Dr. Teuscher is proud to be practicing veterinary medicine at the Island Animal Hospital of Venice. We provide animal dentistry services, wellness medicine, and emergency care. In our last blog, we talked about recognizing and treating heat stroke. This week we’ll stay on the subject of hot dogs and give some tips to keep your dog cool.

Avoid Peak Sun Hours – The line from the old song “ Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun” comes to mind here. For the sake of your own skin, as well as your dog’s health, you should walk your dog in the early morning or last thing at night. The morning will give your dog the chance to smell all the fresh smells from overnight too, making it a sensory experience for them too.

Choose a Shady Path – No matter what time you go out, choose a walk route that has plenty of shade trees or water they can go in.

Watch The Paws! – Asphalt, cement and sand get really hot under the heat of the sun and dogs’ paw pads are sensitive. You can get your dog boots, avoid those surfaces as much as possible or apply a salve to help them before they get split and painful.

Let them take a dip. – If you dog is outside for extended times, get them a kiddie pool. Not only does it provide drinking water all day (unless the splash it all out immediately) but gives them the chance to cool off at will.

A Good Brushing – It isn’t always necessary to trim an animal’s coat short, in fact, the coast can help them because it protects their skin from sunburn. What you can do though, is brush them to help the natural shedding process along, especially with dogs who tend to ‘blow a coat’, daily brushings will help them shed less on your couch.

If you have any question about your dog or cat, don’t hesitate to call us at 914.202.4284.

Also, Go Pokes!