El Paso veterinarian offers pet safety tips during heatwave

EL PASO, Texas -- The heat is on across the Borderland. Many area locations are expected to reach afternoon highs around 106-110 degrees. With this dangerous heat burning across the region it's important to look after your pets.

ABC-7 sat down with Dr. Nancy Harvey, a veterinarian at El Paso's Country Club Animal Clinic. She says it's so important to know the signs of when your dog is overheating.

"You're going to be seeing your dog panting really hard and a lot of times you're going to start seeing them drool more and their tongue may be sticking out to one side. The tongue will be out to the side and a darker pink than normal. and it may even starting to get dark purplish," Harvey said.

Dogs don't sweat like humans do. They cool off by panting. If you recognize that your dog is overheating, it's best to bring them indoors into an air conditioned environment. Another thing Harvey says you can do is fan your pet and water them down with a hose. The water doesn't have to be ice cold.

What about walking your dog?

"A lot of people think that dogs' foot pads are like shoes. They're not!" Harvey explained.

She said it's not even a good idea to walk your dog after sunset, because the pavement could still be very hot.

A simple way to tell whether or not the pavement is too hot for your dog to walk on is to put the back of your bare hand on it and try to hold it there for 10 seconds. If you can't hold it for 10 seconds it's too hot for them.

Remember, "If it's too hot for your hand. Then it's too hot for your pup."