Safe in the Sun
We all can enjoy the warm weather but sometimes the heat is too much for our four legged friends.
This summer, keep in mind that your pet is not able to sweat, therefore making it harder to regulate their body temperature.
We wanted to give some tips on how you can have a fun and safe summer with your furry family members:
- NEVER leave your pet in the car. Even leaving them for a “quick” second can turn deadly. Temperatures in a vehicle can spike in minutes, leaving them overheated, potentially causing heat stroke or even death.
- The pavement check. Make sure to check the pavement and asphalt with the back
of your hand before taking your pup on that walk they so want to go on. Hold the back of your hand to the pavement, and if you cannot rest it comfortably there for at least 7 seconds, it is too hot for them to be trotting on.- Check your walking hours. It is important as well as checking the pavement, that you pay attention to the time of day you are taking your pet out for a walk. The summer brings extreme temperatures, and the peak temperature times are important to pay attention to.
- Provide PLENTY of water. This is crucial as dogs and cats can very much get dehydrated in the warmer days.
- Bring your own water and bowl on outings. Dogs can share germs and viruses with each other by drinking from each other’s water.
- NEVER use fireworks around your pet. This can cause extreme injury if you animals are exposed to the flames, as well as the loud noises give many pets extreme anxiety.
- Watch for Ticks. If you are going on a hike to a dog friendly trail, make sure you check if the area is common for ticks. Also, there are many different brands of tick repellents that you can buy to put on your pup so that it helps protect them.
- Consider buying a life vest for your dog. Make sure that your dog is supervised around any body of water. Not all breeds of dogs are good swimmers.
- Do NOT shave your pet. It is perfectly fine to trim their hair for the summer, but shaving your pet’s fur off completely leaves them susceptible to sunburns and overheating.
- Watch those summer barbecues. Many foods cooked at back yard barbecues can be poisonous to your pet, especially alcohol. This can cause intoxication, or worse longer term affects like a coma.
- Keep your dog on a leash. When going on hiking trails, walks, or even to the park, make sure to keep your dog on leash in areas not designated for off leash play. This is important because even if your dog is friendly, that doesn’t always mean that someone else’s is.
Remember to keep these all in mind so that you and your family can have a fun and safe summer! These are important tips to keep on hand next time you are thinking about maybe taking an outing or having over some friends for that barbecue. Visit our Education section on our blog to learn more tips & tricks.