How to Cool Down Your Dog on A Hot Summer Day?


dog in front of the ocean. how to cool down your dog

A great man once said
“Brace yourselves, Summer is coming”

How to Cool Down Your Dog on A Hot Summer Day? |

RIP Ned stark,
you will always be remembered
🙂

How to cool down your dog in the summer is one of those questions that every dog parent should know the answer to.

On June 21 each year, summer officially starts. After a long winter, you might want to seize the opportunity to enjoy the nice weather, go out, soak up as much sun as possible, break loose, and feed your adventurous soul.

You also might not want to do that alone, you wanna tag along with your favorite buddy in the whole wide world, so you bring your fluffy four-legged friend with you.

How to Cool Down Your Dog on A Hot Summer Day? |
just chillin

But there is a pickle here, dogs don’t respond to heat the same way we do and may have trouble cooling down after being exposed to temperatures above 80°F (28°C)

Come on,
what did you really think?
They do have fur on their backs!!

The question here is How to Cool Down Your Dog when necessary and What can you do that will make your dog comfortable and protect him from a potential heatstroke?

You are in luck as you gonna get just that

In this article, we gonna give you the best tips on How to cool down your dog so that you and your pup can enjoy this summer and all the summers to come together.

But first, let’s discuss How rising temperatures can affect your pup? so that you can realize how big of a deal this is?

shall we?

How to Cool Down Your Dog?

Dogs can suffer fatal heatstroke within minutes. Unlike humans, dogs can’t sweat through their skin so they rely on panting and releasing heat through their paw pads and nose to regulate their body temperature and keep cool.

Just imagine putting a thick winter coat on during a hot summer day
and you’ll understand why dogs succumb to heatstroke so easily.

Dogs will exhibit certain signs as a way of telling they are dehydrated or, god forbids, having a heatstroke.

You should keep an eye out for these signs and relief your buddy immediately before this turns into something serious

Symptoms of Heatstroke in dogs

    • Raised temperature (101.5° is normal)
    • Rapid breathing and panting
    • Excess salivation and thickened saliva
    • Fatigue or depression
    • Muscle tremors
    • Staggering
dog panting. How to Cool Down your Dog
credit: dog tips

If you managed to come across any of these signs, immediately get your dog inside your house and contact your vet.

Wet some towels and Wrap your dog with them, especially the underarm, belly, and groin areas of his body.

A fan is an extra useful idea to bring the heat down during the cooling process.

Make sure to check your dog’s temperature every five minutes and end the cooling treatment when the temperature is down to 103°.

Make the cooling process a gradual one and try not to cool him down too rapidly to avoid shock.

Offer your pup access to cool water, but don’t force your dog to drink. Your vet may push IV fluids if dehydration is a concern.

Symptoms of Dehydration in dogs

    • Sunken eyes
    • Lethargy
    • Dry mouth
    • Depression
    • Gently pinch a fold of skin at the top of the neck. Is it slow to snap back?

Not all signs of dehydration are easy to detect. If you think your dog may be dehydrated, a trip to the vet is recommended.

dog sad. How to Cool Down Your Dog?

Offer your pup clean cool water with different bowls. It’s recommended to add a splash of carrot juice, chicken broth, or pieces of his favorite fruit to one of the bowls to encourage drinking.

Some dogs may even enjoy a few ice chips in their water dish.

Those symptoms are serious hazards to your dog’s health, and to maintain your beloved pup from reaching this painful stage, Here are tips on How to Cool Down your dog in hot summer days.

8 Tips on How to Cool Down Your Dog During The Summer

1. Keep Your Dog Hydrated

The first step of How to cool down your dog is to ensure that your pup gets enough water.

dog drinking. How to Cool Down Your Dog

Your pup may consume water quickly in the summer, that’s why you have to keep an eye on the water bowl at all times and refill it as necessary. A constant supply of water is a must for your pup health during the hot weather

2. Ice That Drink

On hot days,
Having a cool drink may seem like a wonderful idea.
Your pup would love that too.

Simply try to keep your pup’s water fresh and cool it by adding ice to the water bowl to help lower the temperature.

3. Find Shade

If your dog is outside, make sure there is somewhere he can go to take shelter from the sun’s terrible rays.

Set up a little tent or umbrella in your garden or playground. Set it up next to a pool or a pond and serve your pup tropical smoothies for a stay-cation vibe.

Well,
The last part was a bit too much but you get it,
Right?!!

dog under a tent. How to Cool Down Your Dog
credit: dogs that hike

You can also plant a huge tree with gigantic leaves in your garden but that will probably take some time, maybe for next summer 🙂

4. Make Popsicles and Icicles

Based on my own experience, Dogs have a sweet spot to enjoy a Popsicle or frozen juice bar.

If your dog doesn’t like fruit flavors, Consider making frozen bars with plain water and a touch of beef bouillon. Believe me, your pup will love them.

5. Proper Grooming Is Always a Good Idea

Dogs have fur, fur is thick and keeps their temperature in, That’s why it’s always a good idea to Give your dog’s hair a trim, but do not shave him.

Though you may imagine your poor dog suffering in his fur coat in 100°F (38°C) temperatures, your dog’s fur actually provides insulation and helps him regulate his temperature. Just as it keeps him warm in winter, it also keeps him cool in the summer

trimming dog's coat. How to Cool Down Your Dog

If your dog has long hair, it’s okay to give him a little summer trim or summer cut

Make sure you keep his fur clean and brushed, as this allows for better air circulation

Your dog’s coat also protects him from UV rays and keeps him from getting sunburned or skin cancer

6. Frozen Treats

If your dog is not overheated, It’s okay to give him some ice or a frozen treat to munch on. Try making him ice cream or ice pops.

Just remember that feeding an overheated (not just warm) dog ice or frozen food can be very dangerous and can cause him to go into shock.

You could also treat him to a cool, refreshing, smoothie! A great option, if I do say so myself.

7. Take a Dip, But Be Careful

If you happen to be lucky enough to have a pool or be near a lake or the ocean, The idea of jumping in with your dog will be tempting especially on a hot summer day.

But be cautious, If your pup is really hot or on the brink of having a heat stroke, Jumping in just might make things worse.

Lowering your dog’s skin and surface temperature too abruptly might actually result in further heating of his internal organs, worsening the overheating of the body’s core.

dog standing near the ocean. How to Cool Down Your Dog

Instead, you should make him enter the pool or the lake gradually. Recognizing that your dog’s feet help with the regulation of body temperature, have him enter the water slowly.

For a little while make sure to have your dog stand with just his feet in cold water; Ideally, monitoring his temperature with a thermometer. When Rectal temperatures are lowering to 103° F that means it is now a good idea to stop cooling your pet aggressively.

If you don’t have access to a pool or lake, a small child’s wading pool can be placed even on a small patio to allow your dog to simply stand in the water.

Remember, Your dog’s foot pads are one of the ways they can dissipate heat (it’s also one of the few places they sweat).

8. Create a Breeze

A cold breeze once in a while can make summer heat much more tolerable and simply placing a window or shop fan on the patio will create a great breeze for your dog.

You might want one for yourself as well! The breeze or fan is particularly helpful in cooling by evaporation.

dog in front of a fan. How to Cool Down Your Dog
credit: dog fans

Unfortunately, since your dog doesn’t perspire much, you may have to kick start this evaporation.

That’s it.

That was our How to Cool Down Your Dog guide for you, I hope you have enjoyed it

If you liked this post, share it with a friend, he might be wondering about this too.

Good luck, I hope you have a wonderful summer

What did you think about this article?

Whatever you think, comment below and let me know!

If you liked what you read here and want to read more check out my other articles on Top 10 Dog Breeds That Are Amazingly Like A German Shepherd or The Top 10 Easy to Train Dogs For You

If you have any questions or further tips of How to Cool Down Your Dog that I might have missed, Feel free to tell us in the comment section, We are all here to learn for the sake of our beloved furry friends

Have a nice day and Read you next time.

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