Talking Tails - 7/11/17

It is so important to take precautions and protect yourself from heat-related problems. We cool ourselves off by panting and sweating through our paws. Our furry friends who are short-snouted have a more difficult time cooling off because of their short nasal passages. You know who you are – pugs, bulldogs, cavalier king charles spaniels, and boxers – to name a few. Older dogs and those of us a bit overweight, we are not pointing any fingers, are also more susceptible to heat-related issues. So, if you fall into any of these categories, you need to be extra vigilant.

First, being left in a parked car puts you in grave danger. We have all heard this, but when we venture out of the house, we occasionally see this situation. Cracking open the car window does not really have any impact on cooling the car. If the air temperature is 85 o , the car can heat up to 102 o in 10 minutes and 120 o in 30 minutes. These temperatures can lead to irreversible organ damage or death.

The height of the afternoon is not a good time to exercise. If you take a walk or a run with your human, it is best to schedule the activity early morning or late evening when temperatures are cooler. For our furry friends with white ears or faces, use sunscreen as you are more susceptible to skin cancer. As you may have experienced, pavement and sand are really hot on the paws and can even burn our paws. Have your human put the back of their hand on the surface for seven seconds. If it is too hot for their hand, it is too hot for your paws!

Even though we may seem to be couch potatoes, we do venture out for social activities! We like to hang with a few of our canine and human friends and that sometimes calls for being outside in the sun. We are always provided with a shady area and water to reduce the chance of heat stroke.

Happy summer and stay cool!

Talk to you soon!

Buster and Joey