Editorial: July 27, 2022

Summer Heats

Here in this beautiful county of ours it turns out we have been, and still are, extremely lucky. The killing heat that has settled on most of the rest of the world has not come to us. Yet. Even last weekend’s Hall of Fame Induction survived excessive heat damage, with the many baseball fans who traditionally flock to Cooperstown to sit out in the sun endlessly: hoping for attention from their idols negotiating the golf course; lurking at the gates of The Otesaga in hopes of a peek at a player coming or going; lining Main Street to get even closer as the Hall of Fame parade goes by; and then, at last, perching on chairs and blankets for several hours, helping the powers that be induct their heroes.

Indeed, last weekend close to 80 million Americans experienced a heat index of at least 105 degrees, partly created by El Nino and a stagnant jet stream. Here, though, that index was merely fluctuating in the high 70s pretty much each day. In the rest of the world, violent typhoons were threatening Asia and flash floods loomed large in this country. Heat waves are taxing power grids, driving up already high health-care costs and challenging tourists planning summer holidays. In fact, these waves are on their way to impacting a good deal of our lives. Extreme heat is fast becoming the new norm, and our cities and towns are to this point somewhat ill-equipped to deal with these kinds of summers. So, it behooves every one of us to figure out just how to deal with it.

For people, and as well for animals. Managing our pets, work animals and livestock in a heat wave requires good planning. They need sufficient shade, good ventilation, ample amounts of cool water and no long automobile or trailer rides; they should not be exercised in the heat of the day, and their exercise, at cooler times, should be minimal. Extreme heat, which we in Otsego County have not experienced thus far this summer but could, as predicted, in August, leads to significant stress in all animals. And stress leads to excessive panting, a higher respiratory rate, more water intake, loss of appetite, lethargy, excessive salivation and, in the end, unconsciousness.

Young animals, old animals and dark-colored animals suffer the highest risk for heat stress. Pigs, newly shorn sheep and light-colored and/or pink-skinned animals (including dogs) get sunburned; dogs’ feet burn on pavements. Lactating, heavy and high-milk-producing cattle are all high-risk animals; Holsteins are less tolerant than Jerseys; British breeds of cattle and sheep are less tolerant than merino and tropical breeds. Cattle, llamas and alpacas are more prone to stress than sheep and goats.

Birds, too, are seriously affected by these new, high, heat waves, which put them, as well, at a greater risk for stress. They have no sweat glands and must up their breathing rate to cool off, much as dogs do when panting. Nesting birds, especially those that choose shade-challenged nest boxes, are more apt to stress. The best we can do for our feathered pals is to give them some deep shade and a lot of water, both to drink up and to splash in.

But we digress. The Baseball Hall of Fame Induction is over. The British Open is over. The Tour de France is over. The FIFA Women’s World Cup is in the throes of making history. Stay cool and watch.