Summer Safety
Summer Safety
Heat stroke is the number one doggy health concern during the summer. That being the case, never leave your dog outside in heat for too long. A half hour, with shade and plenty of cool water, is ok. If you can not provide shade and cold water outside, then your dog should be out for no more then five to ten minutes at a time. Dogs with long or thick coats over heat much faster then dogs with short fur coats. Long haired dogs should always have shade and cold water when they are outside and should never be left outside for more then ten minutes at a time.
Remember, even when you dog is inside, in the air conditioning, they should still always have fresh water available to them. Dogs can dehydrate more easily then humans!
Dogs do not have sweat glades. They can not give off excess body heat by sweating the way humans do. Instead, dogs give off excess body heat through their mouths, by panting. Thus, dogs should always be allowed to open their mouths during the summer months. Mussels, head collars, or anything that restricts a dog from opening its mouth can cause a dog’s body to over heat and suffer heat stroke.
How Do You Know if Your Dog Has Heat Stroke?
If your dog begins walking funny, if he starts stumbling and falling over while he walks, or if he can’t get up at all, and has been outside in the sun recently, then this could be heat stroke. There a few clear ways to check for sure. First, check you dog’s eyes. Touch the inner and outer corners of each eye with you finger. Your dog should blink when you do this. A dog who is suffering from heat stroke will not blink when you touch its eyes.
Second, look at your dog’s teeth and gums. A healthy dog’s gums should be a nice pink color or black color if the dog has black fur. A dog who is suffering from heat stroke will have gums that are pale white, grey or blue and look clammy.
If you think you dog is suffering from heat stroke, first try to get some liquid into the dog’s body and then take him straight to your local veterinarian. If at all possible, have your dog eat ice cubes while on the way to the vet. You do need to get liquid into your dogs system, but you don’t want to do this too quickly. Dogs who are suffering from heat stroke will instinctively try to swallow any water they can get and sometimes they drink so quickly that they accidentally inhale water into their lungs and end up choking. Eating ice cubes is a perfect alternative as it forces the dog to slow down and eat the ice so no water is inhaled into the lungs.
To prevent heat stroke while taking your dog for a walk, go for walks early in the day or late in the evening. Avoid walking your dog at noon or after noon because this is the hottest part of the day. Bring a collapsible water bowel and bottled water for long walks, dog parks, or any other vigorous activities, and take breaks in between.
