Keeping Your Pets Cool in Summer

Summer is in full swing across Australia and at the time of writing, Melbourne has just experienced five days in a row over 30 degrees. The humidity is also high, making it even harder to cool down than usual. While we love our warm weather and sun-filled days by the beach, it’s also worth keeping in mind that just like us humans, our furry friends also need a break when the mercury rises.

If you’re feeling all hot and bothered under these balmy conditions, chances are your cat or dog is too. Which is why this month The Pets Hotel team are sharing handy tips to keep your pet cool during Summer, including signs of heat stress to watch out for. So, grab yourself an icy cold treat, a shaded spot and enjoy reading!

Signs of heat stress in pets: A silent killer

More than just an uncomfortable condition, heat stress (also known as ‘heat stroke’) can cause serious damage to your pets if left untreated. Affected animals will first show excitation, followed by loss of balance and seizures, as the blood vessels in their brain engorge. A coma can follow and heart failure is also common as many other changes in their internal organs occur. In the worst-case scenario, heat stress in cats and dogs can even be fatal. Common signs of heat stress in pets to look out for include:

• Excessive panting (that increases with their heat stress)
• Drooling and excessive salivation
• Restlessness and general agitation
• Lethargy
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting

First Aid: What to do if your pet is suffering from heat stress?

While the symptoms are distressing, heat stress can be treated effectively if you act fast. Emergency first aid is vital and begins by placing your pet out of the sun and heat into a cool room or bath, while you contact your nearest vet. Here’s those vital first aid tips in a nutshell:

• Remove your pet from the sun or source of heat
• Place them in a cool room with ample drinking water and if possible, a cool bath (avoid iced water). Gently hosing them down with cold water also works
• Contact your vet to seek professional medical treatment
• Place your wet pet in front of a fan and apply ice packs to their head
• Follow your vet’s advice and transport them with care to the nearest clinic

Cool and comfortable: How to avoid heat stress in the first place

Thankfully, keeping your pets safe during Summer heatwaves and avoiding heat stress only requires a little common sense and preparation (a good reason to stay up to date with the latest weather forecast)! The RSPCA in particular offer the following handy tips that will have your furry friend feeling cool and comfortable:

• Exercise your pets early in the morning or late in the evening on very hot days, to avoid the worst of the afternoon sun
• Avoid walking them on hot surfaces (if it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for their paws)!
• If you can, bring your pets inside on very hot days, especially if you have good air conditioning
• If your pets must stay outdoors, ensure they have ample shade
• Indoors or outdoors, ensure your pet has easy access to plenty of clean drinking water (keep an extra bowl handy just in case)
• Make sure you provide good ventilation, as most pets cool themselves down by panting, which requires good air flow

Last but not least, don’t forget our cat and dog suites at The Pets Hotel in Port Melbourne and Country Club at Elcho Park, Lara. Both our addressees enjoy the very best in year-round climate control with plenty of fun activities to keep your cats and dogs cool, comfortable and well cared for during those hot summer days. Whether you just need to leave them for a few hours or overnight, our team are ready to care for your furry friends!

Keen to leave your furry friends in good hands this summer? Contact us at The Pets Hotel (Port Melbourne) on (03) 9646 3696 or The Pets Hotel Country Club (Lara) on (03) 5282 1286.

The Pets Hotel Team: 2021 in Review and a Big THANK YOU!

Hello to all our loyal customers and your furry friends! At the time of writing, Christmas is just over one week away, the weather is finally warming up and the tumultuous, challenging and tiring year that has been 2021 is almost coming to an end…

Most months, we share practical tips for keeping your furry friends (dogs and cats) happy and healthy (happy pet = happy owner). And with all the extra time they’ve spent by our side these past two years, we hope you’ve found the articles from our Pets Press Room helpful in some way. However, this month we’re turning the focus on ourselves as we look back on 2021 and preview some of the exciting things you can expect at The Pets Hotel (Port Melbourne) and The Pets Hotel Country Club (Lara) in 2022.

• Firstly, THANK YOU! First and foremost, from the entire Pets Hotel family – Yvonne, Ashleigh, Lauren and Alan Hill along with Denis and Vicki Cleghorn and the rest of our hard-working team, we’d like to say a huge THANK YOU for your continued loyalty and faith in us. As you’re all well aware, it has been an extremely challenging two years for any business connected to the tourism industry, especially here in Victoria. But thanks to you, your pets who’ve continued to visit us throughout multiple lockdowns and our wonderful staff, the COVID years are now just part of the much bigger story of the Hill and Cleghorn families 27 year journey as proud pet service providers :)

• A new online booking & payment system - To make your Pets Hotel experience even better, we’ve significantly upgraded our booking and payment systems this year. Giving you the ability to book in your four-legged friends for our full range of services via our fully-integrated Online Portal – covering Port Melbourne and Lara. With just a few simple clicks, you can have them booked in for Doggy Daycare, a fun-filled stay in our Dog or Cat Suites and so much more! : )

• Enhanced career paths for our junior staff - Our dedicated and hardworking junior staff are an integral part of the broader The Pets Hotel team. Which is why we’re giving them an enhanced career path across both our addresses for those who’d like to pursue their long-term passion in the pet services sector!

• Upping our green game! We’ve also committed our business to go green and are ‘walking the talk’ by installing solar panels at both addresses. These solar panels will help us take advantage of our (mostly) sunny Aussie climate (yes, even down here in Victoria we still enjoy a decent amount of sunshine throughout the year), cutting our power bills so we can offer our dear customers even more in coming years : )

• A fun new Splash Pad & Adventure Playground - And finally, as we’ve always been leaders in the pet services industry, we found productive ways to spend our “down time” during Victoria’s multiple lockdowns this year, most notably by building a fantastic new Splash Pad at The Country Club in Lara. Ready for all your four-legged friends who are staying with us now, our brand-new Splash Pad will be available to hire for fun-filled birthday parties and playdates in 2022. It will also be accompanied by an exciting new adventure playground at Lara that’s well on its way to completion! Photos below:

So while we’re busy looking after your fur babies, put your feet up, stay safe and have a well-deserved rest this Christmas. Let every day of the holiday season be one filled with joy for you and your family! 

Keen to take a well-earned Summer break and leave your furry friends in the good hands of our professional cat and dog carers? Contact us at The Pets Hotel (Port Melbourne) on (03) 9646 3696 or The Pets Hotel Country Club (Lara) on (03) 5282 1286.