Summer time. 

The official season of refreshing cocktails, barbecues, tan lines, and days spent lounging by the water.

Working in emergency vet med has made me see dogs suffer from this preventable illness far too many times, but it’s also helped me learn the best ways to prevent it from ever happening.

1. Be proactive. 

Don’t wait until your dog is already showing symptoms of heat stroke. If your dog starts panting, follow the next tips whether you think your dog is hot or not. Repeat often throughout the day when spending time outdoors in weather warmer than 65 degrees. Yes...that’s correct...dogs can go into heat stroke in 70 degree weather. Especially in more humid areas.

2. It puts the water on the skin.

Areas without fur, like your dog’s belly, groin and armpits, are perfect for splashing water on throughout any outdoor activity. Just like it cools us down to splash cool water on our skin, especially when a nice breeze comes through, it’ll do the same for your four-legged sidekick. Avoid ice cold water...because no one likes ice cold water splashed on their groin...just sayin. 

3. Drink. Drank. Drunk. Drank and Drink.

Always have cool water available for your dog to drink. If you’re going somewhere you won’t have access to water, take more than you think your dog will drink with you. Because remember...you also need enough to put the water on the skin...and your bandana.

4. Did somebody say bandana? 

I did. Because just as the little bald areas on your dog are great for keeping cool, so is the neck. And what do we (safely) tie on a dog’s neck that also looks stylish as fuk? A Best Life Cooling Bandana.B-t-dubs...they also work great for cooling down us humans, too. Life saver as a face mask on hot days too; it doesn’t hold in hot breath air.