Keeping Your Dog Cool In Hot Weather

Dog’s do not sweat.

High temperatures in the summer can be very harmful to your dog! You probably already knew that, but just in case you didn’t – now you do. When you see your dog panting, that’s him trying to cool off. This works great for him in normal climates and during weather that isn’t too warm. When the temperature starts rising, it’s time to start taking measures to keep him cool. An inability to sweat is a big part of the reason dogs are so at risk for overheating during the hot summer months. Add in the fact that some dogs just aren’t bred for hot weather – take huskies, which are bred for pulling sleds in the Arctic, but sometimes wind up as pets in warmer climes – and you have a recipe for potential disaster. All the panting in the world isn’t going to make him comfortable in the heat of summer. Some tips on how to help your pooch beat the heat:

Keep your pet cool
Dogs are much less efficient at cooling themselves than people, so they are more susceptible to overheating. A dog’s normal body temperature is 100-102 degrees, and they have sweat glands on their nose and pads of their paws. They pant and drink water to cool down, so always have fresh, cool water available for your dog — whether on a walk, in the car or in a tip-proof bowl in the house or yard. If your dog is an outdoor dog, bring him inside during the hottest hours of the day, and provide a shaded area in the yard, preferably in a well-constructed doghouse, making sure he always has access to cool water, since the hot sun can quickly make water too hot to drink.

Heat exhaustion in dogs is often caused by dehydration and overheating from running or over-exercising during hot weather. Heatstroke can occur when your dog’s body temperature is too high for a prolonged period of time, and both can lead to brain and organ damage, heart failure and even death. Short-nosed, thick-coated breeds and (just as with people) puppies, seniors and dogs with respiratory, cardiovascular and other health problems are especially susceptible.

Some of the signs of heatstroke are panting hard, staggering gait, rapid heartbeat, dazed look, listlessness, restlessness, dark red or purple gums and/or tongue and vomiting. If you suspect a heat-induced illness in your dog, gradually lower his body temperature by moving him to the shade or air conditioning, apply cold packs to his head, neck or belly, or immerse in cool (not cold) water, giving small amounts of cool water or ice cubes to lick — and then take him to the vet immediately.

There are many products on the market that can also help keep your dog cool. Consider a bed that can be filled with cool water and stays dry for your dog to rest on. There are also cooling pads (for laying down), vests (that wrap around your dog’s belly) and cooling bandanas and collars (wrapping around his neck) filled with nontoxic polymer crystals that expand in water and cool your pet for hours as the water evaporates. Simply soak the reusable and hand-washable item in cool water for 15-30 minutes, towel dry and place on your dog.

Protect your dog from sunburn
Many people don’t realize that dogs can get sunburn! It’s especially common in pale and short-haired dogs, usually on the bridge of the nose and tips of the ears as well as the belly, groin and insides of the legs (because of the sunlight that reflects up from the sidewalk and hot sand on the beach). Use a sunscreen — labeled specifically for use on animals — on your dog’s nose and his ear tips. You can’t put sunscreen on his underside because he’ll lick it off, so be careful when walking your dog or taking him to the beach in the hot sun. And if you shave your dog’s coat in the summer, be aware that it will make him more prone to sunburn.

Protect your dog’s paws
Dogs’ paws can get burned on sidewalks, asphalt and sand if walked during peak sun and heat. So check the temperature of the surface with your hand before walking your dog — if it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your dog’s paws. Walk during early morning or evening hours and never just after a meal. If you must walk your dog during the afternoon, make it short and keep him on the grass or at the water’s edge when at the beach to protect his paws.

Don’t leave your dog outside all day in the summer.

I personally do not leave my dogs out for more than 10 minutes at a time. You know how you feel after a few hours in 100 degree heat? Well, multiply that by a thousand and you know how your dog feels. If you need to leave him out for long periods of time, do it in the morning or evening – but not when the temps are at their hottest. After a while your dog will barely be able to move because he’s too hot.

If he’s going to be outside for awhile, make sure there is some kind of shelter from the sun

Trees, a picnic table, a covered patio – something that creates a shadow he can retreat to if he wants to. Dogs know what shade is, and they will find it if it exists. But it needs to exist all day. If you have one big tree that creates shade in the morning, it might not be creating shade a few hours later. Make sure you know there will be shade the entire time your pooch is out there.

Baby Pools are a great way for dogs to cool off

A lot of dogs love these. Fill one up and watch how fast he'll get the idea. If you have a small dog, a basin will do. Just make sure it’s something the dog is big enough to climb out of easily.

Crushed ice is great.

Most dogs love to crunch on this stuff. Toss him a few pieces and see how fast they disappear! As an aside, they also work wonders during the teething stage!

Water. Water. Water

You need to make sure your dog has a cold source of fresh water the entire time he is outside. If you leave him out for a long time, you need to make sure there’s enough water to last. And in the heat, that’s a lot of water you would need. You need a lot more than 1 bowl of water. And it’s worth mentioning a lot of dogs will paw in their bowls and knock them over – what then? You need something large that he can’t knock over – that will be in a cool place the entire day, since water gets warm quickly in the sun.

NEVER leave your dog in a parked car

Just as with children, we must be aware of the danger in leaving our dog inside a parked car in the summer heat. Simply parking in the shade or leaving the windows cracked is not enough. Windows collect light and trap heat inside the car, sending the temperature to dangerous and deadly levels rapidly. In many states, it’s against the law to leave a pet unattended in a parked vehicle in a manner that endangers the health or safety of the animal.

A car’s inside temperature can increase as much as 40 degrees in an hour — with 80 percent of that increase within the first 30 minutes. On an 85-degree day, the temperature inside a car with the windows cracked slightly can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes!

A parking lot is a hot place – think about all that asphalt drawing the sun down. Try walking on that in very hot weather and see how much your feet appreciate it. Even if you drive your car to the store with the A/C blasting and plan to leave your dog in the car for 5 minutes, you’re faced with at least 3 problems.

First: The A\C’s going to go right out the window – no one with a brain would leave the windows rolled up with a dog in there.

Second: You can’t roll them down enough to get real airflow in there, your dog could escape.

Third: People like me who pass your car and see your dog in there, might just stand there and clock how long you are gone. I give it 15 min, max. If I don’t see you in that timeframe, I call the local police and let them deal with you. And believe me – they will come right out there.

This may sound like common sense, but the fact is, a lot of dog owners don’t consider these things when they put their dog outdoors. They think he’ll be fine out there all day, not realizing he’s susceptible to the elements just like people are. Because your dog doesn't sweat, it’s up to you to provide him with the tools to stay cool – he deserves it!