Keep Your Pets Cool in the Florida Heat
Every year we see reports across the country about pets dying from heatstroke after their owners accidentally leave them in a hot car. Here are some steps you can take to keep your pets safe in the sweltering summer months, and all year round.
Leave your pets at home.
A quick trip to the store can easily turn into a longer errand, leaving your pet alone in a hot car longer than you anticipated. The temperature inside a vehicle can go up by 20 degrees in as few as 10 minutes, even with the windows cracked. In 15 minutes, animals can sustain brain damage or even die from heatstroke. If you must take your pet with you, keep the car running with the air conditioning on.
Recognize the symptoms of heatstroke.
Unlike humans, dogs and cats cool themselves by panting, which is a slower cooling process than sweating. If your dog stops barking, lies down, and pants heavily, it could be showing early signs of heat exhaustion or stroke. Other symptoms include restlessness, excessive thirst, thick saliva, heavy panting, lethargy, lack of appetite, a dark tongue, a rapid heartbeat, fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and lack of coordination.
Get to the nearest veterinarian or animal hospital.
If you think your pet has heatstroke, the most important thing to do is get it to a vet as quickly as possible.
Be careful taking your pet outside any time in the summer.
Being left in a hot car isn’t the only cause of heatstroke. Taking your dog for a walk or run in the middle of a hot day can cause heatstroke, especially in senior animals or animals with chronic illnesses.
Thanks to SPCA Tampa Bay for sharing these tips!
Florida Animal Friend is a non-profit organization devoted to helping fund these organizations’ costs of spaying and neutering homeless pets by awarding grants. These grants are funded through the sale of the Florida Animal Friend license plate. ​http://myfloridaspecialtyplate.com/animal-friend.html

Scientists say Florida's coral reef system, the third-largest in the world, is in rapid decay, with a variety of threats edging the delicate ecosystem closer to collapse sooner than anyone believed possible.
"We didn't think this would happen for another 50 or 60 years," said Chris Langdon, a marine biologist at the University of Miami, who published a new report on the health of the reef in May. "This study showed a whole new thing we didn't even know was threatening them."
Langdon and his team discovered that as ocean water becomes more acidic, due to carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, the structures that support the coral are beginning to disintegrate.
"When you add acid to a piece of limestone, you'll see it fizz up. That's what we're talking about here," said Langdon. "We can definitely see less each year, less coral than the year before."
Despite the mounting controversies about what is weakening Florida's coral reefs, scientists warn the consequences of letting the trend continue could be staggering.
"People who don't live as close don't care as much, but they should get the message they are going to be affected as well," said Langdon. "It's going to affect our economy, it's going to affect our jobs."
According to NOAA's website, the corals bring in about $8.5 billion to Florida's economy, helping to keep about 70,000 people employed.
"The straw is going to break the camel's back," said Langdon. "If you're getting eaten away by cancer, you want to attack it right away before the tumors get too big... We've got to wake up and do something."
You can support Florida reef preservation by purchasing the Protect our Reefs Florida specialty license plate today:
http://myfloridaspecialtyplate.com/protect-our-reefs.html