Caring for your dog in the summer heat

Anyone who owns a pet dog knows how much fun it can be to play with your dog during the warm summer months. There are a lot of fun activities you can do with your pooch at the park, the swimming pool, and lots of other places. However, you need to also make sure that you pay close attention to your dog’s health during the summer and protect him or her from the elements of nature that are normal this time of year.

One of the biggest health threats to your dog during the summer is of course overheating. As summer moves in it gradually warms up and gets hotter and hotter until the heat is almost unbearable. We aren’t the only ones who feel the effects of the intense heat, as dogs also get easily overheated. As you can imagine with a dog’s thick fur that their natural body temperature tends to rise rapidly out in the summer sunshine. This is why it is extremely important to make sure that you have access to plenty of water for your dog. If you’re taking a long trip in the car make sure to bring some type of dish and some bottled water for your dog to drink.

You can also avoid overheating your dog on walks by changing up the schedule and walking him at cooler parts of the day. This is typically in the early morning hours or late at night. You should also try to avoid the hot asphalt when walking your pooch. Dogs have really sensitive pads on the bottom of their paws and the heat from the asphalt can cause them to overheat as well.

Another concern for dog owners during the hot, sweaty months of summer is heartworms. Heartworms are a type of parasite that a dog gets from a mosquito bite. This is one of the reasons dogs have this problem more in the summer as mosquitoes run amuck all over the place during the hot sticky months of summer.

After the dog is bitten by a mosquito the heartworm enters the dog’s body. From there the worms start reproducing themselves in the dog’s heart, which will lead to death. You can further protect your dog from this serious risk by purchasing medicine that helps prevent heartworms in the first place. This pill is effective in most dogs.

There are a number of other activities that are common place during the beautiful weather of summer that could be a risk to your dog. One of those is the typical backyard barbeque. Make sure when having all your family and friends over for a nice summer barbeque to keep an eye on the dog and make sure he or she doesn’t tip over the grill and get burned. Many dogs get burned every year while being unattended by their owners during these type of activities.

You also have to be careful during the Fourth of July celebrations as well. Most dogs don’t like a lot of loud noises like fireworks produce so try and keep your dog in doors during the fireworks so that your dog doesn’t run the risk of getting injured. Also make sure you clean up after you’re done with fireworks so that your dog doesn’t eat what’s left of them lying around on the ground as this could cause serious health problems.

Taking good care of your dog during the summer months will ensure that both you and your pooch have an enjoyable time playing and running around in the beautiful warm weather.