How to stay safe in the heat
𝗜𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱!
The past few days have been a scorcher with temperatures soaring into the high 20's for a lot of areas of the UK!! Many of our doggies really struggle in even moderate temperatures, so it's important that we are all responsible dog pawrents. Although it's important to keep your dogs active, when we experience warm to hot temperatures we have to change our exercise routines to ensure our doggies avoid heat related illnesses which can be fatal. Not only do we need to adapt their exercise routine, but also our homes and lifestyle routines to ensure a more relaxed and cooler environment. Whilst working towards your Paw Runner challenges over the Summer months we want to ensure you do so safely.
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘄𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁: 1. Make sure your dogs have a cool shady place to escape to in the house and in the garden. 2. Providing a paddling pool in the garden will help keep your paws nice and cool. Just ensure you have a small amount of water in it to avoid any incidents. 3. Cool mats* are a great idea for your dogs to lay on. You can buy them cheaply from online retailers such as amazon, and B&M also have a great mat for all dog sizes. 4. Always have fresh cold water available for your dog at all times (ice cubes are a great way of keeping their water cool) 5. An electric fan can help keep you & your dog nice and cool, but never leave your dog along with a fan incase they knock it over which could cause serious injury to themselves. 6. It's important that your dogs still get daily exercise, so do so BEFORE 8am and AFTER 8pm when the sun is cool. 7. AVOID excessive exercise with your dog. Keep the walks short so it allows your dogs to sniff, stay stimulated, stretch their legs and go to the toilet. 8. Find nice shady places to walk your dog, such as your local woodland or somewhere with a stream for them to drink from, swim and cool down in.
9. AVOID walking on tarmac as the heat from the sun can burn your dogs paws. Always do the 5 second tarmac test. Place your hand on the tarmac road or path for 5 seconds, if you are unable to do that because it burns your hand, DON'T WALK YOUR DOG.
10. AVOID running with your dog. If you do run with your pooch, take them on shorter runs very first thing in the morning or very last thing at night when it's really cool. 11. DO NOT take your dog out for a walk or run during the peak heat of the day as they can suffer from heat stroke which can be fatal. 12. Always take fresh water on a walk to ensure you both stay hydrated. A doggy travel water bowl* is perfect as it is light and can clip onto your belt. We recommend humans drink at least 2 litres of water a day.
13. If your pooch looks to be struggling to walk or is excess panting on a walk. STOP. Take them straight home & cool them down. 14. Make sure you always wear sufficient sunscreen & that includes your pooch if they have fair skin that can easily burn. 15. Wearing a hat will help protect you from the strong sun rays & prevent you getting sun stroke. 16. A cool coat can help cool your dog down after a walk or if they are struggling to stay cool at home or in the garden. You soak the coat in cold water and then put it on your dog. It is especially designed for active dogs and really effective in keeping them cool after activities such as Canicross, Flyball, dog agility etc. Here is an example from Ruffwear*. 17. Dog lollies are a delicious way to give your fur babies a tasty treat and keep them cool. Who doesn't love an ice lolly right? Click here for a great recipe idea you can easily make at home. 18. Sitting in a pub beer garden is very appealing when enjoying the gorgeous weather, however be mindful that if you take your pooch it can be too hot for them if there is no shade and they are exposed to hot sun. LEAVE THEM AT HOME. 19. NEVER EVER Leave your dog in your car, even for 1 minute!! A hot car is like an oven and can kill your dog in as little as 6 minutes!!
20. IF TOO HOT, DON'T EXERCISE AND LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME TO STAY COOL!
𝗕𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀!
*Please note we have not tried or tested these particular brands, its used for example purposes only.