Keep Your Dog Cool this Summer

Your Animal Wellbeing

Keep Your Dogs Cool This Summer

With more sunshine and warmer weather just around the corner (or so we hope!) it’s important to know how you can keep your canine chums safe as the temperatures rise. Dogs have a harder time coping with hot weather than we do for several reasons. Firstly, the average body temperature of a dog (and cat) is 38.5 degrees C- a whole degree higher than human core body temperature- so they already start off warmer than we are. Additionally, dogs can only lose body heat through panting, can only sweat from their paw pads, and most are covered in thick insulating furry coats! It’s not a combination that leads to naturally staying cool. Bearing those things in mind, it is crucial -and often life-saving- to take extra care with your dogs during warmer spells, as vets up and down the UK see dogs suffering (sometimes fatally) from heatstroke every year without fail. Flat-nosed dogs (also known as brachycephalics) such as Pugs, Boston Terriers and Bulldogs (British/French/American) are at higher risk due to the struggles they face with breathing compared with longer-nosed dogs, but any breed can unfortunately succumb to heatstroke.

Awareness and safety tips

With a little thought and careful planning, there’s still plenty of fun to be had with your dogs this summer! Here’s a vet’s guide to keeping them “sun-safe”: 1). Never leave your dog in a parked car. Even just 10-15 mins is enough time for your dog to start to overheat, and it is immensely stressful for them. Avoiding longer car journeys is also advisable. 2). Provide constant access to freshwater for drinking. 3). Avoid walks during the hotter parts of the day- choose early morning or evening instead. 4). Before walking on pavement/road, test the tarmac by holding the back of your hand on it. If it is too hot for you, it is too hot for them to walk on. Paw pad burns are real! 5). Keep them cool by ensuring they are in a shady spot (avoiding conservatories is recommended), providing a doggy paddling pool or game with the hosepipe, and/or some cooling treats (e.g. a stuffed frozen Kong). 6). Apply pet-friendly sunscreen to sensitive areas such as bellies, groins, the skin around the nose, and tips of ears. White dogs or those with paler skin under their fur, and hairless breeds, are most at risk. 7). Monitor them for any signs of excessive panting, lethargy, vomiting or collapse. If you have any concerns contact your vet immediately as heatstroke is an emergency situation.

Bring on the sunshine, and take care!

Dr. Chloe Hannigan BVetMed MRCVS Chloe is a small animal vet and also a yoga and meditation teacher. She splits her time between caring for pets all over the UK, and running her yoga business, VetYogi. For more information see vetyogi.com, or follow @vetyogi_vy and @vy_tribe on social media. Namaste!