Georgia summers are no joke. Dogwood Veterinary Specialty & Emergency in Marietta, GA shares the most common summer emergencies we see across the Atlanta metro — and the simple steps that prevent most of them.

Atlanta’s biggest summer threat to pets

Georgia summers are no joke. Heatstroke is a common emergency our team sees from May through September across Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Roswell, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, and Marietta. Dogs and cats cannot regulate their body temperature as efficiently as humans, making them highly vulnerable when temperatures climb into the 90s.

A few summer-specific reminders prevent most of the heatstroke cases we see:

• Never leave a pet in a parked car — even with the windows cracked. On an 85°F day, the interior of a car can reach 120°F in under 20 minutes. “Just running into the store” is long enough for a dog to suffer fatal heatstroke.
• Don’t run your dog alongside a bike or jog them in the heat of the day. Dogs will push themselves to keep up with you, even when they’re overheating. Exercise together early in the morning or after sundown — never during midday heat.
• Watch the pavement. Asphalt can reach 150°F on a sunny Atlanta afternoon. If the ground is too hot for your bare hand for five seconds, it’s too hot for your pet’s paws.
• Bring water on every outing. A collapsible bowl in the car or hiking pack can be the difference between a tired pet and a hospitalized one.

How Dogwood treats severe heatstroke. Severe heatstroke can shut down the kidneys, liver, and clotting system within hours. Beyond cooling, IV fluids, and ICU monitoring, the most advanced cases sometimes need dialysis — and Dogwood is currently the only veterinary hospital in the Atlanta area offering dialysis to patients.

Combined with our 24/7 highly skilled ER team and five board-certified critical care specialists overseeing every ICU case, Dogwood can offer the full ladder of treatment for the most severe summer emergencies, around the clock.

Park & Trail Safety

What our ER sees every weekend across the Atlanta metro.

Summer brings everyone outside — Atlanta-area parks, greenways, and trails fill up fast. They’re great for pets, but they come with their own risks our team sees every weekend.

• Keep pets on a leash. Even the most reliable off-leash dog can take off after a squirrel, get into a fight, or run into traffic. A leash protects against the unexpected.
• Be cautious around other dogs. Not every dog at the park is friendly or well-socialized. Give other animals space, ask before letting your dog approach, and step in early if play turns rough.
• Stay aware of wildlife. Greater Atlanta is home to coyotes, copperheads, raccoons, and aggressive nesting birds. Stay on marked trails, keep dogs close, and never let pets investigate animals they find.
• Take shade and water breaks. Even fit dogs overheat on long summer hikes — especially in Georgia humidity.

Hidden Hazards

Summer dangers hiding in plain sight.

Beyond the heat, Atlanta’s lush summer landscape introduces a host of hidden dangers. Our emergency team regularly treats pets for issues that many owners never anticipated.

• Backyard toxins. Fertilizers, mulch (especially cocoa mulch), certain flowers like azaleas and sago palms, and lawn pesticides are all toxic to dogs and cats.
• Water hazards — blue-green algae. Toxic cyanobacteria (often called blue-green algae) can bloom in Georgia’s lakes and ponds during hot weather, and the toxins can be rapidly fatal — symptoms may appear within minutes to hours of even brief water contact, and severe cases can be fatal in the same window. Keep pets away from murky, slimy, or discolored water, and rinse them off if they swim anywhere questionable.
• The BBQ table. This is one of the most common summer emergencies we see at Dogwood. Corn cobs and BBQ skewers cause life-threatening intestinal obstructions and perforations that often require emergency surgery; onions, garlic, grapes, raisins, chocolate, and xylitol-containing sugar-free foods are all common cookout toxins. Put trash bags and leftover plates somewhere your pet truly can’t reach.
• Insect stings and snakebites. Copperhead bites in particular spike dramatically in the Atlanta area every summer — watch for sudden swelling, intense pain, lethargy, or collapse, and come in immediately.

Working With Your Family Veterinarian

We work as a team with your primary care veterinarian.

If you ever have a concern about your pet’s health this summer, reach out to your family veterinarian or Dogwood’s team. Dogwood works in close collaboration with primary care veterinarians across the Atlanta metro — sharing records, coordinating treatment plans, and making sure every pet gets the right care at the right place, at the right time.