Keep Cool! American Kennel Club Offers Dos and Don’ts For Summertime Safety

Summer is right around the corner and with the warmer weather and longer days comes more time spent outside with your four-legged friends. Summertime can, however, pose certain dangers to dogs. The American Kennel Club (AKC®) offers the following tips to help dog owners have a safe summer season with their pets.

• DO keep cool and hydrated. When the temperatures rise, the hot weather can make your dog very uncomfortable, even leading to overheating and heat stroke. Supervise your dog outside in the heat and make sure he has access to shade. Also make sure there’s always fresh water both indoors and out. If your dog does appear to be overheated, apply cool, wet cloths to his pads, belly, and head.

• DON’T leave your dog in a hot car. Never leave your dog alone inside of a hot car, even with the windows open. On an 80-degree day, the inside of your car can reach 125 degrees very quickly.

• DON’T treat your dog’s paw pads like shoes. Contrary to what people may think, your dog’s paw pads are not like shoes. Sidewalks and streets can become extremely hot, and even though paw pads are tougher than human feet, they can still get burned by hot pavement. Walk your dog on the grass during extreme heat to keep his paws cool. Don’t forget that hot sand can burn your dog’s paw pads too, so try and take your walks early in the morning or later in the evening when it’s cooler out.

Click HERE for more summer safety tips.

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Posted by chesliepickett on Jun 2 2014. Filed under Featured, The Buzz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.