Summer Safety Tips for Dogs

Excited to spend time with your dog during this summer? Vacations on the beaches, outdoor trips, and  playtime must be on your cards to make the most of this summer with your dog.

Summer brings in a lot of opportunities to spend quality time outdoors with your dog. At the same time, the high temperatures may cause some risks to the health of your dog. Keeping your pets safe during summer should be on priority while planning for outdoor activities.

Your dogs are among the most pampered family members. As you plan to enjoy your time with your dogs this summer, you need to take lead to keep them safe and healthy. Let us take you through some summer safety tips to help you keep your pet playful and away from health issues caused due to high temperatures.

How Can You Keep Your Dogs Safe During The Summer Months?

Compared to humans, dogs do not sweat as much. So, dogs generally tend to get overheated at higher temperatures. It is essential to keep their body temperature in balance through  external aids. Let us find out how you can help your dogs maintain their body temperature through some summer pet care tips:

Access to Shade and Water

During the outdoor playtime, ensure that you give your dog easy access to fresh and clean water and plenty of  shady spaces to hang out. Whenever your dog feels thirsty and needs some rest, it can get to the shade and drink cool water that helps it beat the heat. Ensure you provide plenty of fresh and clean water and a place to relax in the shade during hot weather.

Credit: Image from Pexels by Blue Bird

Apply Appropriate Sunscreen

If your dog has short fur, it needs a layer of sunscreen to protect its skin and coat from sunburn during the summer. Get a sunscreen approved by a veterinarian to protect its skin when it is scorching outside. Air conditioning can be a great way to maintain the temperature of your interior space. It helps your dog feel relaxed and at ease.

Let Them Enjoy Swims with Safety Gear

Pet owners try to take the best possible care of their pets and provide the attention that their pets deserve. Dogs are natural swimmers. Swimming is a good outdoor exercise for dogs and they enjoy spending time in swimming pools and other water bodies. It is excellent if you already have a swimming pool outdoors. If not, you can at least arrange a small wading pool filled with clean water.

Do Not Shave Your Dogs

It is wise not to shave your dog’s fur to help maintain it cool. If you remove the hair from your dog’s coat, the skin will be exposed to direct sun and may lead to sunburn. An adequate layer of fur helps your dog remain cool. So, if shaving is a part of your grooming routine, at least avoid it during the summer. But if a haircut is recommended then cut it as close as possible rather than all of it. 

Keep Your Dogs Away from Fireworks

You love lighting fireworks during celebrations, like the 4th of July and thanksgiving. Summer is the ideal season for various outdoor festivals, like camping, barbeques, and more. However, the noise of fireworks causes fear and stress among your dogs. 

Apart from that, fireworks contain toxic elements that can harm animals. If you are hosting a firework party, leave your pets at home and clean your yards before letting your puppies play on the lawns. If they eat any debris of fireworks by mistake, it may poison them.

Never Leave Your Dogs Alone, Locked in the Car

Pets like outings in the car. However, if you keep your vehicle in the parking lot, never leave your dog inside in the closed car. The stationary or parked cars heat up faster. This temperature rise may cause a heat stroke immediately to the dog locked inside. Go through this detailed article describing the process that causes adverse effects on your dog’s health.

It is better to tie your dog with a leash and keep the windows open. Of course, you should not leave any valuables inside the car. However, keeping the windows open keeps the interiors ventilated.

Protect Your Dog’s Paws

Your dog’s paw may get heated immediately during hot days. Never allow close contact or exposure to sand and hot asphalt as it burns your dog’s paws. Prolonged exposure to materials like sand and hot asphalt can damage your dog’s paws and play a vital role in sudden rise in its body temperature. The sensible way to protect your dog’s feet can be using paw pads.

Other Dog Care Tips for Summer

Along with keeping your dogs cool, there are several other considerations to protect your pet during the hot season. Help your dogs stay healthy when it is hot by following some more pet safety tips:

Keep Your Dogs Pest-free

During summer, pests like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes develop around your homes. Consult a veterinarian to get preventive medication for your dogs. Take other measures to keep your dogs pest-free. These pests carry heartworm and many other harmful bacteria and viruses. Infections may cause severe health issues for your dogs.

Schedule Your Walks To Avoid Hot Sun

Take your dogs for walks either early in the morning or by late evening. This routine keeps your furry pals safe from the burning sun during the summer. Walks are essential to keep your pet healthy. However, letting them out during the day would not be a good idea. Protect your dogs from direct sunlight to avoid sunburn and heatstroke.

Check if Your Dog’s Breed Can Sustain Heat

It is important to note that dog breeds with shorter heads and snouts may face issues sustaining summer heat. Learn more by going through this article. The dog breeds, such as Pekingese, Japanese Chin, Bulldog, and Boxers, cannot pant efficiently compared to the long-nosed dog breeds. The best way to help them keep their cool is air conditioning.

Continue with Regular Grooming

Keep your dogs properly groomed throughout the summer. The routine of brushing their teeth, trimming nails, shampooing and combing their coat and fur, cleaning their ears, and more helps keep them healthy and playful.

Follow Your Dog’s Vaccination Schedule

Continue with regular health checkups and dental cleanups visiting your veterinarian. Following your dog’s vaccination schedule helps as a preventive measure. Vaccines protect your dog from possible health issues.

Strictly Follow Beach Safety Norms for Dogs

You might be a person who loves beach life and would also be passionate to take your entire family to the sandy and sunny beaches for summer vacations. It is vital to follow some summer safety norms for your dogs to keep them safe.

Care for your dogs on the beach by following these tips:

• Provide a shady place like a beach tent;
• Apply sunscreen to its coat, ears, nose;
• Provide paw pads while playing on sand;
• Never let your dog drink sea water;
• Rinse your dog off by the end of the day to clean away salts and other minerals.

Travel Safety Tips for Dogs During Summer Months

Keeping your dogs safe while traveling is equally essential when the weather is hot. If you plan air travel, look for the airline rules and regulations about carrying your pets along. Keep an ice blanket in your dog’s crate and have enough chilled water handy to feed the dog throughout the journey.

If you travel by car, keep wrapped ice packs or an ice blanket in the dog’s crate. Maintain sufficient stock of fresh, clean, and cold drinking water. Don’t forget to put sunshades on car windows.

While traveling by an RV, keep the interior ventilated and let your dogs remain in a secured crate or with a seat belt.

What Are The Signs of Heatstroke Among Dogs?

Dehydration and heat stroke are the possible health issues you must protect your dogs from during the hot weather. It is essential to know the signs of heatstroke among dogs. If you could identify the signs, you can take necessary actions to protect your dogs from further adverse consequences.

Your dog’s body temperature should be between 100℉ to 103℉. If the temperature is beyond this range, your dog may be in danger. Dogs cool down by panting and drinking water, as they don’t sweat like us.

Here are some significant signs of heatstroke among dogs:

• Heavy panting
• Thick drool
• Dry and bright red gums
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Shaky legs

How Should You Safeguard Your Dog if it Gets a Heat Stroke?

If you notice any symptoms of heatstroke in your dog, you can help it to cool down in the following ways:

• Take your dog to a shady place
• Let your dog drink some water
• Cover their body with a damp towel
• Take your dog to a vet immediately.

Avoid putting your dog in cold water or force it to swim when you see the signs of heat exhaustion. Sudden exposure to cold water may lead to shock.

What is the Most Convenient Way to Find a Veterinarian Near You?

Consulting a veterinarian at the right time can sometimes save the life of your pet. Animals may not be able to express what is wrong with them. However, being a responsible pet owner, you need to gauge the situation through the signs and body language.

The most convenient way to find the best-rated vet in your area is by visiting our platform. Our platform bridges the gap between any animal requiring medical attention and professional veterinarians spread across the country.

We help you refine your search through our city pages and search options. You can look out for various services such as vet clinics, well-equipped veterinary hospitals according to your location. Browse through the clinic profiles listed for multiple cities and metropolitan regions and fix an appointment for a consultation with some clicks. For your convenience, our platform is accessible through any browser-enabled device, like desktops, laptops, tablet phones, and smartphones.

How Do Veterinarians Treat a Dog Suffering from Heatstroke?

The vets would keep your dog on a drip to let it overcome the dehydration and loss of minerals due to heatstroke. They also advise you to cool your dogs during the journey. If you could try cooling the dog down while taking it to the vet, it would have better chances of early recovery.

Initially, the vets try to minimize and stabilize your dog’s body temperature to restore tissue perfusion and prevent further neurologic injury. After that, the veterinarians may provide fluid therapy, oxygen supplementation, and additional complex treatment to bring your dog to normalcy.

It is very crucial to understand the signs of heatstroke, initiate the process to cool down, and take your dog to a vet nearby as quickly as possible.

The Takeaway

Prevention is better than cure. This article takes you through the summer safety tips for your dogs. We hope you follow the information discussed in this article precisely and protect your dogs from possible health issues or hazards. Whenever you notice any symptoms of heatstroke in your dog, visit our platform to search for the best-rated vet in your area and book your appointment.