From Frozen Bandanas to Doggie Frozen Yogurt – 3 Ideas On How To Keep You Dog Cool During A Heat Wave

Summer can be fun or dangerous for our doggy friends and family. Dog walkers in Oakland learn quickly how important it is to protect delicate paws from hot sand, concrete and pavement. Continuous access to as much fresh cool water a dog wants is crucial. However, dogs can still get overheated quickly depending on the breed, fur color, age, weight and overall health. Here are three ways to help keep dogs cool.

1. A Cool Clothing Accessory

In the addition to the obvious things such as shade, rest, a fan or air conditioning, there are fun ways to help our furry friends beat the heat. Many pet lovers already put a bandanna on their dogs for a little bit of style. Wetting the bandanna and freezing it is a cool way to keep a dog cool. Since bandannas are inexpensive, it is easy to keep several of them in the freezer ready to help keep dogs cool on a hot day.

2. A Frozen Treat Bigger Than His Head!

Frozen treats offer a way for dogs to cool down both from the ice and from the need to slow down to enjoy them. The trick to getting a pet to spend more time with a frozen treat is to make it too big to consume quickly. Depending on the size of the dog, choose a container that is bigger than his head to make the frozen treat in. You want to encourage licking the treat rather than biting it because doggy tooth enamel is not incredibly durable.

Avoid 100 percent frozen water. Add some chicken or beef broth to soften the ice and for flavoring. It is easy to include a few small treats in the mix by freezing a container that is half filled, then add treats. Top the container off with the water/broth mix before freezing it a second time. If a big freezer is available, make enough to last a week.

3. Frozen Yogurt for Dogs

For quick-to-eat small frozen treats, mix plain yogurt with flavorings generally considered to be safe for most dogs such as peanut butter, honey, bananas or even canned pumpkin. Never use yogurt or any flavorings that contain artificial sweeteners as they can cause a life-threatening drop in blood glucose levels of dogs. Use small paper drinking cups to mix the treats in. Paper cups make it easy to extract the frozen treat.

Here at Citizen Canine, our care staff and dog walkers in Oakland are always on the lookout for signs that a dog is getting too warm. Dogs get excited about playing, and they will keep going even when it is not good for them. It is important to not only monitor their activities in the heat, but to also control them to prevent harm. Be proactive about keeping all pets cool in the summer heat.