8 Best Ways To Cool Your Pets In The Summer 2024

Summer is a season that many of us look forward to, but it can also bring extreme heat and challenges, especially for our beloved pets. As humans, we can adapt to hot weather by changing our clothing, diet, and lifestyle, but our furry companions rely on us to ensure their well-being during the summer months.

Summer months may be the time when almost everyone enjoys spending more time outside compared to winter months, but extreme heat can negatively affect everyone. In such very hot conditions, we, as humans, can make changes to our lifestyle, diet, and clothing, such as switching to summer clothes such as sandals, shorts, hats, thin clothing, umbrellas, to cope with the heat. Moreover, we can also consume more vegetables, fruits, ice cream, cold drinks, and water, and swim in a pool or the sea to cool off. However, our beloved furry friends cannot make such changes like us, unfortunately. Since they cannot speak with us – how we wish they could – they cannot express what is bothering them when outside.

Therefore, pet owners need to be more careful and responsible in such situations with high summer temperatures. It is beneficial to be more cautious by observing the behavior of our pets.

We will try to provide some suggestions below about what you can do with your pets on very hot and sunny afternoons. We hope they will be useful.

Never, ever leave your pet in a parked car with closed windows.

Leaving anyone in a parked car in the sun is not safe, whether it is a pet or not. It is a risky situation that could lead to unpleasant incidents due to extreme heat. Therefore, do not leave your furry friend alone inside the car, even for a minute. Sometimes, even if the windows are slightly open, or the air conditioning is on, still try not to take the risk of leaving them alone.

When the sun is overhead, the temperature inside the car can easily reach 40 degrees in just a few minutes, which can cause fatal consequences for your cat or dog within minutes. The safest and best solution is to leave your pet at home if you have something to do outside, such as going to the bank or somewhere else, and then go out to run your errands alone.

Provide frequent access to fresh and cold drinking water.

Your dog loses water in summer months just like you do and needs water. Change the water bowl more frequently than usual, and try to keep the water as cold as possible. You can even add ice to it. When you go for a walk with your dog, bring water with you and make sure your dog drinks it at regular intervals. If your dog is a lucky puppy who loves to run and play in your backyard, make sure there is an easily accessible water bowl in the yard.

If there is no dog house, tree, bush, or wall for your dog to rest under when tired, using an umbrella would be the most reasonable solution.

If it is too hot outside, keep your pet inside.

If the outside temperature is above 30 degrees, and the sun is directly overhead, it is best to stay indoors under air conditioning or a fan for a while. Moreover, when humidity is high, the perceived temperature can exceed 40 degrees even if the temperature outside is only 30 degrees. This is not only dangerous for animals but also for everyone.

Cooling Bed, Cooling Vest, Cooling Collar, Air Conditioning, and other similar products can help keep your dog cool.

You can keep cold and fresh water inside your home to help your pet stay cool. Additionally, you can provide a surface that helps your dog cool down, such as a cool stone surface, cooling gel capsules, or crystal ice packs. These can be placed inside your dog’s bed or positioned under the mat on which it sleeps.

Make sure to have your pet groomed at the appropriate time based on its breed and type.

Keep in mind that you do not need to groom your pet, as their fur has a protective feature that shields their skin from the sun, and it also provides insulation in the winter. However, some breeds with very long hair are professionally groomed in specific proportions to get rid of dead and broken hairs, and this helps their fresh summer fur grow much faster.

White-haired dogs, short-haired dog breeds, and recently trimmed dogs are particularly susceptible to sunburn. To protect your pets from the sun’s harmful effects, you need to keep them indoors during the hottest hours of the day.

If you want to protect your pets from the sun’s harmful effects, you can apply safe, high-factor sunscreens designed for children to their ears. We recommend that you have a doghouse in your garden and avoid exercising your pet during hot times.

Do not take your pet for a walk on hot pavements or asphalt during extremely hot hours.

Do not take your pet for a walk on hot pavements or asphalt during extremely hot hours.

This is particularly important for dog owners. The soft, spongy skin underneath a dog’s paws has a cooling feature against heat. However, it will still be ineffective on hot asphalt or pavements, and there is a high risk of burning your pet’s paws. If you have a medium or small dog, you can carry it if you think the pavement is too hot.

This is particularly important for dog owners. The soft, spongy skin underneath a dog’s paws has a cooling feature against heat. However, it will still be ineffective on hot asphalt or pavements, and there is a high risk of burning your pet’s paws. If you have a medium or small dog, you can carry it if you think the pavement is too hot.

Grassy parks or green areas that allow dogs are the ideal places for walking during such conditions. This way, your dogs’ paws won’t burn.

Don’t forget the sunscreen.

Animals with very short hair and thin skin are at risk of sunburn, just like humans. Ears, noses, and other areas are extremely sensitive to UV radiation. To prevent this, you can purchase sunscreens or sprays that won’t damage your pet’s skin, or protective dog clothing that can shield them from the sun.

Learn the symptoms of a heart attack.

Observe your dog’s behavior and take it to the nearest veterinary clinic immediately if you notice any of the following signs:

• Rapid and unrelenting breathing
• Difficulty breathing
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea. Bloody or bloody-free.
• Extreme lethargy
• Fainting or staggering
• Coordination disorders

If you notice any of the above symptoms, seek medical attention for your pet right away.