Keep Your Pets Cool During the Hot Summer Weather
Dogs enjoy summer, but it’s up to us to keep them safe
As you’re having fun in the sun, be sure to keep in mind your dog’s health and welfare. Dogs, just like people, can suffer from too much sun and heat.
Here are some of the dangers that summer heat can create and steps you can take to prevent them.
- NEVER leave your dog in a parked car. Even with the windows cracked open, temperatures can rise quickly causing your beloved pet to suffer heatstroke or even death. What you think may be a quick errand can turn into a 20 minute delay that could endanger your best friend’s life. On a 95 degree day, your car can turn into a 130 degree oven in only 30 minutes. Don’t take a chance – leave your pet home while you run to the store.
- Hot pavement can burn paws. If it’s too hot for you to walk barefoot on the sidewalk, street or parking lot, your pet’s paws can be burned on those surfaces as well.
- Because dogs and cats don’t sweat but pant to regulate body temperature, keep in mind that breathing hot air will slow the cooling process. In extreme heat, keep your pets in the same temperatures where you are comfortable – whether that’s outside in the shade or indoors in a temperature controlled environment.
- Remember that your pet’s coat protects her from the sun. Don’t shave your pet thinking she’ll be cooler. She may be susceptible to sunburn without her fur coat protection, and her coat helps regulate her temperature.
- If your dog has a thin light colored coat, consider using a pet approved sunscreen on the bridge of his nose and ear tips when you’re going to be out in the sun for an extended period.
- Provide plenty of cool clean water all of the time as hydration is crucial to keeping your pet’s temperature normal.
- Exercise and walks are important to your dog’s physical and emotional health, so walk early in the morning before the heat of the day or in the evening when the temperatures have cooled down.
- Get an energy efficient Hale Pet Door, so your pets can access the outdoors to relieve themselves and return to the cool indoor environment.