Top tips to keep your pets safe and cool during dangerous heat

GARDENA, Calif. (KABC) -- With the high temperatures scorching Southern California, many people are keeping a close eye on their pets when going outside and being mindful of what time of the day they decide to go out.

"If I wait too long and it gets hot then, she gets tired really fast or she doesn't want to go outside," said Erin Wyner, a dog owner. "So I have to get her out when it's cool so that she doesn't get like sick."

According to experts, tell-tale signs of heat stroke in dogs are excessive panting, dry or sticky and discoloration in the gums.

Dr. Attila Moinar at All Animals Veterinary Hospital said they've seen an increase of animals coming in weekly suffering from heat stroke.

"The biggest danger is people go shopping with the dog, they go inside for 10 minutes to buy something and they leave the dog in the car and they get heat stroke and they come in almost dying," Moinar said.

There are places across Southern California where people can drop off their pets to stay cool and refreshed such as South Park Doggie Resorts, which has four locations across Los Angeles County.

"We do a lot of water activities," said operations director MJ Silva. "You get a well-trained staff of dog handlers and theme park attendants and activities instructors that can look out for those warning signs. They're constantly rotating the dogs through outdoor activities to indoor activities."

South Park Doggie Resorts offers a theme park-style boarding and daycare service.

Experts say a good time to walk dogs is in the morning before it starts getting hot and in the early evening.

Also, it is key to keep pets hydrated.

Follow Eric on social media:
Facebook.com/abc7eric
Twitter.com/abc7eric
Instagram.com/abc7eric