As summer starts to heat up, it’s important to make sure your pet stays cool! Dogs can overheat easily, especially during the next few months. Check out these ideas, posted by Catherine Leigh, a licensed veterinary nurse, for keeping your dog safe from the heat! (Source)

Heat stroke can strike when you may not suspect it. Those 100-plus-degree-days at the end of July are sometimes less dangerous than the first few warm days of summer when your pet is less acclimated to the heat.

A dog’s normal body temperature should be between 100 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. According to veterinarians Roger W. Gfeller and Michael W. Thomas, temperatures over 106 degrees is a life-threatening emergency.

Preventing heat stroke is always better than treating it after the fact.

Dogs with heavy coats can be kept trimmed short during summer months.

When you’re on an outing with your dog, make sure to provide them with plenty of rest, shade, and cool drinking water, even if you feel fine yourself. Don’t count on your dog to limit himself.

At the first sign of overheating, you need to start helping your dog to cool off, and seek veterinary care immediately. If your dog can still drink, offer cool water. After doing what you can to lower your dog’s temperature, get him to a doctor without delay. Minutes count.