Friday, May 16, 2008

Tips for Keeping Dogs Cool


I was checking out our pal Simba's page and he offered some interesting tips on keeping cool. Seeing as it is once again a billion degrees, I thought I would look into other methods of keeping the boys cool.

I scoured the Internet and I found a few useful sites. The first one is titled: Tips for Pet Owners - Keeping Your Dog Cool in Hot Weather (Catchy, isn't it?). This site offers some good tips. Some are pretty common sense (Don't leave your dog in the car). The author also reminds us about having lots of fresh cold water, and suggest ice cubes. Patrick and Jackson like to lick ice cubes - I put them in their water to keep it cool. She also suggests baby pools. I think that would be awesome, however we live in an apartment and have no place aside from the living room to put one. I've added it my "When I have a House" list.

Another site, Hot Weather/Summer Tips for Dogs ,warns "Check the ground during walks. Blacktop in particular can get scorchingly hot for your dog’s pads. Bend down and feel the surface to see whether it may be unsafe or uncomfortable for your pet. " Because I am a horrible owner, I learned this the hard way.

More vital information: "Watch out for symptoms of heat stress or stroke. If you see that your dog is panting heavily, salivating or foaming, these may be the first signs of a heat related problem. Symptoms can progress to include vomiting, lethargy and even worse! Don’t wait for symptoms to progress. Get your dog into a cool location, provide small drinks of cold water and if he does not improve within a few minutes, contact your veterinarian right away. "

Now that the summer months are here to say, be vigilant in protecting your dog from the extreme heat.

2 comments:

Simba and Jazzi said...

One ear in the water bowl seems to work for me. Good advice though, a hot dog should be something you eat.

Simba xx

Gus said...

Ice Cubes....mmmmmmm. One of my most favoritests things about travelling is the ice cubes from the motel. We fill a big metal bowl with the ice cubes and put it on the floor of the car. All day long I can munch and crunch, and muzzer doesn't have to worry about whether I am drinking enough :) And we don't worry about the carpet on the floor, cause it has seen worse.

gussie