07 Jul Summertime Smarts For Your Dog’s Health

As we head into the heart of summer, it’s a good opportunity to refresh ourselves on how to keep our canine friends healthy in the heat. Too often during this season, veterinarians see dehydration, heat stroke, and unfortunately sometimes death among overheated dogs. Luckily, when you know signs to watch for and how to stay prepared, there are fairly easy ways to avoid these scenarios.

Dehydration

Unlike cats that will typically find a cool spot in the shade to lounge and conserve energy, dogs may not know their limits or be so willing to interrupt a good walk or game of fetch in order to rest and drink water. But 60% of a dog’s body mass is made of water, and this balance is essential for stable bodily functions like circulation and blood pressure.

Dehydration causes a variety of symptoms such as heavy panting and breathing, weakness and lethargy, elevated heart rate, and dry gums. Cool your dog in the shade or in the air-conditioning and encourage him to drink water. If symptoms don’t improve within five minutes contact your vet.

Heat exhaustion/Heat stroke

Keep in mind that dogs can’t cool themselves by sweating like humans can. They rely on panting to regulate body temperature and some breeds of dogs—like boxers, pugs, shih tzus, bull dogs, and others with short muzzles—will have a harder time breathing and cooling themselves in extreme heat. But any dog can quickly overheat in hot temperatures, leading to heat exhaustion, which is also known as heat stroke.

Pets are at particular risk for heat stroke if they are very old, very young, overweight, not conditioned to prolonged exercise, or have heart or respiratory disease. When a pet begins overheating, it may pant heavily or have difficulty breathing. Progressive symptoms may include lack of coordination, glazed eyes, excessive thirst, lethargy, fever, dizziness, heavy salivation, vomiting, or a deep red or purple tongue. Seizures and unconsciousness are severe symptoms that may indicate organ failure.

If you suspect your pet is suffering from heat stroke, call your vet immediately, and upon the advice of your veterinarian bring her into a cool room, and rub cool to room-temperature water on her. Even if your pet appears to cool down, consult your vet to see if he or she recommends bringing your pet into the hospital for an examination.

Water, Water, Everywhere

Make sure your pets have access to water both inside and outside. Make sure the outside water bowl is in the shade so the water stays as cool as possible. You may want to fill your pet’s bowl with half water and half ice to maintain a cooler temperature, and avoid using metal bowls which absorb heat and could possibly burn your pet’s tongue.

If you’re out and about with your pet carry an extra bottle of water with you as well as a small container for him to drink from. And make sure your dog takes water breaks during outdoor playtime. A good rule of thumb is to provide a water stop every 15-20 minutes when outdoors in the heat.

Limit exercise and avoid pavement

Be cautious when exercising your pet on hot days, and adjust both the intensity and duration of exercise according to the temperature. On very hot and humid days, limit exercise to the cooler morning and evening hours. Be aware that pavement can get painfully hot and could burn your dog’s paws, so let your dog walk on grass if possible.

Car Common Sense

Finally, never leave your pets in a parked car, even for a very short errand, and even in the shade with the windows cracked. Temperatures inside a car can climb within minutes and spike more than 40 degrees in just an hour on a summer day. As much as we love to bring our dogs with us everywhere, leave them home when you’re running errands—it’s not worth the risk.

By operating convenient hours for non-surgical care, PetWellClinic® is able to offer substantially discounted prices for preventative products, vaccinations, wellness exams, and treatment of minor conditions. Think of us as a “minute clinic” for your pet—no appointment necessary, with quick in and out service. You can save even more time by pre-registering and pre-paying online for our walk-in clinics. And to learn how you save both time and money with PetWellClinic®, download our free eBook.

PetWellClinic® has three locations: In Farragut at 10549 Kingston Pike, Knoxville; near West Hills at 7329 Kingston Pike, Knoxville; and in Alcoa at 228 S. Calderwood Street. Learn more about how PetWellClinic® can exceed your expectations for affordable, top quality pet care by visiting our website at www.petwellclinic.com.