Keep your hot dog cool

To keep her family of pets cool at her condo in Waikiki, Stephany Sofos has six fans going 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the sweltering heat.

Sofos is determined to do all she can to cool her two dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, one cat named Maili and two parakeets, Tom and Jeri, since she recently lost her 22-year-old tabby cat, Rocky, to renal failure. She blames the heat.

"My electric bill has almost doubled," said Sofos, a real estate appraiser. "If you don’t have AC, you’ve gotta do something. Losing my Rocky, that broke my heart. He was in really good shape, but because of the heat he couldn’t cool off and ended up getting renal failure."

She keeps the blinds closed constantly, refills numerous water bowls and wets the dogs down with a cool, wet towel after a walk.

With temperatures reaching record highs in recent weeks, and humid conditions expected to continue into winter, the Hawaiian Humane Society is reminding pet owners to watch out for heat exhaustion. For dogs, in particular, a scorching temperature can easily lead to heatstroke, which is dangerous.

Aleisha Swartz, chief veterinarian for the Hawaiian Humane Society, said while people cool off by sweating, dogs only have sweat glands in the pads of their paws and generally cool down by panting.

"The most common way people get into trouble with their dogs is by doing some kind of exercise even in temperatures that don’t seem that hot," she said.

Many of the dogs she has treated for heatstroke were out jogging or hiking in hot weather, or even playing fetch.

She also gets her share of dogs left in hot cars. Temperatures in a parked car can spike 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, according to the Humane Society.

Brian Walsh, a veterinarian at Feather and Fur Animal Hospital in Kailua, has seen more cases of dogs with heat exhaustion in his office this summer.

"The biggest thing to know is they’re not going to let you know when they’re overheated," he said. "If it’s hot out, a dog will push itself and push itself and go into heatstroke and die. This happens all the time."

He has seen cases in which dogs collapsed from heatstroke on the Lanikai pillbox trail, for instance, which has little shade. It can seem to happen quite suddenly.

Signs of heatstroke in dogs include heavy panting and drooling, followed by disorientation. Dogs particularly vulnerable to heatstroke, include short-nosed dogs, such as bull dogs and pugs, as well as overweight dogs, and dogs with underlying medical conditions.

To cool a dog down, get it to a shady spot and pour cold water on it to wet its fur, chest, belly and feet.

Swartz said if it’s too hot out, it’s not a good idea to jog with your dog. Another common misperception, she said, is that dogs will be fine as long as they stay hydrated. But hydration is not the same as getting rid of body heat.

"The safest activity this time of year is swimming," she said. "It’s much harder to overheat when swimming. It lowers their body temperature."

Cats are not as much of a concern for heatstroke.

"Cats are pretty sensible," said Swartz. "They’re not usually chasing balls when they’re hot. They know to just sit and do nothing."

Walsh said cats and birds — jungle birds, in particular — generally do fine with the heat, but open-mouthed breathing coming from either is not normal and a cause of concern. Chinchillas and guinea pigs, on the other hand, come from cooler climates and are not used to the heat.

"We’ve definitely seen a number of chinchillas and guinea pigs come in with heat exhaustion," he said.

Some pet day care centers offer air-conditioned spaces for owners who are hesitant to leave their pets in a sweltering, closed-up home during the day. However, Swartz says she has seldom seen dogs with heatstroke resulting from resting at home.

"Most dogs that have access to water, hanging out in a yard under a tree, are not going to overheat," she said. Similarly, a home with ventilation should be fine.

A good litmus test, she said, is simply, "If it wouldn’t be OK for a person, it wouldn’t be OK for a pet."

KEEPING FIDO COOL

There are simple ways to cool down your pet, whether it’s throwing some ice into its water bowl or filling a kiddie pool to let your dog take a dip. But there are also products that help keep Fido cool in high temperatures. Here are three:

Cool gel mat

These mats are filled with pressure-activated cooling gel. Simply place one on the floor or in your pet’s bed for your pet to lie on. There is no need to freeze or chill the mat. Numerous brands are available, including Cool Runners, PlayaPup and Hugs Pet Products. The Hugs Pet Products Chilly Mat, size medium, costs $30 (19.5 by 15.5 inches) on Amazon.com.

Cooling vest

Ruffwear Swamp Cooler vest uses the natural evaporative cooling process to keep your dog cool while hiking. Soak it in cold water, wring it out and fasten onto your dog. As water evaporates from the vest’s reservoir, cooling occurs. Ruffwear Swamp Cooler vests are available for $64 (sizes small to large) at Calvin & Susie, which has shops at Kilohana Square in Kapahulu and Kailua. Visit calvinandsusie.com.

Icy pooch pops

What pooch wouldn’t enjoy a popsicle on a hot day? Locally made Icy Pooch Pops are individually wrapped and shaped like bones. Flavors include Loco Moe, which has rice, spam and egg; Plantation, a banana-peanut butter pop; and roasted pineapple-chicken. Cost is $9.99 per bag of eight pops. Available at Petco and Crazy Canine in Aiea. Visit icypoochpops.com.