Keeping Your Pets Cool In Summer

By Jane Pigott - GP vet & consultant Veterinary Cardiologist

With the Summer months upon us, I know most of us have our fingers crossed for a spell of fine weather. With rising temperatures in mind, I thought that now would be a good time to remind ourselves of tactics we can use to keep our pets cool and comfortable on warmer days.

First things first – never, ever leave your pet alone in a car at this time of year. Cool cars can become unbearable saunas in a matter of minutes, with a pet trapped inside, unable to escape the heat. Dogs in this situation may suffer from heatstroke – a serious condition, which sadly in many cases proves fatal.

On hot days, try to walk your pet early in the morning and late in the evening, avoiding the warmest hours of the day, where your pet (and you!) may struggle to keep cool whilst exercising. Before setting off for your walk, test the temperature of the ground. We need to remember that our feet are protected by shoes, but our pet’s paws are directly exposed to the scorching heat of stones, roads and hot pavements on sunny days, which can be uncomfortable for our pet and in extreme cases can cause burns to the feet. A good way to test this is to see if you can comfortably hold your palm to the ground for 10 seconds without it becoming too warm; if it still feels comfortable, it will be safe to walk your pet.

Make sure you cover the basics too, by always having a plentiful supply of fresh water available for your pet and providing access to the indoors or a cool shady spot. Some dogs may also enjoy splashing about in a shallow paddling pool whilst supervised!