Safety Tips For the Dog Days of Summer

With this week’s temperatures expected to remain in the high 80’s and low 90s and high humidity making it feel even hotter, it is important to make sure you are taking the necessary steps to avoid heat related illness for yourself and your dogs.

Dogs don’t sweat the same way as people do. They sweat through glands in their paw pads and can become easily overheated. Therefore, it is critical to make sure they are getting enough water and shade throughout the day and to monitor them for signs of dehydration like dry gums, heavy panting, excessive drooling, vomiting or diarrhea.

You should try to walk your dog in the early morning or late evening to avoid the mid-day heat. If they do need to go out in the middle of the day, try to find shaded paths and test to see if the pavement is too hot for your dog’s paws. You can do this by touching the pavement with the back of your hand and holding it there for seven seconds. If you can't hold out for the full seven seconds, then it's too hot for your dog's paws. After a walk, you can cool down paws after a walk with cool water or a wet cloth.

Late summer and early fall are the most active time for fleas and ticks so make sure you keep your pet on medication for flea and tick prevention. Check your dogs regularly including their feet, ears, face and neck for ticks by combing through their fur and feeling for any bumps. If you find a tick, use tweezers to grab the tick as close to your dog’s skin as you can and pull upward. Once you’ve removed it seal it in a bag or jar in case your vet needs to test it. Clean the bitten area and contact your veterinarian if your dog seems unwell.

Finally, never leave your dog inside a car. Even if your dog loves to come with you for car rides, if you can’t take your dogs with you to your destination it is better to leave them at home. It only takes 10 minutes for the temperature inside of a closed car to increase to an additional 20 degrees higher than the outside temperature making it very easy to cause heat exhaustion to dogs left inside the vehicle.