How do I keep my dog cool in the hotter months?

As temperatures soar, dogs become more vulnerable to heat stress. Maintaining a comfortable environment for your dog is important. Providing plenty of cool, fresh water will help keep your dog cool throughout the summer.

Hot pavement, sticky tar or gravel may cause footpad problems. To remove tar from footpads, rub them with petroleum jelly and then gently wash with mild soap and water and rinse thoroughly. Never use kerosene or turpentine to remove tar. These chemicals irritate the skin and can be toxic to your pet.

Sometimes we worry that our dogs are not eating as well as usual. Unless a dog displays other signs of illness, chances are it's doing what many dogs do during hot weather — eating less. Many cats also tend to eat less during extremely hot weather.

Providing plenty of cool, fresh water will help keep your pet cool throughout the summer. Put a few ice cubes in the water bowl during periods of extreme heat.

Maintaining a comfortable environment for our pets is important. Pets who are left outside should have plenty of shade and cool water.

Confinement in a car or any other poorly ventilated enclosure can be fatal to a pet. One study reports that when the outside temperature is 78¡F, a closed car will reach 90¡F in five minutes, and 110¡F in 25 minutes. Avoid excessive exercise of dogs during hot days or warm, humid nights. The best time to exercise dogs is either early in the morning before sunrise or late in the evening after the sun goes down.

As temperatures soar, pets become more vulnerable to heat stress. Puppies and kittens and geriatric dogs and cats tend to be more susceptible. Others at risk include short-nosed breeds, like the bulldog and the pug, and Persian cats; overweight pets; and pets with cardiac or respiratory disorders.

Adult pets more susceptible to heat stress include those who recently moved from cool to warmer climates, those or with cardiovascular or respiratory disorders or with a history of heat stress.

Dogs who have recently received short haircuts may become sunburn victims and are as susceptible to heat stress as dogs with their natural hair coats. In fact, a dog's hair coat has insulative characteristics to help protect it from heat. Close clipping should be avoided during hot weather.

you can also try to do more activities in water.