets is common and avoidable. Heatstroke occurs when your body has more heat than it is able to lose.
Heatstroke can cause thermal muscle failure and internal organ failure.
To avoid heatstroke in your pets, you need to ensure they have plenty of water, shade and airflow. If you have the ability to bring pets indoors on hot days, that should be considered.
Always provide your pet with a clean water source. On hot days, multiple water sources are a good idea. Some ice will help keep the water cool.
Do not excersise your pets in hot conditions. not only can they find it very difficult to breath and expel heat, they can also burn their feet on hot surfaces such as concrete, rocks and dirt.
Don’t leave you animals in a vehicle. Temperatures inside a closed vehicle can increase rapidly, even when the windows are open. A dog can die in just 6 minutes if left in a car.
Small animals such as rabbits, birds, ferrets, mice etc are more susceptible to heatstroke as these animals are often confined in cages.
Caring for wildlife on hot days is also possible. leaving a shallow dish of water in a shaded area can help wildlife throughout the day. From a drink to a bath, wildlife will look for water when the weather is warm. Make sure you check your dishes every couple of hours to ensure the water is clean.
If you use a larger container, make sure there is a way for smaller animals such as insects to get out, sticks and rocks make a good natural staircase.
Ensure your pets are unable to reach or disturb this water source.
Satu enjoyed a paddle in his pool today, hope everyone was keeping cool. Remember to put out some dishes of water for our wildlife also ?
Posted by Ballarat Wildlife Park on Sunday, January 10, 2021