How to Keep Your Pets Safe During Hot Summer Season

The hot season is here! It could get uncomfortable and even dangerous for both pets and people if proper summer care is considered. It is important to understand that hot temperatures can be very dangerous for your pet dog as well.

Some dog breeds are not acclimated to hot weather and need to stay cool. Here are some simple precautions provided by ASPC to prevent your pet from overheating during the summer.

How to Keep Your Pets Safe During Hot Summer Season

Don’t Leave Your Pet in a Hot Car

During summers, the temperature inside the vehicle can rise rapidly at high levels. There have been many cases where dogs had died due to heat in the parked cars.

These can be deathtraps for pets. The temperature in a locked car can rise from 37.7 °C to 48.8 °C within a minute and up to 60 °C within 10 minutes on a hot summer day.

Dogs can’t sustain this heat and can experience heatstroke within 10 minutes. Heatstroke affects a dog’s health permanently and can be fatal.

If you do happen to see a pet alone in a car during the summers, alert the officials nearby or any store officials where the car is parked. If the owner does not return back to the parked car, we should call local animal control or the police department immediately for help.

Keep them hydrated

Pets can get dehydrated quickly. Any time your pet is outside, make sure they have protection from heat and sun, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water all day long.

Take your pet dogs in a shady place from the sun, be careful not to do over-exercise, and keep them indoors when it is extremely hot outside.

Trim Their Fur, but don’t shave

Feel free to trim long hair on your dog, but don’t shave them. The layers of dogs’ coats can protect them from overheating and sunburn. While shaving your double-coated dog, you’ll probably notice that the new hair starts growing quickly.

Unfortunately in this undercoat grows first, and the soft fuzzy stuff which stays next to the skin keeps your dog warm. The guard hairs are slower growing and you’ll soon start to see them mixed in with the fluffy undercoat. There is an image below which help you more about this:

Be Careful on Walks

Avoid long walks with your dog during summer. And Try to take your pet dogs on walks during the cooler hours of the day and don’t let them walk on linger on hot asphalt. In this, it will burn their sensitive paw pads.

Don’t take your dog on hot pavement as this can burn your dog’s sensitive paws. Carry water for your dogs no matter how long you are out. Use a pet sunscreen for dogs with any exposed area while taking your dogs for a walk.

Apply Sunscreen

Sunscreen lotion protects dogs from sunburn. It can also cause problems. It’s highly important that you must use only that kind of sunscreen which is highly specific for dog usage. Also, they should not contain zinc oxide or para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) that, as you know that these ingredients are toxic for dogs if ingested.

It is also a good idea that you also use a non-scented sunscreen which helps to protect from sun factor (SPF) of at least 30 that is also waterproof.

Before going outside for 20 minutes apply this sunscreen on your dog. And while he’s outside in the sun, reapply the sunscreen every 4 to 6 hours or after your dog goes swimming.

Conclusion

Keep a track of your pet dog during the summer season. If they show any sign of overheating, get them into a shaded area to keep cool. If you can wet the dog down, don’t do it too quickly or with water that is too cold. In summer take your dog to a veterinarian for a check-up is a must.

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