Enjoy the heat, but it’s not all fun for animals

7 June 2023

AS I write this week’s article, we are experiencing our first heatwave of the year in Lecale. We have been blessed with beautiful May weather, and most of us have been outdoors enjoying it, or trying to stay cool while indoors.

But spare a thought for the rest of the animal kingdom. They can’t just switch on the air conditioning, or jump in the pool to cool down. Instead, animals have to adopt different tactics.

Dogs, unlike people, don’t sweat through their skin. Instead, they release heat by panting and sweating through their pads.

This is why it is common to see dogs panting on a hot day. As you can imagine, this can still mean that a dog heats up rapidly in hot weather. So, given the choice, a dog will seek shade and drink plenty of water to cool down.

As I’ve noted in this column before, cars can be particularly dangerous for dogs in hot weather – great care must be taken not to leave your dog locked in the car in sunny weather.

The Blue Cross animal charity has a great website about keeping your dog cool in summer heat, which I recommend reading: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/how-to-keep-dogs-cool-in-the-summer-heat.

Cats are a bit like dogs when it comes to keeping cool, (not that they would admit that). They don’t sweat through their skin, but can sweat via their pads. In addition, they lick their coat and as the coat dries out in the heat, the cat cools down.

There is no doubt that most cats enjoy the heat, and, as I write this article, my own cat, Wilbur, is sprawled on the patio in the sunshine.

However, cats, like dogs, are also prone to overheating. The PDSA has an excellent website with advice on how to keep your pet cat cool: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/top-tips-for-keeping-your-cat-cool-in-summer.

Summer time is the time of year that riding a horse really becomes fun. There are lots of Pony Club events, gymkhanas, and even simple treks taking place. Of course, all of these activities can cause your horse to heat up, so you need to take care that they don’t get too hot.

Unlike dogs and cats, horses definitely sweat after exercise. Anyone who has seen photographs of a lathered-up horse post eventing will know this.

But other ways that a horse will choose to cool down are: seeking shade, drinking lots, and even rolling in mud.

However, you must take special care to cool your horse down after exercise, as this places an additional strain on their physiology on a hot day. The RSPCA has excellent guidance on this: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/seasonal/summer/horses.

Finally, we should look at the pig and how it cools down. It may surprise you to learn that pigs can’t actually sweat. The phrase ‘sweating like a pig’ seems to be a misnomer at first read. However, this phrase doesn’t relate to pigs at all. It derives from the production of pig iron.

When the molten metal first enters the cast, it is too hot to touch. It can only be manoeuvred (with tongs,) whenever it cools to a temperature where water can condense on its surface (as opposed to evaporating).

So pigs famously keep cool by wallowing in mud. They also seek shade and drink lots.

And those pigs with pale skin can be prone to sunburn, so they require shelter to be available at all times.

I could go on ad nauseum as the animal kingdom is full of examples of how various species adapt to the environment around them. But for now it’s time to enjoy the heat, and look after your pets as they enjoy it too.

Tweets by @TheDownRecorder