Walking your dog

Walk your dog in the early morning or evening when it is cooler outside.  If your dog is unfit, overweight or has breathing difficulties, consider reducing the length of their walk when it is noticeably hot.  If you usually play fetch on your walk, reduce the amount of play time as your dog may overheat quickly.

Be mindful of your dog’s breed and colour and consider sun cream

While large black furry / fluffy dogs will suffer more in the heat than small short-haired white dogs.  However, all white dogs are considered as being at high risk of sun burn.  The following breeds are examples of dogs that are considered a high risk of sun burn… dalmatians, white bulldogs, boxers, whippets and beagles.  However, all areas of skin with little or no hair like the stomach, groin, bridge of the nose and ears need to be protected in most breeds.  Be sure to use pet-safe sun cream as ingredients in human sun cream can be toxic to dogs.

Protect your dog’s paws

Pavements / tarmac can get very hot.  If it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your dog’s paws.  Try to walk on grass or dirt footpaths instead.

Give your dog access to shade and water

Your dog should always have the option to sit in the shade and drink water throughout the day.  Give them water at room temperature.  Do not put ice cubes in it or give your dog frozen treats because this will trick their body into thinking it’s cold and it will lead to making them even hotter.

If you need any further advice, please consult your vet.