With summer on the horizon and the warmer weather finally kicking in it is important to consider how your canine friends will cope with the increase in temperature. Dogs, just like humans, can suffer in hot weather resulting in conditions such as dehydration, exhaustion, sunburn and heatstroke. So to ensure your canine friends enjoy the summer months and maintain optimum health and wellbeing Scientific Nutritional Products takes a look at how dogs cool down and how best to manage your dogs during warmer weather, in order to beat the heat! Dogs are endothermic, which means they, like us have the capacity to absorb heat from their surroundings. An average, healthy dog’s body temperature is around 38.6 ®C and in order to cope in hot weather they need to maintain and regulate their body temperature within a safe range of this temperature. In order to do this, instead of sweating, the dog pants. When panting the dog’s mouth is open, often with their tongue hanging out! This action allows them to effectively breathe in sufficient air through the nose, and out through the mouth which leads to saliva and moisture on the tongue being evaporated which in turn cools the blood which is circulating around the body. A short, or snub nosed dog will have to work even harder to achieve this process which is worth being aware of in order to protect their health. So if your dog is panting and displaying signs of overheating follow our top tips to keep him safe and healthy. Top Tips to Beat The Heat from Scientific Nutritional Products
- Always provide cool, fresh drinking water for your dog.
- Limit the car journeys your dog undertakes during the summer months, as cars can often become hot and humid. If your dog must come in the car why not try putting the air conditioning on for a period of time before your dog hops in!
- NEVER leave your dog in a hot, unventilated car!
- Always make sure there is an area of shade that your dog can access at all times, wherever you are, so he can seek it out if he needs to cool down.
- Try and walk him early in the morning or late at night if he suffers from the heat. This will help limit dehydration and exhaustion.
- Keep a strict eye on your dog’s play and frolics during the warmer months, particularly with puppies. Dogs can sometimes not know when to stop and can exhaust themselves in hot weather. It is your responsibility to supervise their play and prevent this from happening.
