Each year pets suffer irreversible damage or fatalities due to overheating. Please follow these tips to protect your pet during warm weather. Also, keep in mind that pets who have short noses or are overweight are particularly at risk for heat exhaustion and collapse.

Offer plenty of fresh water. Always make sure that your pet has access to fresh water, especially if they are outdoors.

Provide shade and foot protection. Direct sunlight can make your pet and ground surfaces extremely hot. Pets should always have access to shade. Avoid contact with outdoor surfaces, such as black pavement, that become very hot when exposed to prolonged direct sunlight.

Find the right time for exercise. Make sure to exercise pets early in the morning or later at night when the temperature is cooler. Exercise routines that are best for pets are regular and predictable. Do not abruptly introduce your pet to vigorous exercise.

No hot cars! Even when the temperature outside is relatively mild, the temperature inside your car can soar to a dangerous level. When the temperature outside is 75 F, the temperature inside your car can reach 94 F after just 10 minutes.

 

While I waited to see Dr. Barrett for the first time, a kitten that had just been hit by a car was brought in. I waited while Dr. Barrett tended to the kitten. While waiting for her to see Kali and me, I got the sense that this was a place that really put animals first. And I was right. The moment Dr. Barrett walked in the exam room, I immediately knew she would be our vet. Kali was a puppy then and was on the bench. Instead of having Kali put on the exam table, Dr. Barrett got on the ground on her knees, eye to eye with Kali and introduced herself this way. She instantly won me over.

Dr. Barrett has a great “bedside manner” and has comforted this nervous Mom more than once. I recommended them to a friend who drives from San Fernando Valley to have her three dogs cared for. I recently started looking for property to purchase. I can’t imagine taking my fur babies anywhere else so I have limited my search to the surrounding areas of Moorpark!

- Cheryl Y.