Summer pet care in India: heat waves, walks and water

IMD notes that high humidity and hot winds make a heat wave worse for people, and that warm nights stop the body recovering from the day's heat. Pets live in the same flats and streets. The Animal Welfare Board of India's 2026 heat advisory says animals, including but not limited to dogs, are particularly vulnerable to dehydration, heatstroke and burns from hot surfaces in extreme heat.

Heat does not have to be extreme to cause harm. In a large UK study of dogs seen by vets for heat-related illness, exercise triggered about three in four cases, hot surroundings about one in eight and vehicles about one in twenty. In other words, the everyday walk and the stuffy room matter more than the rare dramatic case, and they are exactly what an Indian summer makes risky.

Use IMD's colour-coded heat-wave warnings, which it publishes in its daily bulletins for the next five days, as your signal to change the day's plan.

Many Indian homes lose power on summer afternoons, and a closed flat on a high floor heats up quickly once the fan or air-conditioner stops. This section is Petym's practical advice, built on the sources above: shade, water and airflow are what keep a pet safe.

• Pick the coolest room before summer starts: usually one that does not face west, on a lower floor, with a tiled floor your pet can lie on.
• Draw curtains and close shutters on the sunny side in the morning, before the room heats up.
• If you have an inverter, put the fan in your pet's room on it.
• Leave extra water bowls in two or three places, in case one is knocked over.
• If you are out all day in a heat wave, arrange for someone to check on your pet in the afternoon, or for your dog to spend the day somewhere cooler.
• Keep your vet's number and the nearest 24-hour vet's address where anyone at home can find them.

When Petym opens in a city, a sitter will follow your pet's plan as you write it, including walk times, and log each walk and meal as it happens; you will get a photo update every day of the booking. In a heat wave, write the summer rules into the plan: the walk window, the coolest room, where the spare water bowls go and what to do in a power cut.

If your pet shows signs of heatstroke, the sitter will start cooling it, call you and take it to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list. Tell the sitter, in writing, if your pet is flat-faced, old, overweight or has a heart or breathing problem, so they know to take extra care. A free meet and greet before the first booking is the time to show them the room and the routine.

Yes. The AWBI's 2026 advisory points out that under Section 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, every person in charge of an animal must take all reasonable measures to ensure its well-being and prevent unnecessary pain or suffering, and that failing to do so is an offence under Section 11(1). It asks people to provide shade and water and to watch for heatstroke signs such as excessive panting, lethargy, drooling, rapid heartbeat and collapse, seeking veterinary help at once if they appear.

The same advisory reminds readers that working animals may not draw vehicles or carry loads between 12 noon and 3 pm where the temperature exceeds 37 °C. The rule is for draught and pack animals, but the hours are a sensible guide for a dog's walk too.