Every dog loves a good walk in the park and running around with their friends. But your pet can't tell you when they're overheating or nearing heat exhaustion. Dr. Joe Spoo, a veterinarian with Eukanuba, explains how we can keep our pets cool.
While humans are great at regulating their body temperature and knowing when they need a break from the sun, pets can't always do that. Dr. Spoo says heat-related illness has three stages, heat stress, heat exhaustion, and then heatstroke. Heatstroke can result in an untimely death for your pet.
As your pet's body heats up you might see increased panting, with a wide-open mouth, stuck out tongue, and thicker saliva. In heat exhaustion, your dog will look like it's in distress. Once they enter the heat exhaustion phase they may have a glassy look in their eyes and exhibit confusion, while vomiting.
Panting is the way dogs cool themselves down. Although it's inefficient, so we need to make sure not to put them in situations where they may exhaust themselves. This may mean skipping walks or play dates on, especially hot and humid days.
While any dog can suffer from heat-related illnesses, over-weight and older dogs are more vulnerable. Keeping your dog hydrated indoors and outdoors is key to making sure they have a better chance at avoiding this illness.
