Keep Animals Safe and Healthy During Excessive Heat

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:25:56 GMT

Excessive heat will once again blast much of the U.S. this week, with heat indices predicted to reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more in many locations. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign animal welfare expert Angela Green-Miller says pets and livestock are at risk, and it’s up to humans to keep them safe.

Green-Miller runs the Animal Welfare, Environment, and Sustainability Laboratory as an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and The Grainger College of Engineering at Illinois.

Green-Miller answers common questions from pet owners and livestock producers.

First of all, how do animals cool themselves?
Different animals use different methods, but some broad brush-strokes for all animals include seeking shade and shelter, lowering activity and feed intake to keep metabolism down, and drinking more water. Any of the cooling strategies we would use, they would use too.

Don’t some animals not sweat? How do they keep cool?
That’s true. Dogs and pigs, for example. They dissipate heat through panting, defecation, and urination. They may increase those activities, which makes it that much more important to replenish their water supply.

What can humans do to help animals when it’s hot? Let’s start with pets.
Anything you would do for yourself, you could do for them. Bring them into the air conditioning, if possible, make sure they have access to plenty of water, and try to have them rest indoors or in the shade during the hottest part of the day. For outdoor animals, shade is critically important. Also, if they can be elevated from hot surfaces, such as on an elevated bed, that will let air circulate around them and remove some of that heat.

What about livestock?
We need to make sure the air is moving, bringing fresh air into the barn, even if it’s hot outside. The animals are contributing energy and heat into the environment, so the more of that we can move out, the better. And moving air over their body surface helps them release some of that energy.

For animals in indoor confinement, producers can alter lighting and feeding schedules. The idea is for them to rest during the hottest part of the day, so keep the lights down and withhold feed until it starts to cool down. That’s not an uncommon strategy, but there may be some producers out there who could use a reminder.

It’s also critical to ensure that water lines are working and that there’s fresh water flowing. Double-check those drinkers a little more frequently to make sure they’re not clogged. This is the time of year when we emphasize the critical nature of maintenance. If there’s any deferred maintenance, bump it up to the top of the priority list because a broken fan in this type of weather is one of the worst situations we can have.

What are the potential economic impacts of excessive heat on the livestock industry? Are there predictable dips in productivity every summer?
Absolutely. Feed intake is reduced during heat events, so we see dips in productivity. They’re also losing energy in the form of heat instead of putting it toward growth. We see reproductive impacts as well. Breeding rates tend to drop whenever there’s a heat event, and sometimes we see gestational impacts as well, especially in animals that are late in gestation.

Protect Your Show Livestock from Heat Stress at the County Fair

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 17:55:31 GMT

Nothing says county fair week like a hot forecast. Don’t forget to prepare for the heat your animals will face at the fair.

Although heat stress is more commonly considered to occur in extreme temperatures, anytime the temperature exceeds 70 degrees, livestock are adversely affected. Heat stress causes increased respiration rate, suppressed appetite, fatigue and dehydration, all signs of a lowered immune response.

When getting animals ready for the fair, we want them to eat well, stay hydrated and be at their best. It’s clear that these expectations we put on our show livestock to perform at the highest level and look exceptional while doing so can become a challenge when temperatures rise.

Here are a few tips to make sure your show animals stay healthy and perform to their best ability under hot weather conditions.

1. Be proactive.
Don’t just react to changes in temperatures. Pay attention to the weather forecast and make decisions to the best of your ability based on what’s coming.

“It is a lot harder to bring down livestock’s body temperature once they are hot than it is to manage it before it rises,” says Shelia Grobosky of BioZyme Inc.

2. Create a comfortable environment.
Manage your animal’s environment to make it as comfortable as possible. Keep animals out of direct sunlight and provide a shaded setting. Manage air flow by using fans and misters.

“If you can provide an environment that minimizes exposure to the direct sunlight and allows for air to move through, even in the most extreme heat, you can drastically reduce the outside temperature,” Grobosky says. “Keeping bedding wet down and misting water in the air will also help cool the air that fans push through your facility.”

3. Modify your feeding program.
Livestock, like humans, don’t want to eat when it’s extremely hot. Consider feeding earlier in the mornings so animals have a chance to eat before it gets hot. Keep water sources in a shaded environment if possible. Make sure lines that serve as water sources are not exposed to heat that can result in the water in the lines getting extremely hot. When you are at the fair, make sure to offer cold, fresh water often.

Photo by Karen Bohnert

4. Rinse animals multiple times throughout the day.
When you rinse animals with cool water, it helps drop their core temperature quicker than anything else you can do. When you rinse, focus on cooling their underline and head, Grobosky adds, as it will help them cool down faster. Don’t just get them wet, but allow cool water to run over them a while to help drop their body temperature.

5. Strategically plan when you haul to shows.
During hot periods of the year, hauling at night is the most ideal to help reduce the time they will be exposed to the heat. Adjust ventilation on your trailer to allow for adequate air flow while traveling.

6. Keep your schedule consistent.
When you are at the show, try to maintain the same schedule of caring for your stock. Feed early, rinse regularly and keep the air moving by using fans.

Fairs are fun because they provide lots of opportunities to visit with friends. Don’t lose your focus on the most important job you have at the fair – to care for your animals. You may not be able to escape the heat during summer shows, but you can turn that challenge into an advantage by preparing properly, Grobosky says.

Read More:

No, Showing Livestock Isn’t Always Supposed to Be Fun

The Stock Show “Prize” We Need to Talk More About

Unpopular County Fair Opinion

Keep Your Pigs Hydrated at the County Fair

Beef Heat Stress

Keep Animals Safe and Healthy During Excessive Heat

Protect Your Show Livestock from Heat Stress at the County Fair