Top Tips to Keep Your Dog Safe This Summer
On those hot summer days when the mercury is rising and the world is dreaming of trips to the seaside, it’s worth remembering that great weather can create some big risks for your furry friends.
Pets don’t sweat like humans so they can easily get dangerously overheated. They lose water quickly and have less reserves than we do. Bearing that in mind, among other factors, we’ve prepared this guide with our top tips for keeping your pet safe this summer.
Understand the risks and know the signs
The normal body temperature for a dog is in the range 38-39°C. If a dog gets any hotter than that then they can struggle to cool themselves, develop a fever, suffer potentially irreversible health damage, it can even result in loss of life. The signs of overheating and dehydration to look out for are heavy panting, excessive drooling, bright red or dry gums, diarrhoea, vomiting or wobbly legs.
Make sure your dog has as much access to water as possible
Always keep bowls at home filled up and take a bottle with you when you go out, offering it to your dog every half an hour or so. The average dog has to drink between 55ml and 110ml every day for each kilogram that they weigh. Providing access to more than that in hot weather will certainly not do any harm.
Never, ever leave a dog alone in the car
This is generally well-known, but it is easy to forget and well-worth reiterating just how dangerous cars can be for dogs, especially in the summertime. Even on a relatively mild summer’s day, cars can rapidly heat up like ovens. If the outside temperature is 24°C, a locked car will hit 31°C in under ten minutes. After half an hour it can be as hot as 40°C. Such scorching temperatures are severely dangerous for dogs.
Provide shade and choose walk times appropriately
When it is hot, avoid walks in the middle of the day and try to make sure that your route has plenty of shade. The same goes for trips to the beach or elsewhere outside where a dog might suffer serious health consequences from prolonged exposure to the sun.
Mattress pet beds are perfect for summer siestas
Mattress beds are designed to keep pets cool because they are open to the air rather than being cocooned, so they’re the perfect choice when temperatures are high. Our breathable mattress beds provide quality and premium comfort, and they also help our planet as they are made from ocean-bound plastic and recycled cotton. Check out our mattress bed collection right here.
Don’t shave your pet, do consider using sun cream
It’s fine to trim the long coat of a particularly furry friend. But it’s best to avoid shaving a dog in the summertime. Dogs developed coats to keep them warm in the winter and cool in the summer, so removing it all can expose them to a higher risk of overheating. It can also put them in danger of getting sunburned. Special pet sun creams are available and good to use on particularly vulnerable areas such as ears, noses, and bellies.
Let your dog swim, but consider getting a life jacket
Taking a dip in a river, lake, or the sea can be a great way for your beloved pooch to cool off during the so-called dog days of summer (the hottest time of the year). Some dogs just can’t stay out of the water and love any excuse for a dip. But it’s worth remembering that even strong swimmers can sometimes struggle in tough conditions. If you’re not fully confident in your dog’s swimming ability, a doggy life vest could be a great purchase that allows them to enjoy taking a dip safely in the summer.
We hope you’ve found this guide helpful, and if you’ve got any top tips that we missed out please get in touch with us at hello@projectblu.co. All of us at Project Blu wish you and all your furry friends a fun, and safe, summer.
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