5 Tips to Keep your Senior Pet Safe at a Cookout

Your senior pet may think they're still a party animal and should attend your cookout, but barbecues and grilling outdoors can be hazardous for your furry pal. Before inviting your older pet to your barbecue, follow these five tips to ensure their comfort and safety.

1. Monitor your senior pet's comfort in high temperatures and humidity

Geriatric pets have difficulty regulating their body temperature, which can become apparent on blistering summer days with high temperatures and humidity. A nice day in the 70s can prove too much for your senior pet if the humidity level is excessive. Typically, a barbecue occurs during the hottest part of the day—mid-afternoon to early evening—when the sun's heat can still threaten a pet. Keep your senior pet indoors during this time, and instead, play and exercise during the early morning. If your pet ventures outside during the afternoon and evening, watch for impending heatstroke signs, such as:

Heavy panting
Excessive drooling
Lethargy
Weakness
Stumbling
Bright red gums and tongue

At the first sign of potential overheating—generally, heavy panting—bring your senior pet indoors into an air-conditioned area. Cool them slowly with a cool-water bath and a fan. If they show additional heatstroke signs, contact your veterinarian right away.

2. Avoid sharing grilled meat and side dishes with your senior pet

Although your senior pet may up their begging game when you begin grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks, refrain from sharing standard barbecue fare. These meats can be high in fat, leading to life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas (i.e., pancreatitis). Bones from a steak or chicken leg can also threaten your pet since cooked bones are brittle and can easily shatter and pierce your pet's gastrointestinal tract or become lodged and require emergency surgical removal.

Side dishes loaded with mayonnaise, onion, garlic, seasonings, and other dangerous ingredients for cats and dogs, are no safer. If ingested, a high-fat potato salad filled with onions and garlic salt can cause pancreatitis and hemolytic anemia. If you want to spoil your senior pet during your cookout, stick to fresh fruits and veggies, but avoid the grapes.

3. Keep your senior pet away from the pool if they don't know how to doggy paddle

Pool parties go hand-in-hand with summer barbecues, and the grill and the pool are busy when the sun shines. However, senior pets can suffer from mild vision loss as they age, which can interfere with their depth perception. If your senior pooch wanders too close to the pool, they may take one step too many and fall in. And, although swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise for senior pets to help maintain their muscle mass, they may panic and bob under the water. While cooling off in the pool seems like a great idea, block your pet's access to water if they don't know how to swim. And if they go for a supervised dip in the pool, keeping it short prevents them from overexerting themselves.

4. Barricade your grill to prevent burns on your senior pet

Senior pets can still be inquisitive and want to sniff out all that's happening, which will inevitably lead them to the grill. If your pet ventures too close and tries to snatch a piece of meat, they can scorch their nose, singe their fur, or burn their paws. Before you light the grill, ensure your pet cannot reach the food.

5. Offer your pet a guest-free haven to relax

As pets age, they can develop cognitive dysfunction, making them anxious with unfamiliar people. Consider your pet's feelings if you invite a crowd of friends and family to your cookout. Create a quiet, secluded haven where your pet can relax and feel comfortable. Place their favorite toys, an orthopedic bed, and a long-lasting treat in your furry pal's room, and instruct your guests to stay out.