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Whilst this heat continues please be mindful of walking your Dog. Here is a few tips to look after them:- do the five-second tarmac test - Tarmac can get very hot in the sun and could burn your dog’s paws. Check the pavement with your hand before letting your dog walk on it – hold your hand down for five seconds, if it’s too hot for you, then we recommend walking your dog later when it’s cooled down to avoid burning their paws.
walk your dog at cooler times of day – When walking your dog in hot weather, try to take them out in the early morning, or later in the evening when temperatures are cooler. This will reduce their risk of heatstroke. Be particularly careful if your dog is old, overweight, suffers from breathing difficulties or is a flat faced breed like Pugs, French Bulldogs or English Bulldogs. Why is overheating dangerous for dogs? Getting too hot can be really risky for our four-legged friends. They can’t sweat (except through their paws), so they rely on panting as their main way to get rid of heat. Panting is less efficient than sweating, especially when it is humid. Heat related illness is sometimes called ‘heat stress’, ‘heat exhaustion’ or ‘heatstroke’ - these terms describe increasing severity of heat related illness. You might think it’s only a problem in the summer months or during warm weather, but dogs can overheat at any temperature, and any time of year including during winter. A recent study has shown that a significant number of dogs were diagnosed with heatstroke when the temperature was only 16.9 degrees Celsius.* |
