Summer is a wonderful time. You can relax, go to the forest or to the park. So much freedom has appeared for a four-legged pet! When the air becomes warm, you can visit ponds and swim. Lots of greenery around, flowers please your eye. But all this beauty can become dangerous if not to follow safety tips in the hot season. A dog is very vulnerable in the summer and can find a lot of unpleasant adventures instead of spending fun time. To prevent this, the owner must follow a number of rules.
How To Help Keep Dogs Cool In Summer
Dangers for walking dogs in summer:
•overheating
•dehydration
•sunstroke
•bathing
•insect bites
•burns
•allergy
So, let's consider all these points in more detail.
Overheating of dogs in summer
Overheating can be taken by surprise if the ventilation is bad. In the heat, an apartment or a house warm up highly. If it is not possible to improve the air circulation in a room, it is advisable to take a dog for a walk avoiding the sun.
To protect your pet from the adverse effects of heat a little, the following measures can be taken at home:
•Close the window with curtains. They should be dense and dark. So a room will not get very warm.
•Keep the windows open at night.
•Minimize the work of electrical appliances in a room.
To cool a room, you can use air conditioning.
Remember: you cannot leave a dog in a car even if you put a bowl of water there. The air in a car warms up instantly and a dog can quickly catch a heat stroke and die.
It is not necessary to risk and leave a pet with air conditioning turned on. It can be broken at the most inopportune moment.
Remember: a dog needs 10 minutes to overheat in a car.
Symptoms of overheating in dogs:
•The wobbly walk, the coordination of a dog is disturbed.
•Dry mouth.
•Blue tongue.
•Rapid breathing.
•Muscle twitching.
As soon as you notice at least one of them, it is urgent to seek help.
Dehydration of dogs in the heat
When it is hot outside, a dog needs plenty of drink in the heat. This is especially true for active dogs. So that a dog does not feel bad from a lack of water, it needs constant access to clean and fresh water. Try to change it regularly, every day updating it in a bowl and it is important to monitor the fullness.
Even if you are going to walk, you should not ignore drinking there. Do not be lazy - take a bottle of cool water with you and offer your pet periodically, you can do it every half hour especially after active games in the sun.
To increase dog's interest in water, you can add ice cubes from frozen chicken broth, berries to it.
Sunstroke
Does your dog play active games in the sun? Do not forget about sunstroke. This is very serious, because such a state occurs in minutes.
Sunstroke can occur even if a dog has already hidden from the sun in the shade or at home.
Symptoms of sunstroke in dogs
•General weakness of a dog.
•Red eyes
•Increased body temperature.
•Nosebleed.
•Vomiting.
•Fainting.
•Cramps.
If a pet feels bad, then you should contact the veterinarian.
To avoid sunstroke, try to minimize walking with a dog under the hot sun. If, however, a dog wants to frolic, let it play better in the shade.
Burns and tan
Burns on dogs paws. Paw pads are especially vulnerable. On hot asphalt or sand, you can get burned. In order for this not to happen, it is better to avoid places open to direct sunlight. If contact with hot asphalt can not be avoided, then you can buy lightweight shoes for your pet.
Dog's skin is also very sensitive to ultraviolet rays, especially ears, nose and groin. It is important to limit the stay of a dog in the sun.
Bathing dog in summer
People can't wait to swim in the river or in the lake in summer. A dog feels the same way. It may also need this. Playing in the water, exercising muscles, cooling off in the heat. It seemed, where is the danger?
If you go to the country house, you can prepare a bath with cool water for your dog, go to the river or lake.
In a town, rivers or lakes may be contaminated by industrial effluents that are particularly dangerous. In this case, you can get not only dirt on dog's fur, but also food poisoning of a pet.
If a dog feels hot, but there is nowhere to go and plunge into the water, you can bathe your pet in the bathroom or in the shower. This will be very important especially after long walks and active games.
Insect bites
When summer comes, insects begin to wake up. Mosquitoes and midges are not the main danger for dogs. Tick ??bite should alarm the owner in the first place. After all, blood-sucking insects can be carriers of many infections. For example, piroplasmosis. With improper or late treatment, the disease ends with the death of a dog.
In summer, the danger of catching fleas increases. Bites of bees and bumblebees can cause allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock.
In order not to become a victim of ticks do not let a dog walk in the bushes in the high grass. If you notice that your dog is chasing a bee or a bumblebee, you must distract a pet from this activity.
For the prevention of tick bites and fleas, veterinary pharmacies have special medicines in the form of drops, sprays, collars and shampoos.
Allergy
Summer heat increases the risk of allergic reactions in dogs. There are many plants around that scatter pollen. Insect bites can cause aggravation. If a dog is prone to this pathology, it is recommended to undergo a course of treatment before the start of summer. It is also advisable to have allergy medicine for dogs always.
Poisoning
In summer, due to the fact that ticks appear, the treatment of parks and green plants with poisonous substances begins. At this time, a dog may be poisoned when playing in the bushes. It is important to monitor your pet, if there is no confidence in the safety of those substances with which the plant was treated.
A dog can also try to drink from a muddy puddle and then get sick. To avoid this, you need to take water with you on walks.
Can dogs handle heat better than humans?
Unlike humans, a dog does not sweat so much. Those sweat glands that are located on the paw pads are unable to cool an overheated dog well enough. Excessive heat goes away with active breathing and increased salivation of a dog, so in the heat a pet can breathe rapidly and stick out its tongue.
High body temperature also makes a dog particularly sensitive in summer.
Dogs susceptible to heat stroke
It is important to note that all dog breeds are at risk of heat stroke but dogs with short snouts known as brachycephalic dog breeds (pug, Pekingese, Bulldog, etc. ) are more prone. This is due to their anatomical structure. The airways of such dogs are constricted and breathing is difficult.
And it is also worth taking care of the safety of dogs with excess weight. They may not handle extreme heat too.
First aid yourself. How to treat overheating in dogs?
What can be done to help your pet before the arrival of the vet:
•Remove a dog in the shade or in a cool place.
•Take a collar/leash off.
•Sprinkle a dog with water and let it drink.
•Give a few drops of Corvalol. Depending on the size of a dog, the dose will be 3-10 drops.
If there is no consciousness and there is obstructed breathing or even its absence, one can do the following manipulation: open a dog's mouth, stick out the tongue and tug it a little every 3-4 seconds. If there is resistance, it means that breathing has been restored.
You should not wait for the improvement of consciousness, trust the veterinarian.
Summer clothes for dogs
In summer clothing for dogs is needed to protect from the sun rays especially after haircuts and trimming. An easy panama protects a dog from sunstroke. With long walks, you can wet your pet's shirt with water, then it will be more protected from overheating.
Shoes should be worn during the inevitable walks on red-hot asphalt and sand.
Dog's clothes should be light and made of natural fabrics.
Tips for keeping dogs safe in the heat
•Do not shave your pet on the bald. Dog's undercoat protects cold and heat.
•Walk in the cool hours of a day.
•Reduce the physical stress of a pet.
•Reduce the portion of food to a dog by one third.
•Fresh water should be constantly.
•When shedding a dog must be carefully and regularly combed.
•Air a room often.
•Refrain from walking in the heat.
If you follow the safety tips for keeping dogs safe in the heat, you will spend summer in comfort and your dog will be happy and will receive a lot of bright emotions.
Our online dog store proposes Non Spill Dog Water Bottle to give a drink to your doggy any time and everywhere.
You may like our Bestsellers:
