Protecting your pet this summer

Protecting your pet this summer.

With summer starting, we would like to address a few sometimes topical subjects to protect our pets on hot days.

* Walking your dog during summer
* Hot cars
* Sun protection

Walking

Scorching surfaces such as concrete footpaths/pavements, metal, and asphalt, can cause serious injuries and burns to your pet’s paws and they could develop painful dermal burns on their pads.

There is a quick and easy test to check if the temperature of the footpath is too hot for little paws.

Place the back of your hand on the footpath/road for seven seconds; if you cannot hold it there for the entire time because the surface is too hot, your dog’s paws are in jeopardy.

Avoid walking your pet during the hottest part of the day to protect their paws from heat and burns.

Cars

It may be tempting to leave pets in the car for a few moments while you rush into the shops. Sometimes a simple stop at the store, only a couple of minutes, usually leads to longer than just a few minutes. Leaving your dog in a hot car can be deadly.

As many people are aware, the temperature inside a car quickly and significantly climbs, especially if there is little to no airflow. Your dog can overheat and die within minutes.

In Australia, it is illegal to leave your pet in your vehicle unattended for longer than 10 minutes if the temperature outside is 28 degrees or over.

The easiest way to avoid serious consequences and fatalities is not to ever leave your dog in a vehicle alone. Plan your trip; if you need to bring your pet, depart early or late in the day, make frequent stops and breaks, and never leave them unsupervised in the car.

Sun Protection

Did you know that our canine companions, like humans, may get sunburnt by UV rays? Dogs, cats, rabbits, and other pets, especially those with shorter coats, and white or barely coloured hair are vulnerable to sunburn.

Certain regions of your pet’s body, such as the tips of their ears, eyelids, noses, muzzles, armpits, tummies, and groin, may be particularly prone to burns. Sunburn on pets is easy to identify since their skin may become red and flaky, sensitive to touch, ulcerated, dry, cracked, and itchy.

Preventing sunburn isn’t as simple as putting on sunscreen, many products aren’t safe to use on animals and could be poisonous.

If you can, keep your pet indoors during hot days, draw the curtains and shades and attempt to find another place for your cat or dog to rest that is not in the sunlight and is as cool as possible. UV and UPF protective pet apparel is available to purchase, however, it may not properly cover your pet and may leave high-risk areas exposed.

Consider the duration and location of your pet’s outside time, provide adequate shade and shelter, and always ensure there is plenty of fresh water.

Remember that any concerns about your pet’s health and well-being should always be discussed with your local veterinarian.