Well summer is pretty much upon us and it is generally the time to have fun with your family and enjoy many activities together. Days are usually longer than usual and the children are out on vacation. The downside to this fun is that summer also ushers in a season of heat stroke, sunburn and exhaustion. This can threaten your family as well as your dog.

Yes, dogs can also get burned by the sun! What then can you do to protect your dog? If your pet has a lighter colored fur then it will be vulnerable to the damaging effects of the sun just like humans. The first thing is make sure your dog has an easily accessible shaded and cool area. Be smart, the sun moves around during the day, so make sure that it offers plenty of protection the whole day.

Also consider talking to your vet, there are a number of pet sun creams out there today.

A few precautions can help protect your dog from exhaustion caused by heat as well as heat stroke.

First of all, don't leave your dog in the car. If you must travel with your dog in the car, take a leash and if you leave the car, take the dog and place him in a cool shaded area while you attend your business outside the car. You will be so very surprised how fast and how hot the temparature in the car can rise.

If you know you will be away from your car for a while, then perhaps it might be more considerate to leave your dog at home.

The most obvious thing to do is ensure that your dog has constant access to clean and cool water. Place the water placed in a cool area so it  will not get warmed up as a result of direct sunlight. Keep it fresh, heat speeds up the stagnation process and stagnant water can cause bacteria to thrive.

If the dog is outdoors most of the day, you might consider providing him a wading pool filled with water. This will allow your pet to cool himself by jumping in and out of the water. There is many a water loving dog that will in fact lie in the pool - so make sure it is shaded as well, otherwise all you are doing is boiling up dog soup!

Your dog can develop heat stroke if his temperature gets too high. Symptoms that show your dog suffering from heat stroke include excessive panting, pronounced fatigue, collapse, unconsciousness & seizures.

Should your dog show these symptoms, contact your vet. Get your dog away from the heat, place him in a cool shaded area, even inside if you have air conditioning. You can place the dog in a tub with cool water. Do not try and speed up the cooling process by adding ice as this will make the blood vessels of the dog to contract thus preventing him from heat from its body.

When your dog shows signs of heat stroke, please seek the professional advise of a vet

Article posted by Joann Henry