Summer time is fun time. It’s the season when a lot of outdoor activities happen. No wonder not just humans but also our precious little doggies love this season too.
However, during this time, humidity and hot weather can sometimes go extreme. To avoid untoward incidents, keep your fur baby summer safe.
Humans sweat to cool themselves down. Dogs don’t. They only pant and panting isn’t enough during extreme heat. (Well, technically their pads sweat too but that’s a very small amount and wouldn’t really cool them down.)
If your house doesn’t have air-conditioning or if it has but your dog doesn’t want to stay indoors, here are some tips that would help keep your dog cool.
Keep him hydrated with fresh cool water.
Keeping your dog hydrated is very important. This is even more crucial in hot weather so always have some fresh water available for him. Put his water dish in a shaded area and frequently change it to keep it fresh and cool.
You may also install a watering system that’s connected to a faucet. Water systems like these are designed to dispense water as needed through certain motion.
In addition, make some homemade chilled treats too.
Protect him from the sun.
Surely, your little pooch would enjoy some sunbathing moment. However, this shouldn’t take that long as this could result to heat exhaustion and sunburn too.
Applying sunscreen is an option but this isn’t really ideal. Still, the best thing to do is to prepare some shelter. Putting him under a tree would nice but a better solution is having an actual structure to protect him from the sun.
Make his dog house insulated, well-ventilated, and large enough for his size. As an alternative, you can also build a canopy or an open-air tent. Put it in a shaded area and add fan to make it extra cool.
Your home is still the best shelter. Install a doggie door so he could go in and out of the house easily.
Set up a dog pool.
Most dogs love playing in cool water. If your dog is one of them, why not set up a large tub or a molded plastic kiddie pool (not the inflatable one) in your backyard. Put it in a shaded area and frequently change the water. Once your dog is done playing, remove the water to avoid attracting mosquitos.
Another option is running a sprinkler. Most dogs enjoy the pool more than sprinklers though.
Get him a cooling dog bed.
A regular dog beg is nice but this can be too warm for summer. Because of that, you might notice your dog opting to lie down on the tile or concrete floor.
So instead of a regular dog bed, get him a cooling dog bed. This also has the same soft and comfortable feel only with added coolness that your precious fur baby longs for. It’s made either of water or gel-like material, which keeps the bed cool.
There are a lot of other options to cool your dog down. But remember, nothing beats fresh cool water and shade in times like this.
Also, keep in mind that a dog’s primary way of cooling is by panting. With that being said, having cooler air would best to keep him from heat exhaustion. Keep an eye on him and immediately contact your vet if you see any heat stroke signs.
