Hot conditions impacting animals

SIKESTON -- Recent hot conditions have not only affected gardens, but are now starting to affect Spot and Fido as well.

"We've been seeing a lot of people calling in about their dogs," said Trey White, director of the Sikeston Area Humane Society. "We had 23 come in last week alone."

Sometimes, "just the pure stress of the heat" is enough to make dogs sick, said Dr. Brian Heuring, a veterinarian at Delta Veterinary Clinic in Sikeston. "They don't eat as well and they don't feel as well."

According to The Weather Channel's 10-day forecast for Sikeston, temperatures will not drop below 90 degrees all week, with at best a 60 percent chance of rain.

Having such a heat wave for such a long time can cause health problems with dogs, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, said Heuring.

If a dog has collapsed and feels warm to the touch, then it most likely has heat stroke, said Heuring. He advised to cool the dog down with a bath or a cold towel and then "get a hold of a veterinarian immediately."

When a dog has heat exhaustion, "they're generally very lethargic," said Dr. Steve Williams, a veterinarian at the Animal Health Center in Sikeston. "They become kind of dazed and unresponsive, and their tongue turns from pink to lavender."

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