How to keep your Canine Cool during the Summer?

Hey, fellow pet lovers!

Summer is finally here and the last few days have been pretty nice! I am loving the warm weather and walks with the girls are even more lovely but we do have to be cautious when out and about in warm weather with our furry friends. In today’s post, I want to talk about various ways we can keep our pets cool during the Summer. There are many products out there that help us to keep our pets cool during warm weather and in this post, I am going to mention a few.

My girl Lily really struggles when it is warm, this is why we have to strip her during the Spring and Summer but to be honest she is still too warm when we do, she just doesn’t do good in the heat!! Nia, on the other hand, loves to cook herself, ever since she was a puppy she has loved to lie on the window sill when the heating is on full blast. Unlike Lily, when Nia is outside she also doesn’t do too bad in the heat despite being mostly black.

Let’s jump straight into today’s post!

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Tips for keeping your Canine cool during warm weather in the Summer!

• Get your pet a cool Mat.

A cool mat is a great way to keep your pet cool inside the house or even in the car during warm weather. We got Lily one last month and it is really nice and refreshing, even though she hardly uses it. She has the option though and that is really important! We got our cool mat from Aldi as it was super cheap but you can pick them up from Amazon at a great price, I have added a link below in case you want to order your pooch one.

Scruffs Cool Mat, Large, Cyan/Navy 

Here is a link to a large cool mat on Amazon, I have not purchased this item but did pick the one with good reviews. You can easily change the size on the order page, to order just follow the link above. 

• Get your pet a Paddling Pool.

I have never got my girls a paddling pool but I have seen and heard of many people doing so. The problem with my girls would be they would end up biting it and the fun would be over in seconds, if I ever see one for cheap then I will pick it up to see how they react but so far they haven’t had the chance. However, if your pet is not likely to bite it and is a small breed then a little paddling pool will be perfect for keeping them cool in warm weather.

• Take your pet to the beach to have a play in the sea.

Failing the paddling pool you could always take your furry friend to the beach to have a play in the sea, my girl Lily loves to swim it is one of her favourite things to do and it will definitely cool your pet down in the scorching heat.

• Bring water on walks.

This is something that we always do, even when we take them to the park in the Winter, it is a just good habit to always bring water along with us. It is so easy and cheap to pick up a little travel water bowl, however, if you cannot get one for some reason you can also use a plastic tub. As you can see in the picture above we must have forgotten ours that day and used a tub that came with our cat’s raw food.

I have put a link to a few different travel bowls that your pet will surely benefit from having on long walks or fun trips to the park.

This is the travel bowl we have, we got the red one a year or two ago and it has been a great buy, to order just follow the link, 8″ Fold Up Travel Dog Water Drinking Bowl.

Here is another travel bowl that I quite like the look of, one thing that annoys me about the bowl we have is that it remains wet and this means your bag will get wet when you put it away. This is an easy issue to fix and what I like about the above bowl is that it is silicone so you can easily dry it before putting it away.

To order follow the link below, H&S® 2 Collapsible Travel Dog Water Bowl Portable Cat Pet Silicone Food Bowl Small

• Take your pet out during the coolest times of the day.

If you live somewhere where it is really warm or we are just having a freakishly warm day then you should time your walks for early in the morning or late at night when the day is at it’s coolest. You could also walk through woodland as this will provide your pet with some much-needed shade and ensure they are away from the worst of the heat of the day.

• Put Ice Cubes in your pets water bowl.

This is something I love to do for my girls as Lily is super funny and just picks them out then runs all over the flat with them. I know that isn’t really helping her cool down but it is so funny to watch!! Nia actually eats them and Lily has the odd one or two but they are a great little hack for keeping your pet cool during warm weather.

• Ensure your pet has a shaded area where they can go to get out of the Sun.

If your pet is outside then trying to find a spot that has some shade encase they need to take a small water break or just have a little lie down is super important, you do not want to stop and let your pet lie down with the full heat of the sun blazing down on them.

Also inside your home or when you’re in your garden then it is so important to make a shaded area for your pet. My girl Nia is proper odd and loves to sunbathe, I will walk into the sitting room and just see her lying in the tiny cube of sunlight that is coming through the window.

If you have very little shaded areas in your home or garden then just put up a tarp, towel or blanket to provide your pet with some shade to cool off.

• Lastly, a great option is to make your furry friend some ice treats that will cool them down when it gets too warm.

I am yet to make my girls some iced treats but I will definitely be doing it soon with it being this warm. In fact, I think I will make one of next weeks post a frozen treat recipe and see how it turns out if anyone has any suggestions leave a comment below.

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Dehydration in dogs

A quick note about dehydration in our canine friends, with all this warm weather we must make sure our pets stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids, we as pet owners need to know the signs of dehydration so we can act quickly.

I am going to list the common symptoms of dehydration in our dogs so you know when your Canine friend may be dehydrated. Dehydration is caused when your pet hasn’t drunk enough water and electrolytes and is losing more fluids than they are taking in. It is very serious and if not treated quickly your pet could die from organ failure.

Here are the common signs of dehydration in our Canine friends to look out for.

• Loss of appetite.

• Reduced energy levels and/or lethargy.

• Panting.

• Sunken, dry-looking eyes.

• Dry nose and gums.

• Loss of skin elasticity.

Burke, A. (2017). Warning Signs of Dehydration in Dogs – American Kennel Club. [online] American Kennel Club. Available at: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/common-conditions/warning-signs-dehydration-dogs/ [Accessed 24 Jun. 2018].

Some of these symptoms are easy to notice but others like loss of skin elasticity require a very simple test. All animals require water for normal bodily functions and to stay healthy. We humans cannot go more than three days without water and the same can be said about our Canine friends, maybe even less time for them.

This is why it is so important to keep an eye on our pets, not just our Canine friends but also our Feline ones too, cats are even more prone to serious dehydration as they get most of their moisture from their diet. To learn more about dehydration in our cats check out our product review of the Catit water fountain.

I quickly just want to mention leaving your pet in the car during warm weather, if avoidable please don’t do this as it is stressful for your pooch and also can be extremely dangerous depending on how long they are being left in. If you do have to ensure windows are left open, they have access to drinking water and you could even stick a cool mat in the car to ensure they do not overheat. Lastly, go out to check on them frequently to make sure they are fine.

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Thanks for reading this post, I hope you all liked it and you now know how to keep your pet cool during warm weather in the Summer. I cannot wait to start making my girls some homemade frozen treats so stick around for that post which will be coming soon.

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