Keeping Your Dog Cool This Summer

Yesterday it was over 100 degrees here and today will be just as warm. Our dogs are enjoying the air-conditioning today but whenever we’re outside, we have to take special precautions with them in these extreme temperatures.

As summer unofficially kicks off this weekend, remember  to safeguard your dog’s health during summer heat:

• Make sure your dog is always hydrated. Fresh, cool water is a must and, when you’re walking your dog, take along some water for your dog as well. We use a special bottle designed for dogs; it has a floating ball at the opening (sort of like a roll-on deodorant bottle) so the dogs can lap up the water.
• Recognize that your dog is barefoot on hot surfaces! Have you ever gone barefoot on hot pavement? It’s painful and can cause blistering on your feet…and the same thing can happen to your dog’s paw pads. Try to walk your dog in the cooler part of the day and walk your dog on cool surfaces like grass. If you’ll be walking your dog on pavement in the heat, dog booties are important to protect his paw pads.
• Remember that brachycephalic dogs overheat easily. Brachycephalic dogs with short snouts like pugs and bulldogs have a difficult time cooling their body temperature and can overheat very easily. Take extra precautions with these dogs so that they don’t overexert themselves and overheat on warm days.
• Check your dog’s grooming. All that fur can get mighty hot on summer days. Ask a groomer for her recommendations on your dog’s coat during the summer months; some dogs are sheared with summer cuts, others are just clipped and groomed to remove all the dead hair from the winter months. We recently had Tiki’s hair trimmed for summer, cutting her feathers, removing the loose hair, a cutting a “tunnel tummy” with her belly shaved so she can lie on the floor and cool herself more efficiently.
• NEVER leave a dog in a car. Never, ever leave a dog unattended in a car even for a few minutes. A closed car heats very rapidly and dogs can overheat and die during the time you’re running a short errand. Just don’t do it!

About Paris Permenter and John Bigley

DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.

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