What You Need To Know About Summer Safety For Pets

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It feels like we just hit spring, and here we are with temperatures warming up to the point we are looking ahead to summer and tips on how to keep your pets safe!

I noticed with Grace and Benson that I am already needing to really watch what time of day we are going for walks as their coats mean they can heat up really quickly. Also, the sand at the beach and pavement are already starting to heat up as well.

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So what can we do to keep our pets safe and enjoy the summer months?

Keeping Your Pets Cool

Make sure you keep your pets cool this summer! Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are real risks to take into consideration. This can lead to a pet’s organs shutting down and could even be fatal. Take temperature and humidity into consideration before heading out. And try to stick to early morning or evening walks on hot days. NEVER leave your dog in a car!

Make sure that shade and cooler spots, such as in the house in air conditioning is available to them. Grace and Benson are cold weather lovers! And for a good part of the summer you can find them inside lounging in the air conditioning! Make sure you are aware of the warning signs that your dog is overheating.

For additional ways to keep cool, you could look into cooling mats or raised dog beds. There are plenty of cooling mat options available. However, a certain big white Ragdoll cat I won’t mention (Whiskers…) also took a liking to the cooling mats I had. He kneaded them and inevitably put holes in them…But still not a bad option if you are going to the beach or for a picnic. Raised dog beds cool dogs by providing a breeze under them.

Hot Surfaces

You all know that feeling when you hit the beach on a hot, sunny day and you are RUNNING to the water because your feet are burning? Remember that when taking your dogs for a walk or to the beach. Pavement and sand (and even artificial turf) can heat up to the point of being painful for our animals.

Being a beach lover myself, I try to stick with times when the sand won’t be as hot such as early morning. For our afternoon walks I head over to the local park instead. It is closer and even the pavement can burn your pup’s feet.

If you are at the beach and you notice that your dog seems to be having issues with their feet, make sure to check in between the pads on their feet as grains of hot sand can get up there and burn them. Last summer this happened to Benson! I saw he was having trouble I had to pick him up and carry him to a shaded spot! Great fun with an 80lb puppy…(he was ok).

You can also look at paw protection wax which will create a barrier between the dog’s feet and the surface they are walking on. I know we are talking about summer here but also great to protect their feet from salt and ice in the winter, so good to have on hand year round.

Hydration

Plenty of cool water should be made available to your pets. My dogs empty about a water bowl every HOUR! And for some unknown reason only out of the smallest bowl I have so I am forever shuffling back and forth from the kitchen sink! But this goes for walks too. Carry a water bottle with cool water and a pop up water bowl so that you can provide a drink on walks.

Water also helps to prevent heat exhaustion and stroke, which is potentially life threatening. I LOVE my community. Plenty of businesses and home owners leave a water bowl with fresh water out on the sidewalks! Which leads to plenty of pulling to get to those water bowls…Because they are infinitely more interesting than the water I have…

Be Mindful of Fireworks

My dogs are relatively calm with noises of any sort since we encounter all kinds of loud noises walking in Toronto. However, there are plenty of dogs that can get scared and anxious by the sound of fireworks. Or even a thunderstorm can send Fido running for a safe place to hide.

Consider leaving your dog at home if you are going to a fireworks display. Besides being afraid of the noise, there are chemicals in the fireworks which can be poisonous if a curious pup finds one.

If you are at home, leave them in the house and create a safe spot if you are putting on a display. Or, if you know that there will be fireworks on a particular day or holiday that can be heard from home, you can try closing your windows and using white noise or music to mask the sound. Toys and treats can also be used as a distraction and you could even consider the use of CBD oil to keep your pets calm.

Dog calming blankets are something I have heard other dog owners use as well.

Sun Safety

Besides heating up walking surfaces, did you know that your pet can also get a sunburn? Dogs with short or light hair are more at risk of a sunburn! And similar to people it can even end up leading to a higher risk of cancer!

Fortunately, there are sunscreen options available for our furry friends! Apply sunscreen to vulnerable areas on your pet every 3-4 hours (belly, ears, nose).

Parasites

Yes, we don’t want to think about them but there are plenty of nasty little creatures out there such as fleas, ticks and mosquitos that can transmit potentially fatal illnesses to our pets. Who hasn’t read my tick story??

Speak to your vet to find appropriate treatments for fleas, ticks and heartworm. All I know is I do NOT want to have to pull another tick out of my cats…EVER.

Camping or Cottaging

We love our pets and want to take them with us everywhere! Besides the tips above, there are a few things to be mindful of if vacationing to a cottage or taking a camping trip.

At the cottage a life jacket can be used if your pet loves to swim but isn’t a great swimmer (like Grace…). Grace tires really easily out in the water so we have life jackets in case we are planning to be out on the water for any amount of time. And Benson can’t swim AT ALL. Also great to use if you plan on taking your dog out on a paddle board or in a boat in case they fall in the water.

Camping is great fun for the whole family, but tents can heat up really quickly in the sun so you should NOT be leaving your pet in there alone. Make sure that your dog is a safe distance from any fires as well, as even a stray spark can land on them causing burns or serious injury. Grace has about ZERO concept that fire is dangerous…

Grooming

Certain types of dogs that are non-shedding need to be trimmed and groomed as they do not shed their hair (unlike mine, who are currently losing handfuls of fur any time I pet them…). Try leaving their hair a little bit longer to protect them from sunburn.

Dogs that have a double coat should NOT be trimmed. The undercoat protects them from both heat and cold so while you think you might be doing them a favor they actually lose the ability to self-regulate their temperature if shaved.

Any other tips that I might have missed here? Leave a comment below and sign up for my newsletter!!