With the recent heat and humidity that Saskatchewan has been hit with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine is reminding people that pets and heat don’t mix.

Dr. Karen Sheehan, a small animal veterinarian with the WCVM, said its best for pets to be kept away from heat and humidity whenever possible and to not take them for too much exercise. If pets have to be outside, Sheehan recommended keeping a clean, cold bowl of water near the pet, and to keep checking on the pet.

The veterinarian added that there are certain groups of pets that people don’t think about which overheat faster than other pets, such as pets with pushed in faces.

“Pets who are obese are going to be at a higher risk or have systems sooner than a healthy pet, if they already have respiratory disease, if they have heart disease already, those kinds of things.”

Sheehan explained that heat exhaustion effects the whole body, but a few things to look out for in a pet when it’s hot outside are excessive panting, change in tongue and gums colour, vomiting, diarrhea, collapsing, or a mental dull.