We humans may love the summer sun, but our four-legged friends can have a tough time staying cool – could you imagine wearing a fur coat on the beach? Hot or intensely humid weather can be dangerous for our dogs, and there are some particular hazards that we need to keep our pups safe from when the weather gets warm.
Beat the Heat
- Hot paws! Asphalt heats up very quickly in the sun, and can cause painful burns to your dog’s pads. Walk your dog on grass instead of pavement, put protective boots on, or even carry them when needed.
- Exercise your furry friend during the cooler times of day, like early mornings or evenings, and keep in mind that they may need more breaks for water and rest than usual.
- Don’t forget the sunscreen. Light colored or thinly-haired dogs can easily become sunburnt – ask your vet about dog-friendly sunscreen to use on your pup’s skin.
- Very senior dogs, overweight pooches and short-nosed Pugs and Bulldogs can very easily become distressed in the heat and might even have problems breathing well. In extreme temperatures, these pups are best kept safely inside where it’s cool.
- Leave your dog at home when you’re running errands. The inside of a car can reach dangerous temperatures in just a few minutes, even with the windows cracked on a mild day. Hot cars kill pets.
Clipping a dog’s nails is something most dog owners fear. There are a lot of reasons for this: They’ve either heard stories about clipping too far and causing the nail to bleed, they feel like they don’t know enough about what they’re doing to do it properly, or their lack of confidence makes them worry they are going to hurt their dog.
