Summer is well and truly upon us, and while we as humans may be prepared to enjoy all that this fantastic season has to offer, inexperienced pet owners often find that there are extra challenges to keeping their animals safe and comfortable that they had not previously considered.
As conscientious and loving pet owners, we take the care of our beloved creatures extremely seriously. To help you ensure that your pet can enjoy the warmest season of the year as much as you can, here are our top summer safety tips for pets.
Keep her cool
Rising temperatures may be a wonderful thing in some of the cooler states across the country, but in areas where it is already fairly warm, it can quickly get uncomfortable when the mercury rises. Some animals cope with the heat much better than others but keeping your pet cool will need to be one of your first priorities. Failure to do so could cause your pet to experience heatstroke, a serious and potentially fatal condition.
To help keep your pet cool:
- Ensure there are shaded areas in your yard that she can escape to
- Give her access to rooms with tiled floors such as kitchens and bathrooms. When in the shade, these tiles tend to remain cool and are perfect for your pet to lay on if she needs to cool down.
- Use fans and air-conditioning units to lower the air temperature and circulate it around the room.
- Lift her bed off the floor so that cool air can get underneath it and help it to cool.
- Keep her out of direct sunlight.
- Don’t let her outside during the hottest part of the day.
- Encourage her to take supervised dips into water to reduce her body temperature.
- If she gets particularly hot, you can also consider wrapping her in a cool, damp towel.
Keep her hydrated
Dehydration is another serious summer problem and occurs when your pet’s body is using more water than she is consuming, often through sweating through the pads on her paws and panting. Ensuring she drinks plenty of fresh, cool water is crucial. Do:- Encourage her to drink as often as you can.
- Provide plenty of water around the house and replace it when it gets warm.
- Keep her water bowls out of direct sunlight.
- Use ice cubes to keep her water cool.
- Consider purchasing a bowl designed specifically to keep water cool.
- If you go out, make sure you take a pop-up dish and plenty of water with you.
Use sunblock
Yes, despite being covered in fur, pets can get sunburn too. Short-haired varieties are at greater risk, but it is not impossible for any animal to experience this common cause of veterinary visits in the summer months. Pet sunscreen is widely available in pet stores and veterinary offices, and particular attention should be paid to the nose, ears and abdomen area.
Plan walks carefully
If you have a dog, you will still need to walk her a couple of times a day. However, on some days the ground can quickly heat up to an unbearable level, meaning that if you were to try and walk your canine on the asphalt, she would almost certainly burn the soft pads on her paws. As a general rule, if it is too hot for you to walk barefoot, then it is too hot for your pet to walk barefoot too. Instead, plan your walks for the cooler parts of the day and check the sidewalk with your own foot before you head out.
Don’t leave her in your vehicle – ever!
Pets left in hot cars die – even with the windows rolled down! It may be 80 degrees outside, but the heat inside your vehicle can rise to almost 100 in just ten minutes. Even leaving your animal for a few minutes is too long. If you can’t get her out immediately and take her with you, leave her at home.
Supervise her in water
If you have a dog that is happy in the water, letting her take a dip into your pool, a lake, stream or nearby sea can be a great idea for her to cool down. Nevertheless, even if your dog is a great swimmer, never leave her unsupervised in water. Accidents happen when we least expect them. If you have a pool in your yard, keep it covered when it is not in use.
For further advice about keeping your pet safe this summer, speak to our veterinary office.
