Your pets will certainly appreciate any efforts to keep them cool too.

By Tommy Osborne

Keeping Pets Cool

How to keep your pets cool during a heat wave

Jul 30, 2025 | 4:59 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Prince George is currently experiencing a heat wave, and while many have been planning ways to stay cool amid 30 degree days, the Prince George Humane Society wants to remind you that your pets are feeling the heat too, so it has some tips on how to keep your pets ok in the heat.

The biggest, and by far the most important tip, is to never leave your pets in a hot car. It may seem obvious to many, but the Humane Society says it receives far too many calls about animals in distress.

“A couple years ago, a veterinarian actually did a test and sat at a hot car to see how quickly it got hot. And within about ten minutes, it’s hot enough to cause really serious internal damage to your pet,” said Kelsey MacNeil, a registered vet tech and the Humane Society’s Animal Behaviour Specialist.

For responsible pet owners, MacNeil also had several ways to help your pets manage the heat. One of her favourite tips is freezing treats or food for your get, keeping them fed and cool. And it really is as simple as just taking wet food, or even dry food and putting it in water, and then freezing it.

“We use cookie molds, we use silicone molds to make them, even those poppet toys. You can make little tiny pucks of frozen treats in them. There’s lots of creative ways that you can get to make popsicles for your animals, and a lot of them really enjoy the cool treat on a hot day,” MacNeil said.

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Some pet owners may feel that shaving your pet could help them manage the heat, but MacNeil says that isn’t usually necessary, although maintaining their fur is a big help.

“It’s about making sure that you don’t have packed in old hair, you don’t have mats, because those are the things that kind of keep the heat trapped into their fur. You just need to make sure they’re nice and brushed out so there’s good airflow in their coat, and their coat can do its job of maintaining their temperature well,” she said.

If you do find your pet overheating, MacNeil said it’s important to cool them down gradually. A drastic shift in body temperature, such as dunking a dog in ice water, could actually do more harm than good.

“You want to cool them down slowly and at a reasonable rate with just spraying them with a little bit of water, getting their feet wet to help the heat dissipate through their paw pads, things like that,” she said.

Finally, other small things that can add up include items like cooling pads for animals to lay on, and if you have an outdoor pet, ensuring they have a cool place to rest away from the sun.

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