Summer Heat and Dogs Paws

It is summer once again, and the scorching of the sun begins to heat almost everything, including pavements, asphalt, wood, metals, sand, and other surfaces that are directly hit by the sun. These materials easily absorb and retain for hours, even after the sun has gone down. The surfaces are still too hot for humans, even though we have footwear to protect us. They are more dangerous for our dogs who walk barefoot. 

During the summer days, we need to protect our dogs, preventing them from feeling too hot and their paws and where they step on. Here are tips to keep our dogs’ paws protected during the dog days of summer.

Before walking your dog, check the pavement if it is directly hit by the sun. If it is, check whether it is hot or not by placing your bare hand or foot on the surface for at least 10 seconds. If you can keep your hand or foot, then it is tolerable for your pet. But if you cannot keep hold of it, then it is too hot for your pet.

Walk on grassy surfaces and avoid the bare ground. The grass is cooler than the pavement during hot days.

Avoid walking your dogs during the hottest time of the day. Walk them when it is still cool, like early in the morning or late in the evening when everything has cooled down.

Give your dogs some booties during the summer to give them extra protection when walking them outside.

How to Treat the Summer Burns

Sometimes we cannot avoid it if our dog’s paws get burned because of the hot pavement. That is why we need to be aware of the potential complications such as difficulty in walking because their paws are affected. Prepare some home treatments that you have asked your vet, such as:

• Antibiotics, if an infection happen
• Pain medications
• Bandage for the feet
• Visit at the veterinarian

Summer is a great time to spend time with our pet dogs—a game of catch at the park or a swim in the pond or lake. But walking is still the best exercise for your dogs. With the hot summer days, any surface can become hot that will not be tolerable for dogs and can even pose a danger. Before walking your dog outside, you need to ensure that the pavement is cool enough to walk and car surfaces are cool for them to stay. Keeping our dogs healthy during the summer is the best way to keep them happy.