5 Things to Do to Keep Your Pet Healthy in the Summer

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In many ways, summer is worse for pets than winter. During summer, pets often end up overheated, dehydrated or exhausted. This can lead to a hurt pet, panicked owner and hefty veterinarian bill if it is not taken care of quickly. The biggest problem in the summer for pets is, unsurprisingly, the heat. Hot days and occasionally oblivious humans can quickly add up to make serious issues for four legged members of the family.

In the summer just as in the winter, your pet is dependent on you for their health and comfort. You cannot ignore it. You need to be vigilant, and you need to be aware of exactly what your pet is most likely to need from you. This will vary depending on species and breed. For example, short nosed dogs have a harder time keeping cool because they cannot pant as effectively as dogs with longer snouts. As such, a person who owns a Pug will need to keep their home cooler than someone who owns a Labrador Retriever.

Some things will vary depending on breed, but there are some ways to keep your pet cool and healthy that are more or less universal. Here are five things to do to keep your pet healthy in the summer.

Cut Long Hair

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When summer rolls around, you probably shuffle your clothes around in your closet. Coats get tucked away, boots are banished to the back of the closet and jeans are put on the top shelf. Tank tops and t-shirts are moved into places of prominence, and sandals and swimsuits are pulled to the front of the closet. You stop wearing long sleeves and shift into wearing clothes with shorter sleeves and shorter hemlines that are made with lighter fabric. If you have long hair, you probably start wearing it up and off your neck more often.

Your four legged friend can only do so much to change their fur without your help. While many species of animals shed their thick winter undercoat, the fact remains that your pet is still wearing a full-length fur coat in July. It is even worse if you have a pet that was bred to be non-shedding. They are absolutely roasting. Do what you can to help and give them a summer cut. Avoid shaving your pet or leaving bald spots. These can easily become sunburned. Giving your Golden Retriever or Himalayan a trim, however, is something they will thank you for when you are done even if they do not care for the act of getting a haircut.

Stay On the Grass

Dogs and cats do not sweat. As such, they have to use other strategies to keep cool. Dogs are known for panting, while cats will seek out a shady spot and flop. While a dog can usually be coaxed into moving around during the heat, a cat might well simply glare at you and refuse to move. Both animals will try to avoid overexerting themselves when it is hot outside. This makes perfect sense. After all, how likely are you to go for a long run at 2:00 p.m. on a hot August day?

Cats and dogs also lose a lot of heat through the pads of their paws. As such, it is important that those pads stay cool. Avoid having your pet walk on hot asphalt or bricks. The already heated surface can interfere with your pet’s ability to cool themselves off. It can also cause painful burns on their pads if you are not careful. Keep your pet walking on grass, sand or gravel when possible.

Cool, Fresh Water

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Both pets and people need lots of water during the summer. Without water, both four legged and two legged family members end up dehydrated. This leaves you and your pet both more susceptible to heat exhaustion, cramped muscles, lethargy and general irritability. Unlike you, your pet cannot simply go get a glass of water from the fridge. They rely on you to provide for their needs. This means that you need to keep a close eye on their water bowl. Make sure it is always full of fresh, cool water. You will probably need to change it multiple times a day, and you might need to toss a mostly-full bowl of water when it gets too warm. If you are going to be out of the house for a while, you may be able to add a couple of ice cubes to your pet’s water bowl to keep the water cool. Test this when you are home first, however, before you leave your pet alone with ice water. Some pets see the ice cubes as a toy and will upend the water bowl trying to catch the ice. You do not want this to happen when you are out of the house. Not only will you come home to a mess, but your pet will be without water until you return. Find out how they handle ice when you are still around to refill the bowl if they send it flying with a determined pounce.

Safe Pest Control

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Summer is not just the time of long, hot days. Summer is also the season for mosquitoes, stinging flies, ants, ticks and all sorts of other unpleasant creepy crawlies. Those irritating creatures do not just ignore your pet either. Mosquitoes will happily feed on animals if they can get through the critter’s fur, and ticks absolutely love long hair, regardless of whether that long mane is part of a French braid or wagging tail. Long hair is easier for ticks to grab and climb. Sadly, indoor pets have to deal with pests just like their outdoor counterparts. Mosquitoes, flies and ticks can easily find their way into a house either through broken screens, cracks around doors or by hitching a ride on your grocery bags. Be sure you have a good flea, tick, mosquito and insect repellent for your pet before summer arrives. These can take the form of collars, gel that you rub into your pet’s skin or pet-safe bug-spray spritz bottles.

Be aware of what you are putting on your lawn or on your floor as well. Pets, especially young pets like kittens or puppies, are notorious for getting into pest control attempts and licking up Raid, nibbling on rat poison or tracking ant bait all over the house. Make sure that whatever you use to kill insects will not hurt your pet. If you must use a poisonous substance, place it somewhere your pet cannot reach or keep your pet away from it until the danger has passed. Do not simply assume that your roach baits are in a safe place either. You would be amazed what a curious pet can manage to get a hold of when they want.

Leave the AC on

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Summer can get expensive if you are running the air conditioning all the time, so many people turn the air conditioning up before they leave for work or turn it off entirely during the day when they are not home. This, however, can be extremely unpleasant for your pet. They cannot turn the AC down if they get too hot in the middle of the day. Leave your AC on when you go to work to help your pet avoid overheating. You do not have to leave it on full blast, but make sure it is set low enough that they will be comfortable while you are gone. If the AC is not working, leave a fan running and the curtains closed to help your pet stay cool.

If you have an outdoor pet, make sure they have plenty of water and somewhere shady to rest during the heat of the day. Keep dog houses beneath trees and set up a small shelter for outdoor cats if you do not have a convenient porch or deck for them to hide under.