Adam Jones' dog Brady poses for a photo during a warm summer day at a Medicine Hat ball diamond.--PHOTO COURTESY ADAM JONES
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Dog safety in the summer heat comes down to owners knowing their four-legged friends and playing it safe.
Adam Jones, owner of All Dogs Great and Small Daycare and Training, says summer poses a lot of risk to dogs, more so than winter, with heat stroke, which can develop at any temperature above 30 degrees, being a main concern.
There are signs to look out for with dogs for heat stroke that include how their eyes and mouths look and how they’re acting.
“You want to look at their eyes, do your dogs eyes look glazed over, are they panting more than normal,” Jones said. “It’s hot, so they always pant, that’s how they expel heat is through panting but, are they clicking, are their tongues bright red or their gums really red? Those are all signs of heatstroke.
“Really, really heavy drooling. Dogs can develop diarrhea as a sign of heatstroke. If they’re unsteady, they can get wobbly legs, they collapse, or they’re extra extra lazy or have lethargy. Those are all really really big signs.”
But Jones says it comes down to each owner knowing their dog and their tendencies.
“You know your dogs and you know how your dog will act in the heat. If something isn’t normal or something tweaks the thought, ‘it’s really hot and my dog isn’t acting right,’ don’t wait, act right away and get your dog cool.”
If an owner suspects their dog is overheating, Jones says to avoid cooling them down too quickly or the dog could go into hyper thermal shock.
“You want to use water that’s between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, set the air conditioner in the car to 20 degrees and cool them down slowly,” he said.
But Jones cautions that if there are any major symptoms, or if you suspect they are suffering from heat stroke, calling the vet should be the first step.
“Don’t try to fix it yourself, get to a vet and get your dog help because it can get real serious, real quick.”
There are still ways to enjoy the summer heat with the family pet. Jones says the biggest thing is allowing dogs to get used to the heat, don’t go from a fully air conditioned house to the 35 degree heat for hours, make it a gradual increase.
When outside, limit high-energy activities like runs and chasing a ball and swap in laying in the shade or light walks. A cool-down activity Jones recommends is pouring some water on the ground and letting your dog walk through it, because they expel a lot of heat through the pads on their feet.
When it comes to walks and bathroom breaks, Jones says keep them short and stick to grass and off the asphalt.
He advises owners of dog breeds with short noses like Boxers or Boston Terriers to be even more considerate in the heat, because short-nosed breeds have a harder time getting rid of heat effectively.
Jones says long-haired dogs are also at greater risk of heat stroke but owners should make sure their dog isn’t double coated before booking a haircut, because double coated dogs have insulation in that double coat that cools them and shaving off that hair could be dangerous.
