WITH the UK finally enjoying a bit of hot weather it can be easy to forget your troubles and bask in the sunshine.
However, it is very important not to forget our four-legged friends in the heat with vets warning dog owners over a common mistake that could prove fatal.
Pet owners have been warned to avoid leaving animals in uninsulated conservatories during hot weather.
The advice comes as 32C temperatures are set to sweep the UK this week and Conservatory Insulations data revealed a third of homeowners use their conservatories for their pets.
While these sunny spaces can be enjoyable for our furry friends, the Met Office and British Veterinary Association (BVA) has warned that they pose significant risks to animal safety during hot weather, particularly without the correct insulation.
The BVA warning published on the Met Office site reads: “Never leave your pet inside a car or conservatory [during hot weather], even for a quick trip to the supermarket, as ‘not long’ can prove fatal.”
Temperatures inside an insulated conservatory can rise to 40℃, which can be hotter than California’s notorious Death Valley, yet two-thirds of 25 to 44 year-olds revealed their pets use the space more than they do.
Every summer, vets treat pets for heat-related conditions like heatstroke, breathing problems, and burnt paw pads.
Dogs are most often affected and even on overcast days, conservatory temperatures can soar rapidly and become dangerously hot.
Matt Forrest, Managing Director of Conservatory Insulations, said: “Insulating your conservatory is the easiest way to make sure you and your pets can still enjoy the space when the temperatures outside skyrocket.
“Every uninsulated conservatory is a problem – they are too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer.”
If you are looking for ways to keep furry friends cool, check out our six top tips below.
ICE TRY: Making sure your pets are hydrated is crucial.
Add extra bowls of water around your home and skip the fancy cooling gadgets.
Instead, add ice to their water bowl.
Large ice cubes can be a choking hazard, so crush the ice well before adding it.
SHADE STATION: Walk pets early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the midday sun.
Provide them with a cool place to rest by using a large umbrella, a homemade canopy with old sheets, or even a beach windbreaker.
These simple solutions keep them out of direct sunlight and help them stay cool.
SURFACE SAVER: Avoid hot surfaces that can burn your pet’s paws.
Instead of buying pricey pet cooling mats, lay damp towels or bedsheets in a shaded area like the corner of a room.
Basements or tiled floors also stay cooler, so move their bed if needed and place fans to circulate air.
SPLASH AROUND: A paddling pool in a shady spot is a great way to help pets cool down.
Fill the pool with room- temperature water and add some toys to encourage them to get in.
In general, there are six groups of dogs who struggle most in hot weather...
Firstly, those with underlying health problems. Dogs can’t sweat like we can, so rely largely on panting to cool down. However, if they have airway or lung impairments, or suffer from fluid balance or hydration issues, then this is more difficult, and their ability to lose heat is reduced, meaning they are at a higher risk of heat-stroke.
Overweight animals find it harder to ventilate, and their core temperature rises faster than you’d expect for a lean dog.
Very young dogs or very old dogs are also at increased risk of heatstroke, and these owners should be even more cautious in hot weather.
Dogs with very thick coats, who are adapted to a colder climate. Dogs such as the Husky or Malamute – and even the Chow Chow – have been bred to keep heat in. However, this comes at the price of being less well able to cope in hot weather. Their thick double coats effectively trap heat, making it the equivalent of us going out in the July heat wearing a fur coat and thermal underwear: they get very hot, very quickly. This problem can be alleviated by clipping (NOT shaving), however, the coat can take a long time to grow back. In a heatwave, though, if you’re struggling to keep your dog cool, I’d personally rather have a dog with a thinner coat who’s alive than a luxuriously coated dog in the morgue.
Short-nosed, or brachycephalic, breeds such as Pugs, Bulldogs, and French Bulldogs. These dogs have been bred to look “cute”, with big eyes and flat faces. Unfortunately, the result of this has been a narrowing of the airways and a profusion of soft tissue in the nasal chambers and pharynx – we call this Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome, and it profoundly affects their ability to pant and lose heat. Like a dog with any other respiratory disease, most members of these breeds are highly prone to heatstroke, and as they are often overweight as well, are at very high risk in hot weather.
This affordable solution provides instant relief from the heat and is a lot of fun!
CHILL OUT: Create a cool sleeping area by filling plastic bottles with water, freezing them, and wrapping them in a towel or sheet.
Place these in your pet’s bed to keep them cool, especially if you need to leave them indoors while you are out.
COOL TREAT: Make cooling treats by freezing low-sodium broth, or creating an ice lick.
The Blue Cross pet charity recommends adding treats and toys to an empty tub or plastic bowl, filling it with water, and freezing it.
Once frozen, let the block melt for a few minutes, then give it to your pet to lick and dig for hidden treats.
