With the heat arriving over the next few days, here is what keeps a dog safe and comfortable until it passes.
Dogs overheat far faster than we do, and the forecast is for the kind of week where that matters.
Dogs cope with heat far worse than we do. They have almost no ability to sweat, so they rely on panting to cool down, and panting stops working well once the air itself is hot. On a day in the mid-30s, a dog can move from comfortable to in trouble surprisingly quickly.
A stretch like the one forecast this week pushes a lot of dogs past what they can manage, especially flat-faced breeds, older dogs, puppies, and anything carrying a thick coat or extra weight.
The good news is that getting them through it safely is mostly small adjustments for a few days. Here are the five that matter most.
On days this hot, the middle of the day is simply not walk time. Aim for before 8am or after 8pm, when the ground and the air have had a chance to cool. A short walk on cool ground beats a long one in the heat every time.
A skipped walk does no harm. Heatstroke can. If the only window you have falls in the heat of the day, stay home and keep them busy indoors instead. One quiet day in is a fair trade.
Worth knowing. Dogs barely sweat. A little through the paw pads, and the rest is down to panting. Hot pavement quietly removes one of the few cooling routes they have.
The seven-second test. Press the back of your hand flat against the pavement for seven seconds. If you cannot hold it there comfortably, it is too hot for paws. Tarmac can sit far hotter than the air, easily enough to burn.
Fresh, cool water in several places, indoors and out. It warms up fast in this weather, so refresh it often. A few ice cubes in the bowl help, and most dogs are happy to crunch them.
Make sure there is always deep shade that moves with the sun, not just a patch that vanishes by midday. If the garden offers none, keep them indoors in the coolest room of the house, usually the one that stays shaded and tiled.
Worth knowing. A dog that suddenly sprawls flat on the kitchen or bathroom floor is not being odd. Cool tile draws heat straight out of the belly, where they lose it fastest.
Quick win. Put a water bowl in the spots your dog actually rests, not just the kitchen. The easier it is to reach, the more they will drink. Float a few ice cubes in each one.
Lay a cool, damp towel on the floor for your dog to lie on if they choose. Do not drape a wet towel over their back, which can trap heat against the body and make things worse rather than better.
Wet the areas that shed heat fastest: the paws, belly, ears, and armpits. A cooling mat, a paddling pool with a few inches of water, or a fan moving air across a damp surface all help on top of that.
A myth worth busting. Shaving a double-coated dog to cool them down usually backfires. The coat insulates against heat as much as cold, so taking it off can leave skin exposed and regulation worse, not better. Brush out the loose undercoat instead.
Cool them quickly. If your dog is overheating, use whatever water you have available, as long as it is cooler than they are. Cool or cold tap water is fine. Do not delay cooling while you look for the perfect temperature. Getting them cool fast is what matters most.
On the hottest days the goal is calm and still. A restless, bored dog moves around more, warms up faster, and works itself up, which is the opposite of what you want.
Frozen enrichment is ideal here. Freeze a stuffed rubber toy, spread some of their normal food across a lick mat and freeze it, or make simple ice treats with a little low-salt broth. It cools them from the inside and keeps them quietly busy for a long time. Save the fetch and the zoomies for cooler days.
Try this. A clean frozen water bottle wrapped in a tea towel makes an easy cool spot to lean against. For something bigger to stretch out near, wrap a few frozen water bottles in towels and place them beside your dog's bed, or chill a damp towel in the fridge and lay it flat on the floor. Let your dog choose whether to use it. And drawing the curtains on the sunny side first thing keeps the whole room cooler all day.
Heatstroke can come on quickly and becomes an emergency within minutes. Recognising it early is the most useful thing on this whole list.
The signs to watch for, any of which should be treated as urgent on a hot day:
If you see them, move your dog into shade or a cool room straight away, offer small sips of water, and pour or soak them with whatever water you have that is cooler than they are, focusing on the paws, belly, and ears, while getting air moving over them. Begin cooling immediately and call your vet at the same time. Cooling on the way to help matters as much as getting there.
Flat-faced breeds, older dogs, puppies, overweight dogs, and thick-coated breeds overheat fastest and need the closest watching of all.
Never leave a dog in a parked car, not even for a minute, not even in shade with the windows cracked. On a day like this it can turn deadly in minutes.
Keep them cool, keep them calm, and keep walks for the edges of the day. They will be back to normal before the week is out.
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