With the high heat forecast for the next few weeks, your animals will also suffer from climate change.
In the garden, Rogue and Médor bask in the shade. Sensitive to heat and the sun, animals can also be bothered by periods of heat wave. Some species are even particularly susceptible to sunburn. Even though they have hair and a lot of love to offer, ” animals are not protected by melanin like we can be », Underlines Jasmine Chevallier, veterinarian in Saint Cyr sur Mer, interviewed by Numerama.
To explain a bit, melanin is the pigment that gives color to a person’s skin, eyes and hair. It allows you to tan, but also to protect, in part, the skin cells from UV rays. Melanin absorbs the sun’s rays to transform them into heat. When it absorbs too much, it can cause heatstroke, or even skin cancer. And as with humans, not all animals have the same level of melanin. The less melanin there is in the body, the more dangerous exposure to the sun is.
Sunburn on the nose or ears
Unlike humans, some animal species have a more or less thick and / or dark coat. If UV rays pass through the hairs, it partially protects them from the sun. “ In dogs, we observe sunburn mainly on the stomach, nose or pasta, continues Jasmine Chevallier. For cats, we will see burns on the tips of the ears. These are the places where the coat is often less, the skin more sensitive, so these are areas where they are more likely to get sunburn. »
In fact, hairless cats like Sphynxes, Donskoys or Peterbalds are more sensitive to the sun, as are puppies and dogs with short hair or little pigmentation. “Prolonged exposure to the sun then leads to alopecia, scabs, ulcers and leaves scars “, explains the veterinarian Dominique Heripret, specialist in veterinary dermatology.
To protect them, it is therefore advisable to avoid too long a walk in full sun with Médor. Especially since dogs do not sweat, but evacuate heat by panting, which exhausts them and can cause heatstroke. There are also sunscreens for dogs as well as for cats, because no, we don’t use our SPF 50 sunscreen to cover the ears of Rogue who washes himself several times a day!
A risk of photosynthesis
Other animals may be allergic to the sun. This is the case with cattle, explains Jeanne Brugère-Picoux, a veterinarian specializing in the medical pathology of cattle and farmyard animals. ” Cows can be photosensitive, she explains. By eating certain foods and with a long digestion phase, it can cause skin damage if exposed to the sun. »
In other words, certain molecules can make their skin more sensitive to light radiation and therefore lower their tolerance threshold to the sun. ” If in addition, there is a problem of hepatitis, sunburn can cause serious lesions with skin that becomes brittle and will fall off », Continues Jeanne Brugère-Picoux. Here again, the clearer and hairless the skins, the more the animals will be sensitive to the sun.
” For example, pigs are going to be very prone to sunburn “Says Jeanne Brugère-Picoux. As soon as skin is hairless, there is a risk. And even for dark pigmentation, like black pigs, it is possible for them to get sunburned, although it is rarer. »
To protect them from the sun, we avoid sunscreens, continues this specialist. Especially on cattle which are quite bulky. On the other hand, we provide places of shade, such as stables or trees large enough for them to take shelter. ” Large animals are not the only ones to suffer from the sun, adds Jeanne Brugère-Picoux. IThe hens also suffer a lot in the heat. A heat stroke can kill several beasts at the same time. »
With their feathers and thick layer of fat, hens can keep a constant temperature. Only, when the temperature increases, they are not able to evacuate the heat. As with dogs, they will pant to evacuate the heat and, very quickly, they will become dehydrated.
So, to prevent the heat, cover your chicken coop with cardboard and get the youngest to help paint it white. This will allow them to reflect the sun and give them a cooler shelter where they will not risk sunburn.
This will also allow Médor and Fripouille to survive this summer, which promises to be scorching.
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