Summertime is the best time to chill out with your canine friend. But you are not in the mood to enjoy it as you are supposed to because your dog gets exhausted around this time, even if they are just taking a stroll.
Dogs getting overheated could be alarming for you. It could lead to heatstroke. Understanding the symptoms of overheating can make it easier to take good care of them in this heated time.
Also, you can keep your dog cool outside by doing simple things that don’t cost you a fortune. Such as providing your dog with cool water, just arranging some water sports in your backyard, or providing your dog with a shade or wet towel to keep calm and, most importantly, avoid the midday heat.
In this blog, we will discuss how you can help your canine friend in the summer. Keep reading and stay with us to learn more about your dog.
Signs Your Dog is Overheating
During summer, an overheated dog often pants while taking a breath, and the rest of the mouth becomes grayish to purple due to the lack of oxygen. As they become too hot, their saliva thickens, and your dog may vomit or have diarrhea.
Sign of Heatstroke
These common signs will help you to go through your dog’s overheating situation.
- During summer, dogs get too hot when they exercise or run, which leads to overpainting.
- If your dog is having trouble breathing, they will drool a lot. Cooling down their body temperature also increases the chances of saliva production and drooling.
- In intense heat, when a dog gets too hot or does heavy panting, their heartbeat increases. If it seems more than usual and starts breathing fast, that is more likely to be heatstroke.
- Dogs breathe deeply, loudly, and rapidly and struggle to cool down.
- If you notice that your dog might not be as energetic as it used to be, it is also a sign of heatstroke.
- Dogs can vomit quite often while overheating. Your dog might experience vomiting or have diarrhea.
Top 8 Tips on How to Keep Your Dog Cool Outside
Dogs’ bodies are hotter than human bodies due to their heavy-coated fur. So, when the temperature rises, it’s vital to know how to keep your dog cool, safe and healthy.
Throughout this summer, they get overwhelmed by the heat and are in the process of trying to cool down themselves. Always ensure that your dog has enough water to keep them hydrated or provide them shade or a wet bed to lie down that can also save the day.
We discovered some easy tricks you can use to keep your dog cool in summer. Let’s get to the business and have a good look at these tips.
1. Keep Your Dog Stay Hydrated
During Summer, if your dog doesn’t drink enough water, they will become sick. Whatever activities your dog is doing, just make sure they can have fresh and cold water. Don’t let your dog overplay in this weather. After playtime or a walking session, give them enough rest and water breaks.
Tip: If your dog’s weight is 45-55 pounds, don’t let your dog drink more than four to eight ounces of water at a time. 10 to 15 minutes later, they will have the time to absorb all the water. Letting them so much water could lead to vomit, bloat, and other dangerous conditions.
2. Let Your Dog Play in the Water
Plan some outdoor swimming pools or lakes to cool down your dog in this hot summer. There are some famous water sports you can provide to your dog to relax. Such as paddleboarding, surfing, and even dock diving are all popular water sports for your dog.
However, if you don’t have enough space in your backyard to arrange for your dog, you can try making DIY dog pools for your dog to enjoy their playtime this hot summer.
3. Provide Shade to Cool Down
You can make shades to cool down a bit to keep your dog cool in this heat weather. You can use portable sun shades, patio umbrellas and pop-up canopies. Also, you can string up a tarp or cloth on their head so they can get protection from the sun.
However, if your dog is small, try using a shaded pet bed. It will be towered off the ground to help with air circulation and keep the dog cool. That type of bed helps dogs suffering from arthritis or who are a bit older.
4. Never Leave your Dog in the Car
That is the most vital thing to keep in mind in this hot weather: Never leave your dog in the car. In just 20 minutes, a dog could die in a car due to a heat box.
There is a high chance that if you leave your dog in the car, they will be attacked in a heatstroke because it can turn into a heat box in this season, especially when windows are open, and the sun goes down in the car.
5. Avoid Midday Heat
At any cost, never let your dog play or walk in this midday heat. Get your dog on a walk another time when the sun isn’t blowing up on your head. If the temperature is 80 degrees and there is high humidity, then don’t go out in that heat.
If your dog has some exercise routines, then try to go out in the early morning or later in the evening. Also, don’t forget to check out the temperature before going out on the pavement. In this situation, you can try to pour water on blacktops.
6. Serve Frozen Treats
In this heat weather, everybody loves to eat some icy treats. The same thing goes for dogs as well; they would love to get some frozen treats. When the weather heats up, that is the best time to eat some frozen treats.
You can provide your dog with some easy-making homemade frozen dog treats. Give them some paw-printed or bone-shaped mold dog treats, frozen apple carrot cubes, or watermelon dog ice cream. These are easy to make at home. These frozen treats will keep your dog hydrated and healthy in this heat weather.
7. Use a Cooling Collar or Vest
In summer, a cooling collar or vest is the best choice for your dog. This collar or vest will help to transfer heat away from your dog and keep it cool while walking or exercising.
To keep your dog wet while using this, you must soak this vest in water regularly. The water in the vest will be vaporized, which will help lower their temperature. This can cool down a dog inside and out all day by tugging excess heat from the dog’s bloodstream. The main reason to use a vest is to cool down the chest and neck.
8. Provide Cooling Fan
You can use a portable cooling fan in summer to cool your dog. Pointing a fan at your dog can help them cool down. A fan will help to increase air circulation, which can help exhale sweat and will help with cooling down the body.
Even though dogs don’t sweat, displacing the air around them helps to cool them down quickly. Crate fans are the best for air circulation and have the best cooling power.
Conclusion
Always be aware that your dog doesn’t get exhausted from the heat in the summertime. Since dogs don’t sweat like humans and have big coated fur, they are also more hot than humans. So, there is a high risk of getting your dog overheated, which can also lead to heatstroke.
However, identifying the signs of your dog getting overheated will help you take care of your dog. Excessive panting and getting over-thirsty are the two most common signs you will get to see during heatstroke. But following some tips this summer will help you and your dog enjoy their summer time.
