1. Access to fresh water: Keep a filled water bowl near your dog at all times. While this may be obvious, it is an especially important step. If your dog finishes the bowl quickly, get a bigger bowl or get a few bowls.
2. Never leave your dog in the car unattended: Leaving your animal in a car even if its 70-75 degrees outside can be life threatening. In just 30 minutes, that car goes from an internal temperature of 72 degrees to 106. In just 15 minutes, your animal can die from a heat stroke, go into a coma, or suffer from organ failure. Warning signs include heavy panting, a bright red tongue that turns to grey, thick saliva, vomiting, lethargy, and unsteadiness. Short-nosed, long-haired, and young dogs are at a higher risk. Next time you think about stopping for a quick errand, know the risk you are putting on your beloved pet.
3. Take advantage of the cooler parts of the day to exercise your dog: Just as in the case of humans, prolonged exposure to sun can elevate the risk of heat stroke and sunburn in dogs. Remember that your dog has a fur coat to manage and will heat up much faster than you would. Furthermore, the concrete and asphalt can get really hot on even mildly hot days so before you walk your dog on concrete or asphalt, try to check the ground – If it’s hot for you, it’s too hot for them!
4. Watch your dog around the pool: Cooling your pet down in a pool can be just as dangerous. Some dogs that are bad swimmers are very susceptible to drowning. Many dogs, such as pugs, have the inability to swim because of the way their body is built. They are heavy in the chest with little legs, which makes them incapable of doggy paddling. Even if you have had your dog for years and they have never had an issue with your pool before, it’s better to be safe than sorry. We suggest buying a fence that they have to keep children out in order to keep your dog out as well.
5. Keep your home cool: Employ these ideas to maintain an optimum temperature indoors: Install sun-blocking curtains, Turn off or unplug appliances you are no longer using as all electronic items generate heat, Remove the carpets from rooms to allow your pets relatively extended ‘cooler’ area to lie on and Leaving the fans on for pets