Throw Some Shade

We’re not the only mammals that enjoy some shade. Whether indoors or outdoors, making sure there are shady spaces is important to ensuring your pet remains cool. 

Outdoor Tips: If you’re outside, provide your pet with a shady place to rest or play. If you’re going out for a walk, first consider if the place you’re thinking of has plenty of shade from trees or man made structures. Going for a walk on a hot day can already be stressful for your dog or cat, keeping out of direct sunlight and limiting your time outdoors can help reduce the amount of heat related stress they experience.

Indoor Tips:  If you’re indoors, try to keep some curtains closed in your house. This both keeps the temperature down and creates a spot for your pet to rest. If possible, keep the air conditioning in your house on so that, at most, your house is 76°F. If you don’t have air conditioning, try leaving a fan or two on in your house at all times or limiting activities to your basement. While not ideal, the air flow or cool basement air can help keep your pets cool while indoors.

Got a Drinking Problem?

When it gets hot out, we just can’t get enough of that beautifully cool elixir of life: water. While shade is important, also make sure to provide your pet with plenty of water at all times. Try keeping a water bottle and bowl with you so that whenever you stop for a break - or if your pet starts panting - you have a clean water source for them to access right away. Various companies carry collapsible water bowls for travel or water bottles with a bearing on it, like for a hamster cage.

Ideally, try to make sure the only water your dog consumes is clean. Ponds, puddles, and lakes have a large amount of harmful bacteria in them, some of which even come from the feces of other animals! These bacteria have a chance of being harmful. If necessary, make sure your pet only drinks from water that is moving. If you see your pet trying to drink from a puddle, this is a good indication that it’s time to take a break and hydrate!

The Dog-fish 

Swimming is a great way to cool off, and a lot of fun to be had! If your dogs are avid swimmers, there are a few things to keep in mind! 1) If your pet isn’t a strong swimmer, you can equip them with assistive devices such as life jackets and floaties. 2) Try to make sure your pet’s ears don’t get wet. This is really tough, so don’t worry if they take a dunk! Clean out your pet’s ears with an ear cleaner that contains a dry agent after swimming to avoid possible ear infections. 3) After swimming, rinse your dog off with clean water to remove bacteria. Bacteria found in water sources can cause skin irritation and serious infections.

For more information about heat stroke, heat stress, summer safety, and what to do when your pet is showing signs of heat stroke, see the additional resources at the bottom of the page.

While kennel cough is treatable, it’s best to give your dogs the best chance of staying infection free and vaccinate before bringing them to an area with other dogs. Contact us if you have any questions about Bordetella, or if you’d like to book an appointment.

Dog Parks

Dog parks are a great place for FIDO to learn social lessons, have free play and frolic with others. It’s also a place where dogs can contract many different infections, including eye infections. If you are frequenting the dog park and are getting eye infections after, try rinsing your dog’s eyes after playing with Eye Stream. This is an eye-safe flush for the eyes and can reduce the incidence of infection after play.