Pets feeling the heat: How to keep animals safe as temperatures rise

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SINGAPORE – Charlie has been reluctant to take long walks at East Coast Park since April, when the weather turned hotter and more humid.

 

When the cavalier King Charles spaniel reaches an underpass at Marine Parade leading to the beach, she tugs at her leash to head back home or complete a shorter walk around the Marine Crescent estate, said her owner Irene Kamphuis, 43.

 

“In the worst-case scenario, she would lie down and refuse to walk, and I have to carry her for a bit.

 

“And when we get to a cooler area with cold tiles or air-con, she will lie belly-down, stretched out on the floor,” added Ms Kamphuis, a regional payroll manager.

 

Like Charlie, Mr Vincent Sim’s 15 pet rabbits have been feeling the heat too. Since late March, they no longer enjoy bounding about on the terrace of his Housing Board maisonette penthouse.

 

“They will return to the living room within a few minutes or, sometimes, 30sec later. They used to roam outside for hours. They lie in front of the fan now, which they used to stay away from because it was noisy,” said the 49-year-old sales manager.

 

While heat stress is a threat to people, their pets are also as vulnerable – if not more so – since animals have limited sweat glands to help them effectively cool down, said Dr Teo Boon Han, managing partner and veterinary consultant at VetTrust Singapore.

 

“Dogs, for instance, rely primarily on panting or sweating through their paws to release heat,” added Dr Teo.

 

Rise in heat-related health issues during the hotter months

 

In April, a 10-year-old chow chow collapsed and was rushed to the Animal and Avian Veterinary Clinic (AAVC). The dog was heating up, looked disoriented, and his gums had turned blue – key signs of heat stroke.

 

Ten minutes later, the dog died. The dog was also obese, which added to complications.

 

The clinic’s previous two heat stroke cases, in March and October 2022, were saved in time with intravenous fluids, oxygen therapy and ice packs, among other interventions, said its founder and vet Kenneth Tong.

 

In addition to a few heat stroke cases, vet clinics report an uptick in heat-related conditions during the hotter months, such as flare-ups of skin allergies, hot spots or inflamed sores, and ringworm infections.

 

Since April, AAVC has been seeing at least three animal patients with skin rashes or eczema daily.

 

Since February, Dr Lee Yan Hui from Brighton Vet Care (Katong) has been seeing more patients with ringworm infections.

 

She added that the mix of rainfall – April and early May saw showers on several afternoons – and high temperatures contributed to the ringworm infections.

 

Dr Brian Loon, principal veterinarian at Amber Vet Group, said his clinic sees a 15 to 30 per cent rise in heat-related skin issues during the hotter months. Many cases are dogs with chronic skin allergies and ear infections.

 

Parasites such as ticks, fleas, fur mites and heartworm are everywhere in the environment and are drawn to pets through body heat and when animals breathe out carbon dioxide when panting more, noted Dr Tan Do Yew, regional technical manager for companion animals at Boehringer Ingelheim, a multinational animal health company.

 

Hotter days ahead

 

Singapore entered the warmer period when the north-east monsoon fizzled out by late March. On Saturday, the temperature spiked to 37 deg C in Ang Mo Kio, the highest recorded in Singapore since 1983.

 

The mercury might keep soaring if the El Nino weather phenomenon arrives in the second half of the year.

 

El Nino – characterised by warmer ocean temperatures across the Pacific – brings hotter and drier conditions to South-east Asia and Australia.

 

If El Nino sets in, temperatures between June and October are likely to soar higher than the seasonal norm with less rainfall and cloud cover, noted weather and climate scientist Koh Tieh Yong from the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

 

From goat milk iced treats to portable air-cons

 

Pet owners have had to devise creative ways to help their beloved animals beat the unrelenting heat, apart from providing cooling mats for their furry friends, cranking up the air-conditioner and adding ice cubes to their water.

 

After long walks or when Charlie is panting more than usual, Ms Kamphuis would give her a chunk of homemade goat milk popsicles to cool her down.

 

In late April, Mr Anderson Lai bought a portable air-conditioner just for his rabbit, which is prone to ear infection caused by wax build up due to the heat and humidity.

 

“I have four fans and two dehumidifiers, and they are not enough for my bunny when the temperature goes up,” added the 46-year-old designer.

 

With the weather this hot, Mr Edvarcl Heng gives Scav, his 16-year-old goldador – a mix of golden retriever and labrador retriever – meals that are chilled in the fridge before serving and cold apples instead of dry treats.

 

He also turns on the air-con 19 hours a day for the dog, as Scav has been immobile since mid-April after surgery to remove a tumour on his flank and cannot move to cooler spots when the weather gets uncomfortable.

 

Mr Heng, 43, head of public relations and communications at an advertising agency, now sleeps on a sofa next to Scav’s mattress to monitor him as the dog’s older age and illness make him more prone to heat stress.

 

Older and small pets more at risk

 

When animals get older, their organs slowly lose function.

 

An animal with heart disease may not be able to withstand the additional strain on the heart if the body has to work harder to get rid of excess heat, said veterinary surgeon Kelly Yeo from The Gentle Vet.

 

Humidity can be a killer for small housebound animals such as rabbits and chinchillas, especially if they are left in stuffy, unventilated areas.

 

Associate Professor Koh noted that the dew point temperature here is the highest between April and May, and this makes humans and animals feel more uncomfortable, as such conditions prevent the body from evaporating sweat easily.

 

Dew point temperature, which is less reliant on air temperature, rises because of a rise in the amount of water vapour in a mass of air at constant pressure.

 

For small animals, their smaller body mass makes it difficult for them to regulate their body temperatures, said VetTrust’s Dr Teo.

 

“Smaller animals also have a higher metabolic rate, limited capacity to sweat, and a smaller capacity for water intake, which can make them more susceptible to dehydration in humid environments,” he added.

 

Keeping shelter animals in mind

 

While shelter animals may not enjoy the luxuries of home pets, animal shelter staff and volunteers do their best for the furry ones under their care.

 

Since April, volunteers have aimed to arrive by 6.30am to walk the dogs in Oasis Second Chance Animal Shelter (OSCAS) in Sungei Tengah, before the blazing sun appears – they used to start between 7.30 and 9am.

 

“Exercising a dog when it’s hot could burn their paws,” said Ms Abby Cowan who manages OSCAS’ media efforts. The shelter houses more than 75 dogs, of which many are senior.

 

In OSCAS, there is a fan in every kennel, as well as ceiling fans over the kennels. If needed when the weather gets too hot despite the fans, some dogs will be covered with wet towels or sprayed with cold water, said Ms Cowan’s colleague Theresa Sacchi.

 

Some shelters here are exposed to the elements. Both OSCAS’ site and SOSD’s shelter on Jurong Island are roofed, but the sides are fenced with grilles.

 

To cool off, the dogs at SOSD dig large holes in the sand to burrow in, and the dogs that have been observed to be more susceptible to heat stroke are given tubs of water to soak in.

 

Ms Sharrel Ser, who is the shelter manager for the Jurong Island project, said: “With no luxury of choices that house pets have, shelter animals and strays are always more vulnerable.”

 

Community cats islandwide tend to seek shelter in drains, shady spots or under parked cars if it gets too sunny.

 

To support them, cat care consultant Shelby Doshi said feeders should offer more fresh water for the cats and change it twice a day, and provide boxes for extra shelter.

 

Dr Teo said: “It is important to remember that animals may not be able to communicate their discomfort in the same way humans can. Pet owners should familiarise themselves with signs of heat stress, such as excessive drooling, panting, lethargy and vomiting.”

 

Ways to protect your pets from heat stress amid the hot weather

 

Domestic animals can be more vulnerable to heat stress because they have a limited number of sweat glands to help them cool down, compared with humans.

 

And with the warming El Nino weather phenomenon expected to set in soon, hotter and drier months may be ahead.

 

These are some ways to help your pet beat the heat:

 

• Dogs should be walked before 10am and after 5pm, to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
• Avoid walking your pets on hot surfaces and pavements/asphalt.
• Never leave your pets in a car. Many fatal heat stroke cases involve pets left in a car by accident. Even 30 minutes in a hot car without any ventilation can be fatal, especially for older, long-haired and short-nosed dog breeds.
• Clean drinking water should be available at all times, and the animals’ space should be well-ventilated.
• Check with a groomer if your furry friend needs a trim or a shave – he may not. This is because the double-coated fur on some breeds helps to capture air and acts as an insulator during cooler periods and deflects heat during hotter periods.
• Since rabbits shed more fur during hot weather, they should be brushed more often so that they do not swallow fur balls.
• Leave a frozen water bottle covered in cloth next to the rabbit or guinea pig, for it to lie against. Drinking iced water may cause rabbits to develop gastrointestinal stasis, a potentially dangerous condition that prevents food from passing through the digestive system.
• Opt for pet carriers that have more ventilation.
• Provide your pets with cooling mats and tiles.
• Sources: Dr Kenneth Tong; Dr Kelly Yeo; Vinnie Tan, founder of pawpaw.sg; Jovyna Kong

 

 

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Reproduced with permission.

 

 

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