REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - As extreme heat continues across the region this week, Humane Animal Partners in Rehoboth Beach is urging pet owners to take precautions to protect their animals from heat-related illness.
At the shelter, dogs were seen staying cool by playing in shaded areas and splashing in a small pool.
Kimberly Doucette from Humane Animal Partners shared several tips for keeping pets safe during high temperatures.
"Keep the walks short and sweet. When it's hot outside, if you do take them for too long of a walk or they're having a heat stroke, signs of that would be excessive panting, excessive drooling, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, pale-colored, or a different color gums, which would be bright red or blue or purple," Doucette said.
She added that if any of those symptoms occur, pet owners should bring their animal indoors and cool them down as best they can. Doucette said if that doesn't work, or if there’s no improvement, the pet should be taken to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Doucette also warned about the dangers of hot pavement. "If you can't put your hand down on the pavement and keep it there, we don't want dogs walking on that. The sensitivity of their pads on their paws, it will burn their paws. So you do want to avoid any black tar paint pavement, it is the worst. It will burn their paws," she said.
She advised pet owners to walk their dogs during the cooler parts of the day, such as early morning or later in the evening as the sun has gone down.