Summer Heat Wave - Keeping your pups cool

3 Hot, Sleepy Dogs - heat will make your dogs more lethargic than usual.

We are having a prolonged heat wave here in Southern California and many people who live near the coast do not have central AC.  Imagine having a fur coat and dealing with this heat.  Here are a few tips to keep your pets a little more comfortable in this heat:

1)  Keep your dogs indoors - if the inside of your house is cooler than outside, bring your dogs indoors to avoid heat stroke.  If the heat outdoors is intolerable for you then your dog is likely to feel the same way (if not more so). 

2) Walk your pets in the early morning or after the sun goes down.  Not only is it cooler but the pavement won't burn the pads of their feet.  Avoid hiking during a heat wave so that you do not expose your dog to the risk of heat exhaustion.

3)  Avoid intense exercise during heat waves - when we have 90+ weather, avoid intense exercise.  If your dog is elderly, overweight, has a medical condition (especially respiratory or cardiac) or very young, they are more vulnerable to the heat.

4)  Protect the Feet, Do the Barefoot Test - On hot summer days I often see people walking their dogs on the sidewalk and asphalt in the middle of the day.   I often cringe when I see this because the pavement can heat up significantly and because we humans wear shoes, we often don't realize how hot the pavement is.  

                                   

I used to work with clients using my dog, Kiku, as a decoy dog and I will not schedule sessions in the middle of the day because I fear the sidewalk and black asphalt will burn her pads.  

I will often do what I call the barefoot test and put my barefoot on the asphalt to test out how hot it is. Once, when my neighborhood reached 88 degrees F.  I did the barefoot test on my street and I could hold my foot on the pavement for only a few seconds because it was so hot.  So imagine when temperatures reach into the 90s.

At 88 degrees my foot started burning after a few seconds.

Watch for signs that your dog is under distress:  limping, licking feet, whimpering, walking gingerly, trying to get to the grass, lying down in the shade.

Puppy foot pads are more delicate - if you have a puppy, their feet are more delicate because the pads have not yet developed tough callouses.  Be extra careful during the period when your puppy is in this phase.  

Check your dogs pads for cracks, blisters, bleeding or burns.  If you find any injuries, wash the wound with soap and water and take your dog to the vet for further treatment.  

Check all hard surfaces including gravel.  Here is a hot Kiku trying to get some shade

So this heatwave be mindful of your dog overheating and burning those cute doggy feet.  

5) Evaporative Cooling - I will wet down the fur between the shoulder blades and back of the neck to help cool down my dog via evaporative cooling.  If you set up a fan, dogs will sleep in front of the fan to enhance this effect.

6)  Freeze a partially filled water bottle - wrap it up in a towel and place it near your dog.  Often they will sleep against it or use it as a pillow.  Senior dogs may not be able to tolerate the heat as well as younger dogs.

Kiku is sleeping against a frozen water bottle wrapped with a towel.

7)  Raised loungers - raised beds or loungers can help with air circulation.  And, many dogs like sleeping on them when it is hot.  The lounger in the picture below is from Doggie Loungers, but you can find a similar style at Summer Winds.

8) Hydration - it goes without saying that you want to make sure your pet is well-hydrated.  Keep extra bowls of water out if you are going to be out of the house for long periods of time.

9) Do not leave your dog in the car - I know this seems obvious but every summer there are reports of dogs dying in locked cars.  Cars, even with the windows cracked, can heat up very quickly on a hot day turning the inside of a car into an oven.  It only takes minutes for the temperature to go up 20 degrees. 

Do you have any other tips you would like to share.  Post them below.  Happy Training!