When animals are not a day job but a hobby, you don’t spend as much time with them and the animals have to be alone for long periods of time. Are you sure you know how hot your animals are on a hot day when you’re cooling yourself off at the beach?
Animals cannot stand as warm as their owner. An animal with fur cannot sweat. For example, a dog can regulate its temperature only by panting with its tongue. That’s why the animals start to feel bad as soon as the temperature rises to a little over 20 degrees. When the animals are free to move and choose their place, they can seek shade, dig in the ground or go swimming in a cool stream. An animal in a leash, cage or enclosure cannot escape the scorching sun. In the worst case, an animal left in a too hot environment can suffer a painful death.
Kun eläimet eivät ole päivätyö vaan harrastus, niiden kanssa ei vietetä niin paljon aikaa ja eläimet joutuvat olemaan pitkiäkin aikoja itsekseen. Olethan varma, että tiedät, kuinka kuuma eläimilläsi on hellepäivänä, kun itse viilennät itseäsi uimarannalla?
Eläimet eivät kestä yhtä lämmintä kuin niiden omistaja. Eläin, jolla on turkki, ei pysty hikoilemaan. Esimerkiksi koira voi säädellä lämpötilaansa vain kielen kautta läähättämällä. Siksi eläimet alkavat voida huonosti jo lämpötilan noustessa hiukan yli 20 asteeseen. Silloin kuin eläimet ovat vapaita liikkumaan ja valitsemaan paikkansa, ne voivat hakeutua varjoon, kaivautua maahan tai mennä uimaan viileään puroon. Hihnassa, häkissä tai aitauksessa oleva eläin ei pääse pakoon auringon paahdetta. Pahimmassa tapauksessa liian kuumaan tilaan jätetty eläin voi kärsiä tuskallisen kuoleman.
Dogs
Dogs die every year from heat stroke. The most common cause of heat stroke is that the dog is left in a car or other closed space. The dog must never be left alone in the car if the temperature in the car can rise above 25 degrees. Even a moving dog can leave on a sunny day if it doesn’t have the opportunity to drink and rest in the shade. An outdoor dog’s booth should definitely have a temperature gauge if the owner cannot regularly check the booth’s temperature himself.
Horses
Horses can withstand the heat better than many other animals, but they also cannot survive in the sunshine without shade. Horse’s body surface temperature can reach up to 60 degrees in the sun. The horses must have either trees or a covered shelter in their pasture, and the temperature in the stable must be monitored. Horses should be offered water from a bucket and not from a small cup. With the Tinks water level meter, you can see immediately from your mobile phone when the animals’ drinking tank or barrel is emptying.
Cows
A cow that produces milk needs water up to 150 liters per day. Make sure, that you notice when the water runs out. The Tinks water level meter reports the water level every hour to your mobile phone. Also take care of the temperature of the barn. Cows are cooler than their master and mistress. If they could choose, it would always be -5-15 degrees warm in their barn. Cows produce less milk if they have to use energy to cool themselves, and warm readings are dangerous for them. A thermometer in the barn is a must. If the temperature rises too high, investigate air cooling options, which are available in different ways.
Rabbits
If the sun shines in the rabbit hutch, it can become a death trap. Make sure that the rabbits have access to a ground-based enclosure where they can dig cool tunnels and where there is also shade all day. Bunnies lying starving in a small shade warmer tell you that something needs to be done. For example, hang fabrics above the enclosure for shade, and get a temperature gauge in the booth. You can find instructions for caring for rabbits in the heat from the animal protection association‘s website.
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