Summer is now here and a heatwave has been predicted in the next few days, which means it is incredibly important to keep pets cool and happy.
It is easy for dogs to become too hot in warm weather and if they are unable to cool down they can suffer from heatstroke, a life-threatening condition which will mean a trip to the vet.
Hannah Gilman, an animal expert from Rover, has shared you can keep dogs cool, happy and even entertained during scorching hot temperatures with a “simple” DIY popsicle.
She said: “One of our favourite—and most fun!—ways to keep dogs cool is with a good old fashioned ice lick.”
All you need is a bowl or bucket to freeze, some water and your dog’s favourite snacks and treats such as biscuits, bones, fruit or even some cheese.
Then simply add water to the bowl and some treats, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Add more treats to make another layer and then place back in the freezer. Keep removing and adding different layers for two hours, and then this tasty ice lick will be ready for your dog.
You can even add some chew toys to the water mixture to give your dog more motivation to stay near the ice block and keep licking it.
Just make sure it is a big bowl of bucket you are freezing the concoction in so it can keep your dog entertained for a couple of hours.
Hannah said: “It should be large enough that it doesn’t melt immediately once it hits that summer air, but not so large that it won’t fit in your freezer”
Some people also add some peanut butter or chicken broth along with the water to delight their dogs but be careful to check the ingredients in these products before feeding them to pets.
Hannah said: “Avoid peanut butter sweetened with xylitol! It’s dangerous for dogs [and] avoid salty commercial broths, as their high sodium content is no good for dogs. They often [also] contain onion, another food dogs should not eat.”
As well as this stimulating popsicle, make sure to give dogs plenty of shaded areas to stay cool in the garden and that they always have access to fresh water.
Make sure to also only walk dogs in the early morning or late evening during heatwave as it will be much cooler and they can avoid hot pavements which can easily burn their paws.
As a general rule, dogs should also be walked if the temperature is below 20C to avoid stressing them, and temperatures above 25C are considered far too hot.
However, if you keep an eye on dogs and come out with plenty of ways to keep them cool, then both of you can enjoy the warm temperature without fuss or stress this summer.
