How you can help your pets health during Summer
Why grooming is important?
As another hot Summer looms, it’s now more important than ever to prioritise your pet’s health and well being.
Regular brushing your pet’s hair can help in naturally shedding some of the excess hair and help in air circulation. Trimming your pets hair also assists in air circulation and manageability (Grooming kit available here). As your pet naturally sheds hair in preparation for summer, hair rollers (available here) and other tools can be great assets in managing the increasing messiness and hair-riddled clothing. We do NOT recommend shaving as this can leave your pet vulnerable to sun burn and loss of insulation, increasing risk of heatstroke.
Other things to consider
- Hydration
While grooming will assist in keeping your pet cool and comfortable during the summer, there are still many other dangers heat presents to your pets well being.
One of, if not the most important things to consider for your pets health is their hydration. Making sure your pet has regular access to water is always a must but something often not considered is bringing a water bottle along for your pet during walks/exercise. We routinely make sure we have water bottles for our own exercise but unfortunately we don’t seem to extend the same courtesy to our beloved pets. Even during periods of extreme heatwaves, its important your pets are still able to exercise and keeping them hydrated in a MUST.
(Pet drink bottle available here)
- Footwear
It’s also VERY important to note that even during milder heat, pavement temperatures can double. I.e. If its 25C outside, the pavement can potentially be 50C. This can lead severe burns on your pet’s paws.
A good rule of thumb to remember is “if it’s too hot to walk barefoot, don’t expect your dog to walk barefoot”. As you would expect, supplying your dogs with boots will help dramatically and your pet will love you for it!
- Eyewear & Hats
And last but not least, one of the most unconsidered components to your pet’s health during summer are their eyes. Your pets aren’t likely to blatantly stare at the sun but they also unfortunately won’t understand that staring at the sun can cause detrimental damage to the eyes.
Pets with deteriorating eyesight are much more likely to incur other issues and risks so its imperative to maintain your pets eye health. We recommend UV Ray protecting sunglasses (available here) & hats ( available here) when taking your pet for walks to minimise risk. It also has the added bonus of looking very stylish!
Signs Your Pet is Sun Sensitive
Just like us, your pets aren’t immune to adverse affects from heat. Although, unlike us, they don’t have the ability to verbally communicate their symptoms. This means during times of extreme heat, we must be extra vigilant and empathetic to our pet’s experience.
Signs your dog may be negatively impacted by the sun;
Body Language
- Howling
- Signs of fragility or weakness
- Inability to Focus
- Whimpering
- Tilting of the Head
- Freezing
- Whale Eye (when the whites of their eyes or the sclera are visible)
Other Signs
- Dried/Scaly Skin
- Crusty Eyes
- Skin lesions
- Signs of Pain
Helpful tips
Breeds of dogs with short muzzles, such as bulldogs and pugs are much more susceptible to heatstroke given that they are less efficient at eliminating heat via panting.
Giving ice cubes as treats is a fantastic way of keeping your pet’s body temp in a healthy range and your pet will love them!
We’d recommend a grooming kit as an alternative to keep your pets hair manageable during these times, when getting it down professionally isn’t feasible. It’s also a great way to save some much needed $$ in the long run.
"Dog Beach Bokeh - Fehmarn - Schleswig-Holstein - Germany" by torstenbehrens is licensed under CC BY 2.0
