Heat Stress and Dehydration
Dogs cannot sweat through their skin as humans do, they sweat primarily from their nose and paw pads and expel heat via panting. On a hot day they can easily become overheated, signs of a heat stressed animal include excessive panting and lethargy. Avoid your dog becoming too overheated and succumbing to heatstroke.
Clam-shaped play or sand pits for human children are a terrific option to keep your pet cool on a hot day, just make sure you leave it under shade. Once the pet is wet, place them near a fan, making sure to keep any water away from all electrical items. A wet t-shirt will work on a short haired dog but does not work so well on a longer coat. Putting a heat distressed pet in the shower and running cool (not iced) water fast over the dog and working the water into the fur and onto the skin will help as well.
Ice cubes lined up into a plastic freezer bag, then into a long sock make a great cooling pack. The ideal place for a very heat distressed pet is to place this long cylindrical ice pack into the armpit and groin area. Ice applied to these areas is more beneficial to the hot pet than placing water just about anywhere else on the pet's body. You can also freeze plastic water bottles, slip these into an old sock and sit in the groin and armpit areas or just lay up against the pet's belly.
Freezing large ice blocks in old ice-cream containers with some treats frozen in the middle and tipping out into the water bowl or onto the grass the next morning makes a great treat for your dog. Taking chilled water or ice cubes in a sports bottle for your dog to access on a walk is helpful. Ice cubes in the water bowl indoors and outdoors is also a good tip to help keep your pet cool: especially important for pugs and bulldog-like breeds, who get heat stress very easily.
Make sure you have more than one water bowl out as some dogs like to drink then tip the bowl over to empty it, other dogs love playing in water and splashing it everywhere! Refill with fresh cold water each time. Keep the bowls in shade and avoid plastic or steel bowls in the warmer months. There are some smart Chill bowls that keep the water cold for hours.
Simple things like letting your pet lie on cool tiles or wetting a towel to have them lie on can help keep your pet comfortable. A cooling pad or mat for dogs can help make your dog more comfortable on hot days or after an energetic play session with others at the dog park. Avoiding keeping your dog in hot parked cars over the summer period is also very important.
Our vet nurse Georgia uses some of these techniques to keep her puppies comfortable in summer. Here is a photo of her beautiful Yogi boy, enjoying a splash in the shell pool and looking handsome wearing his cooling collar.