As temperatures begin to soar each summer, we make a few changes to ready ourselves for the warmer weather: a new wardrobe, summer sheets, air conditioning, cold-brewed coffee…

For our dogs it’s not so simple, and summer can be a distressing and difficult time if we don’t take steps to help our four-legged friends combat the heat.

Dogs are unable to deal with heat in the same ways as their human counterparts. While we are covered top-to-toe in sweat glands for when temperatures rise, our dogs produce sweat from their merocrine glands, which are found in areas not covered by fur, such as the nose and paw pads. Being located only in a few areas on a dog’s body, they do little to help regulate body heat.

Signs of Dehydration

There are many warning signs to look out for in a dehydrated or heat-exhausted dog, many of which are the same or similar in humans. Some of these include:

• sunken eyes
• excessive or rapid panting
• lethargic movements or staggering
• fatigue
• loss of appetite
• reduced skin elasticity (try pinching a fold of skin and see how fast it moves back)
• excessive salivation
• If your dog is showing any of these signs, or you’re concerned they’re showing other worrying symptoms, it’s strongly recommended you contact your vet immediately.

Thankfully, there are several steps we can take to help keep our dogs from feeling the heat to dangerous levels, such as:

• Opting to walk or run your dog earlier or later in the day, and avoid activity during the hottest hours. Remember, if the ground is hot for you, it’s hot for them too
• investing in a collapsible water bowl to take on walks or outings, or a small paddling pool to set up around the house
• offering shade by setting up an umbrella, tent, tarpaulin or old sheet
• adding a few ice cubes to their water bowl. You could even freeze some chicken broth and add this, as the flavour may encourage them to drink more!
• never leaving a dog in an unattended vehicle. In only a short space of time, a car can reach life-threatening temperatures for some dogs