As we enjoy the dog days of summer we have to remember that our pets may not enjoy the heat as much as us.  We all know that the temperature inside a car can rise to over 140 degrees even in the shade on nice hot summer days and that can be fatal to a pet left in the car.  Heatstroke is a common for pets not even left in the car.  Some symptoms that you may see in your pet if he is getting too hot and can't cool down are continuous panting and salivation, increase in heart rate, red gums and eyes, heavy stomach breathing and sometimes even signs of shock like glassy eyes, grey lips, convulsions or extreme lethargy.

Treating heat stroke quickly is important if you want your pet to survive.  In extreme cases of heatstroke the best thing to do is to take your pet to the veterinarian asap.  If you suspect that your pet is just a little hot then try moving your pet to a cool, well ventilated area, give cool water with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar, give ice cubes, give a cool bath (not freezing cold just cool).

As always prevention is the best medicine.  Follow these simple steps to keep your pet cool:

Allow access to shade and water at all times.  Never leave your pet in the car even if it is in the shade.  Restrict your pet's exercise on extremely hot days unless you plan on letting your pet swim in a cool lake.  Do not muzzle your dog.  Let your pet get wet, spray him with the water hose or have a cool bath.  Move your pet to a cool area of the house.  Air conditioning is not always available but you could certainly provide ice packs for your pet's bed to lay on.  Basically if you are hot your pet will be hot too and think about what you would like to be doing instead of sitting in the heat and remember your pet could die or suffer irreparable damage to his internal organs.