In the picture
Keeping dogs safe in the sun
As temperatures soar, we are offering tips to help owners make sure dogs can stay safe and happy in the sun and keep cool.
Firstly, avoid walking or doing activities either indoors or outdoors with your dog at the hottest times of the day, so early morning or later in the evening is often best.
Always take plenty of water with you when out with your dog and make sure they have access to fresh water at home at all times.
Road surfaces can get very hot in the sun – check it with your hand before letting your dog walk on it so they don’t burn their paws. Try the “five-second test” – if it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your dog’s paws
If you cannot avoid taking your dog out in the car on a hot day, even if travelling a short distance, avoid travelling during the hottest times of the day.
Never leave your dog in a vehicle on a warm day. Not even with the window open. (Leaving your pet alone in a vehicle or tied up outside can also put them at greater risk of being stolen.)
Use a cooling mat or wrap an ice pack or frozen water bottle in a tea towel for your pet to lie on if they wish.
Use cold treats from the fridge for added moisture or make an ice lolly from petfriendly ingredients.
Don’t let your pet get sunburned - use pet-safe sun cream.
Know the early signs of heatstroke which include panting, difficulty breathing, tiredness, less keen to play, drooling and vomiting, and take immediate action.
If you spot these signs: – stop exercising your dog, bring them inside into a shaded and cool area or an air-conditioned car/ building and seek veterinary advice immediately.
Give your dog a drink of room temperature water, allowing them to drink small amounts.
If your dog is conscious, start pouring small amounts of cool water onto the dog's body and re-apply water regularly until their breathing starts to settle, but not so much that they start to shiver.
Don’t use wet towels as this can restrict air flow and make the dog’s body temperature rise even further, as can happen with cooling jackets/coats.
There are so many things we can do to make sure our dogs stay happy and healthy in hot weather, but it is crucial we keep a close eye on them, even if playing indoors.
Dogs Trust Veterinary Director, Paula Boyden.
Time to act
Surely the recent hot weather will convince the doubters that we need to take the threat of global warming seriously?
If ever there was yet another “wake-up” call to the threat that our planet – and, of course, human-kind faces – it was the recent spell of scorching weather that set temperatures soaring in this country and caused terrible wild fires in Europe.
Some people will again try to dismiss this heatwave as nothing more than a blip but these adverse weather conditions are coming at us thick and fast, and cannot be waved away so casually.
The time for action is now, yet the US Supreme Court, for example, is doing nothing to curb help global warming, rather it is simply burying its heads in the sand and hoping all this destructive heat and cold and rising sea levels will go away.
These people are old enough to have enjoyed a life, how about letting our children and grandchildren have a future to enjoy?
They are being selfish, and they need to recognise that if they don’t do something about global warming now, we will all pay the price – with our planet and our lives.
“Never leave your dog in a vehicle on a warm day. Not even with the window open."