Hot weather and care of our dogs

Our dogs can suffer very quickly with the heat and hot weather. We need to take great care with them, especially dogs with flat or very short noses, puppies and elderly dogs and dogs with certain medical needs.

Dogs only sweat through their pads on their paws and cool down through panting, they have no other way of cooling.

If you ever see paw prints on the ground if they are not wet this is a sign that they are over heating.

There is a lot we can do to help them through this time.

There is a usual things like walk them early in the morning and late evening if the temperature allows, this is not always possible, as sometimes the temperature does not get cool enough until 9-10pm.

When taking your dog on walks try and find some woods as these tend to be a good few degrees cooler than in the direct sunshine. Find water to take them to for a swim or even a splash around. This will burn off some energy and also help cool them down.

Avoid Tarmac at all costs as this will burn your dogs paw pads and give blisters or even take the whole surface off.

Cool coats can be a great help to prevent heat exhaustion and your dog over heating. You do have to ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions though for these to work. If not used correctly then they can add to the heat for dog making them a blanket rather than cooling coats.

There are also cool mats that you can use which are great unless you have a chewer, please do not use these if you do have a chewer as they are toxic if ingested.

Ice cubes are great to help prevent overheating you can put them in their water bowl or let them chase them around a hard floor.

Frozen lick mats and toys that you can stuff are brilliant at keeping them entertained and helping to keep them cool.

If your dog is already overheated DO NOT use ice cubes or anything frozen.

This does happen to your dog throw a bucket of cold water over them to cool them, or use a hose pipe. With a Jose pipe though make sure you run it for a few seconds before wetting your dog as the water already in the pipe can be hot from the sun. Once you have cooled them slightly take them straight to the vet.

Putting fans on in the house, closing curtains and blinds to keep them cool house cool for your dog is a must.

For our dog who doesn’t cope well with the heat we use empty drinks bottles, fill them with and freeze, then we put them under the cushion of her bed so that she has a nice cool bed.

If you are travelling in a vehicle in the heat try to avoid the hottest part of the day. If you have air con run this for a few minutes before putting your dog in the vehicle, you can also get crate fans to use in the vehicle to help keep them cool as well.

There are a great range of doggy paddling pools and water fun toys for dogs as well which are great activities to help keep your dog cool.

If you are worried about your dog’s excess energy levels. There are lots of things that you can do for your dog’s entertainment and energy (although they have a lot less energy in the heat).

10 minutes of scent work is worth an hours walk and there are lots of little games that you can do without it cost you much.

You can do Ace Freework sessions and also some simple training. These will all make your dog mentally tired and happy, content and calm.

Some of the signs of your dog being overheated are:

Red gums and tongue

Panting when not having exercised

Paw prints on ground when they are not wet

Being sleepy and not very responsive, lack of energy

With the more and more extreme and extended heat that we are having now, I have now started to wonder if we should think about teaching our dogs to walk in booties to protect their paws and make it more the normal to have cooling products, for their care and safety throughout the long summer months. It is definitely something to think about.

Please keep all your pets cool and safe the best way you can

Jane

J Walkies Dog School