It's August and IT IS HOT. Over the last month or so here in Jersey we watched our electric bills rise along with the heat and chances are if you're hot and sweaty so is your furry friend!
Below are some things to keep in mind to help get you and your hot dog (or cat) through the rest of the summer days!
1. Let's start with the obvious, agua, eau, vatten, you know where we're going...WATER. Make sure that your pet has plenty of water to drink. On average your cat or dog should be drinking 1 cup of water for every 10 lbs they weigh. So make sure your animal is ingesting enough water during these hot summer days and always have an extra bowl out during this time. Additional note, if your animal is fed wet food they may only drink about 2/3 cup of water for every ten pounds.
2. Try a sweet frozen treat - help your animal beat the heat with a cool treat that will keep them busy and cool.
Haayyy is for horses but only when carrot-apple-watermelon popsicles won't do: Fill up a medium to large size Tupperware container with water and chopped up carrots, apple slices, and watermelon, freeze and pop it out for them to enjoy.
There are also tons of options for different "pup-sicles" - chicken bites and frozen whipped banana with peanut butter are 2 of our favorites. Check out this BuzzFeed article for some great recipes https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahloewentheil/frozen-treats-for-dogs
3.Understand the way your animals naturally cool themselves. Animals have their own way of helping with heat. Dogs pant and cats tend to groom themselves more in the summer. You may also find your animals spending a little more time in the kitchen or bathroom if you have a tile floor as their paw pads act a conduction mechanism and tile floors tend to stay cool.
4. Safety in the sun: You should also be able to recognize if your pet is having a heat stroke, common symptoms include excessive panting, vomiting, starring, rapid heartbeats, a panicked look, dry skin, and fever. If your animal is showing signs of a heat stroke due your best to cool them down and call your vet immediately. In addition look out for your pets paw pads on hot surfaces like blacktop and cement, if you can, walk your dog in a grassy area or look into getting protective booties.
Side note: Sometimes that extra fur helps! For example, breeds like the Border Collie, German Shepherd, or Pomeranian shed a little more in the summer to removing their undercoat to allow more airflow through the "guard hairs" keeping them to cool. A dog's fur can also keep them from getting a sunburn while outside.
There are many cooling pet accessories you can get for the summertime such as, chilled bowls (best for outside), cooling beds/pads and vest, fans work great and of course a kiddy pool and beach for your friends to take a swim!
Enjoy what's left of your summer and try to stay cool cats 😉
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