12 Jul Dog Summer Safety Tips

Summer can be a pretty rough time for San Antonio’s dogs. While humans can adjust to the sweltering heat by wearing shorts and a t-shirt, dogs are stuck with their heavy coats. If you have dogs that live outside, you may consider bringing them inside on exceptionally hot afternoons or cooling down their dog houses with a  bucket of ice.

Below are a few other steps you might take to ensure that your dog can handle the summer heat.

• Walk your dog in the early evening or morning to avoid the afternoon sun. If you run with your dog, set the pace a little bit slower than usual. Many dogs will keep running with you even if they’re not handling the heat.
• Avoid pavement and sand. It’s easy to hit the road in the afternoon with your shoes and socks on. But as we all know, summertime asphalt is scorching hot on bare feet. The same goes for bare paws.
• Always give your pet water. If you ever see the water bowl empty, just take a second to fill it up. Your dog may not be panting but could still be thirsty.
• If you have an outdoor dog that you can’t bring inside, make sure it has access to a shaded area where it can get out of the direct sunlight.
• Be careful about shaving a dog and talk to your vet first. While it may seem like the simple solution for keeping your pup cool, dogs can actually get sunburned too.
• Never leave a dog in a parked car. In this sort of heat, car temperatures can rise quickly and mercilessly.

Again, one of the easiest ways to prevent doggy heat exhaustion is to simply keep your dog inside for most of the day. If you have a housetrained pooch, this shouldn’t be too difficult. If you have an outdoor dog, however, you may need to take them out occasionally and let them do their business in their preferred spot.

If your dog has an accident inside the house, it isn’t the end of the world. Most messes can be cleaned up temporarily with a cleaning solution and a towel. If you’d like to permanently remove pet odors and stains, call Steamer’s Carpet Care today.