  It's a hot one out there today!
Be sure your animals have access to plenty of fresh cool water during the heat. If you have a chest freezer you can freeze gallon liter jugs of water and then place the frozen jug into their water container, then pull after it's melted, dry and refreeze. Be sure to rinse the container a bit before putting in the water so that you don't release microplastics into their water. If you have a shade source or can plant a tree to become one for long term planning it also helps your water stay cooler and your ice last longer. Some of them like our alpacas and guardian dogs have enjoyed lying down in kiddie pools or splash. We've also had a mare that liked to splash. If livestock or poultry start mouth breeding they are TOO HOT. There have been a few times at shows where I have literally led my goats out one at a time and hosed them off. One fair it was 114 degrees in the barn and I had to hose each goat over their body twice and me a few times because walking moves muscle which generates heat. Feeding kids or lambs with a lamb bar/ baby bucket? Give them an extra bucket at least 2 hours after or before their last / next milk feeding with cold filtered water to help them bring their core temperatures down quicker. Avoid working your animals on hot days and during the hot times during the day. You and they will enjoy your time together much better if you can do it at dawn or dusk. Some other things you can do is to give NONlactating animals peppermint tea in their drinking water, or Animals at least one years old you can dilute 1 - 3 drops -depending on size of animal- peppermint essential oil - again non lactating and not for feline use, in a spray bottle and spritz it on them (avoid eyes and body openings) or mix with 1 tsp of peppermint eo and put on them. If they are lactating substitute with Eucaplyptus globulus essential oil. I like animals to be at least 4 months old when I use that, but in an emergency will use it on younger creatures but cut the amount of essential oil to 1/4. Not for feline use as most essential oils will destroy their liver often in hours to days. We have essential oils at https://www.firmeadowllc.com/essential-oils-new.html Shaving/clipping hair on animal bellies with a size ten blade on the clippers also helps them to shed more heat and is nice to do for animals living in hot climates or for unusually hot days. If your animal is fine haired you can still use a ten blade but go with the hair so that more hair is left on the animal. You don't want to shave them to bald skin as the hair is there to protect them. You can also use a 4 or 5 blade if you have that and go against the hair. If you would like to top of their electrolytes I'm a big fan of coconut water for that. One can also use the fancier (More expensive) cactus waters and home juiced grapefruit juice works well too. IF your animal is on medications skip using grapefruit as it may make the medications ineffective. I use 1/4 cup for 150 lbs of animal or human that is otherwise healthy. More if they are having a heat episode (and cool quickly starting at their feet with cold water or ice water) and working up the legs to the body while keeping them in the shade or making shade over them (such as holding a tarp over them). When helping animals be sure you watch the humans too- a red face or worse purple indicates a very overheated person which is EXTREMELY dangerous for your BRAIN and of course body- cool them NOW. Don't wait that long. Stay on water and electrolytes well before then and out of the sun. Misters placed in the air helps reduce air temperature feel by about 5 degrees Fahrenheit and using inexpensive box fans in barns also helps reduce heat issues. Be sure than any electrical chords are unable to be reached by animals and watch for tripping hazards when stretching cords across aisleways. Access to shade goes without saying. Stressed animals from the heat? Take a look at our MMUNE(tm) Herb Mix to help their immune systems deal with the stress: https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p874/Herb_Mix_MMune_%28tm%29__immune_system_support__8_oz.html Getting ready to breed? LOVE using BetterDaze(tm) herb mix to keep bodies topped off with this amazing nutritional supplement : https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p418/Herb_Mix_BetterDaze%E2%84%A2__8_oz.html BEES are getting to be boogers this time of year. At our family camp two kids got nailed just two hours apart by wasps. And one was a neck sting that started swelling because neck and head stings react faster due to blood supply. In those situations I use cayenne internally for any potential shocky types of issues and plantain or plantain salve (available on my other website- discountdrchristopher.com) It was amazing how fast both stings quit hurting the kids and how fast the swelling started receding- making it impossible to see where they were stung a few hours later. GREAT to keep on hand for pets, people and your barnyard. Stay safe on those hot days! Blessings All! K |
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