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Overheating & cooling tips
- Your pet can overheat in temperatures as low as 16°C. Especially older pets, overweight pets, medical issues, or a short-nosed breed
2. Signs your pet is overheating include: fast breathing or panting, excessive drooling, bright red or blue gums, vomiting and diarrhoea, in serious cases they may collapse or begin convulsing
3. Dampen your pet’s coat with water and let it naturally dry in the breeze
4. Pop your pet’s paws in cool water
5. Ensure fresh, cool water is always available
6. Offer plenty of shaded areas in your garden
7. Pop a fan up for breeze in the home
8. Let them paddle or lay in rivers and streams (be wary of blue-green algae) or a shaded paddling pool at home
9. Limit playtime to short sessions
10. Play with your garden hose, do this sparingly, learn about water intoxication here
12. Prevent drinking excessively after exercise
13. When at the beach, limit how much your dog plays in the water, if you play for too long, your dog will inhale water while swimming leading to excess fluid building up in the lungs, making breathing hard, learn about secondary drowning
Exercise & walking hazards
14. If you are unable to leave the palm of your hand on the path for 15 seconds, it’s too hot
15. Walk before the hours of 8am and after 8pm
16. Walk and play when the temperature is below 20 degrees
Below is our full guide on how to safely exercise your dog in summer and what temperatures are safe to do so.
Avoiding ticks
17. Symptoms of Lyme disease include – fatigue, liver problems, heart arrhythmia and eye infections.
18. Always check for ticks after every walk, if you don’t miss a tick for 16.5 hours, the chances of your pet picking up a disease from ticks is significantly reduced.
19. When inspecting for ticks, make a point to look inside your pet’s mouth, around their eyes, under their collar, between their toes, in the groin area and under their belly.
20. Ticks are commonly found in bushes/hedges, piles of leaves or grass, woodland, fallen branches
21. Ensure you have a tick key handy to remove tickspancreatitis in dogs
What about nature?
Thunderstorms
22. Pets feel the changes in the atmosphere when storms are on the way, if they become distressed it may be that a storm is coming
23. Use an anti-static, snug-fitting body wrap to help with thunderstorm anxiety
24. Desensitise your pet to thunderstorms throughout the year by playing storm sounds
25. Use a calming treatment like Calm & Balmy
26. Ensure your pet has a cosy, safe hideaway to retreat to.
Blue green algae
27. Blue-green algae is the term used to describe a group of bacteria. They are not actually algae but look like it when they clump together. They are fatally toxic to dogs and cats.
28. Blue-green algae is often found in stagnant, non-flowing water sources such as ponds, lakes and even birdbaths
29. Research your destination before venturing out. Notices will be given if Blue-green algae is present
30. Avoid stagnant, non-flowing water sources in summer
31. Rinse your dogs with clean water
32. Symptoms include an upset stomach and vomiting
Summer plants
33. Some plants to avoid include – chives, cyclamen, sago palm, rhododendron
34. Plants that might make a good sensory garden for dogs include – Chamomile, basil, cleavers and couch grass
Grass seeds
35. Check your pet for grass seeds after your walk especially their ears, feet and between their toes
36. Signs to look for are – excessive head shaking (if it’s stuck in their ear), excessive licking of a certain area and swelling
Travelling & holidays
37. When choosing your destination, consider – Where is the local vet? Is the garden fenced? Are there any restrictions on where your pet can go? Are there any locations where blue-green algae is an issue?
38. Always leave a family member with your dog when you take service breaks.
39. Keep air conditioning on when traveling and check the temp of your pets crate area is below 18 degrees
40. Shade out the back windows from the sun
41. Key items to take with you on holiday include a camera, their usual bed and a travel bowl
42. Dogs love their familiar bedding and toys
43. Let your dog check out their new environment in their own time
44. Check boundary fences at your holiday home
45. Give them a big juicy bone to chew in the garden on arrival
46. You can continue to feed raw dog food or raw cat food on holiday by changing your delivery address or taking a plug-in cool bag
Summer Celebrations
Safety around the BBQ
47. Cooked bones cause injury when eaten. They splinter and become almost like daggers in the pet’s throat
48. Fatty sausages can cause problems for pets with pancreatic issues or can even create pancreatic issues, learn more about pancreatitis in dogs
49. Bbq firelighters when ingested are very toxic and caustic
50. Firepits need to be in a safe place and attended so your pet cannot get access
51. Keep alcohol well out of reach
52. Give your pet their own special treat to keep them occupied
53. if your pet is particularly anxious around lots of guests, ensure they have a safe space to retreat to, free from the excitement
