The dog days of summer are fast approaching; and even though we might have a little time until summer is “officially here,” we’re already experiencing warm to hot days. It’s during these days that pet owners need heightened vigilance to guard their pets from the uncomfortable dangers of the heat. Here are 7 tips to help keep your dog cool this summer:
Get your dog a pool
Ice Cubes in their water - the water in your dog’s water bowl tends to warm up a lot during the summer. Drop a few ice cubes in their dish throughout the day to keep the water cooled down. Nothing like drinking some nice cold water to help keep you cool during the summer. Make sure your dog always has access to fresh water.
A dog cooling bed
Pupsicles – many companies offer frozen treats for dogs, however, you can make your own. I like to take plain yogurt and mix it with fresh blueberries or bananas. Then I put the mixture into ice cube trays. When it gets hot outside I like to pop one of these out and give it to my dog.
Exercise in the morning – get your pet outside before the heat of the day and limit activity on hot days. I like to take the dogs out to the river where they can swim during the summer. I take them early in the morning, so they don’t overheat and neither do I.
Bring your dog inside – if you need air conditioning then so will your dog. Remember your dog has a fur coat that they cannot take off. If you have to leave your dog outside make sure they have plenty of shade, fresh water and ventilation.
Never leave you dog in a vehicle – temperatures can reach over 100 degrees in just a few short minutes and over 120 degrees or more in less than 10 minutes.
Summers here in Florida are miserably hot. I take those pliable cold packs and wrap them in a bandana. Then I wrap this around Tanner’s neck and tie the ends.
I’ve even got some teenie-tiny ice packs that work for my Papillon. The dogs seem to enjoy the cooling effect of this strategy.
Thanks for stopping by Carrie! I love your idea, I’m going to have to add it to the list of ways to keep Sadie and Rusty cool this summer.
Thanks for all the great ideas, I am definitely going to try the pupsicles. I like the pool idea but I don’t know if my dogs will go for it, they are skiddish around water, when I put them in the tub for a bath they FREAK out!! Cool bed definitely of my purchase list!
Tried the pupsicles, and my son ate one thinking they were for his little brother. Glad that they were human friendly ingredients.
Greacy, what a great story, made me laugh. Good thing there were human friendly.
Adrianna,
Happy to help with ideas! Sadie and Rusty love the pupsicles and frozen fruit like blueberries as a way to cool off. Your three are very small so I’m not sure they’d like a pool either but I think the bed would be a winner.