If you want to know how a dog feels on a hot summer day, put on a fur coat and go for a mile walk. Even at just 20°c, dogs can suffer fatal heatstroke within minutes. Unlike humans, dogs can’t sweat through their skin and so they rely on panting and releasing heat through their paw pads and nose to regulate their body temperature and keep cool.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is leaving their dog in a car in the summer. Even on a cooler summer day, a car can become very hot very quickly. When it is 22°c outside - within an hour - the temperature in a car can reach an unbearable 47°c. The bottom line — NEVER leave your dog in the car alone.
So, what else can you do to prevent heatstroke in dogs?
✔️ Walk your dog at the cooler times of the day, either first thing in the morning or early evening. Before taking your dog for a walk, check the ground for hotness with one of your own hand. If you can’t keep your hand on the ground for more than three seconds, it’s too hot to walk your furry friend. Their pads can burn!
✔️ Carry water and a bowl with you on walks. Over the course of the day, dogs need to drink one half to one ounce of water for every pound of bodyweight they have. Don't wait for your pet to appear thirsty or beg.
🛑 Swimming is great but never leave your dog unattended swimming. And be extra cautious at the beach that your dog isn’t drinking the salt water - it causes diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. Dogs with toxic levels of sodium in their systems have a mortality rate higher than 50 percent, regardless of treatment.
🛑 Be particularly careful with short nosed dogs such as bull breeds, boxers, pugs, older dogs, and those that are overweight. These dogs can get heatstroke simply by running around.
You’ll also want to keep a close eye on your dog to make sure heatstroke isn’t setting in. Know the signs.
- Raised temperature (101.5° is normal)
- Rapid breathing and panting
- Excess salivation and thickened saliva
- Fatigue or depression
- Muscle tremors
- Staggering
And you’ll want to monitor for these key dehydration warning signs.
- Sunken eyes
- Lethargy
- Dry mouth
- Depression
- Gently pinch a fold of skin at the top of the neck. Is it slow to snap back?
Unfortunately, many of us here in France don’t have AC so the inside can be just as dangerous as the outside. For those extra hot days, check out our other blog on Keeping Your Dog Cool in a Hot Apartment.
Please allow technical cookies to view the comments powered by Disqus.