West Tennessee is under a heat advisory, too hot for pets to be outdoors

The summer temperatures are hot, and as much as you want to go outside and play with your furbabies, animal health experts say otherwise.

“Dogs and cats, in particular, they can’t sweat like humans do,” said Sierra Wilson, who is a licensed vet tech at the Jackson Animal Care Center.

Wilson says that heat can cause significant health issues for your pet.

“Dogs with all that extra fur, they get excessively hot very quickly, leave them outside for even just a few minutes, with no shelter, no shade no water, they could get overheated very quickly,” said Wilson.

Many pet owners love to keep their fur friends close by, but some places do not allow animals inside. Wilson says if they are tagging along, be sure to take safety precautions.

“If you have to take them somewhere, you have to leave that car on; you have to leave the AC on.”

In most cases, a running car with air conditioning is still not safe for your pets.

“And even then, when you leave the car on and it’s not moving, and the AC is on, it starts to get warm,” said Wilson.

Leaving a dog in a hot car can lead to legal consequences, and according to Wilson, not only will your dog suffer, damage can be done to your vehicle.

“If animal control does not site you, JPD will if you leave your dog in a hot car, and you’re going to end up with a broken window.”

Separation can be hard on both owners and their pets but, keeping them safe should be the primary concern.

“The best thing to do is to leave them at home. That’s where they’re going to be cool, especially inside in the AC, they have access to water.”

Right now, it is 86 degrees, and for the rest of the week going into the weekend, temperatures are set to be in the low 90’s. Anything over 85 degrees is too hot for animals to be outside. And right now, while we’re under this heat advisory, pet owners should consider indoor activities.