How To : Help Your Pets Stay Cool During Hot Weather

July 23rd, 2010

How To : Help Your Pets Stay Cool During Hot Weather

general info

DIFFICULTY:

Super Easy

TIME:

Depends

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Plenty of water for your pet
Pieces of ice that your pet is able to chew on

Average:

Your rating: None

By Rachel T.
During the summer months, it’s hard for anyone to stay cool. Now imagine trying to stay cool with an abundance of fur and hair. This is what our pets deal with on a daily basis during the summer and the heat can be dangerous to their health if you don’t carefully monitor how your pet is doing. As a dog owner, I am reminded of how uncomfortable the heat can be every day as I see my pet panting more often than usual. Even if you have air conditioning, it’s important to care for your pets and make sure that they have as many opportunities as possible to stay cool. Here are some easy tips to keep your pet cool, no matter what kind of pet you have.

Keep the outdoor walks and outdoor bathroom breaks as brief as possible on hot days.

Depending on what kind of pet you have, you may need to walk your pet or let them outside for frequent bathroom breaks (such as a dog). If your pet can stay indoors, then limit the time that they spend outdoors. The less time they spend outdoors in the hot sun, the better because their body works like ours does. The heat makes their body temperature rise except it’s a whole lot harder for them to cool down with all of their fur.

Make sure that your pet has plenty of water to drink both during the day time and at night.

It’s important that your pet always has water available to drink but especially during the summer. Keep bowls of water where your pet hangs out during the day and where they sleep at night to keep them cool and hydrated.

Along with water, give your pet ice chips to chew on.

This trick works great for dogs but make sure that your pet is able to chew on the ice that you’re giving them. You don’t want to feed your smaller pet something that they could possibly chew on. However, if you do have a dog, dogs love to chew on ice as a way to keep cool. Just make sure that you watch your pet the entire time that they’re chewing on the ice to make sure that they don’t start to choke.

Make sure that your pet is groomed properly during the summer.

This is especially important if your pet has long or thick fur! No matter what type of pet you have, keep them as well groomed as possible. This will prevent irritation on their skin as their bodies deal with the rising temperatures.

Have a cool, dark place that your pet can go to during the day when it’s hot outside.

This is especially important if you don’t have air conditioning! Try to keep one area of your house (such as the basement), cool and relatively dark during the day and allow your pet to rest there. All pets sleep at some point during the day and it’s important for your pet to be able to nap comfortably.