The hot and humid weather has many people thinking about the best way to cool down their dogs, and a local veterinarian wants to make sure people are going about things the right way.
For some, the first instinct may be to pour icy cold water on them, or lay a really cold towel across them. However, Dr. Maggie Brown-Bury says that may do more harm than good.
She explains that dogs don’t cool themselves down like humans. They cool down by panting, and they also have sweat glands on their paws.
(Stock photo.)
Using really cold or icy water causes the small skin vessels on the surface to shrink, moving the heat internally. So while they may appear cool on the outside, they are still overheating on the inside.
To help dogs cool down, Brown-Bury says the paws are important. She says having a kiddie pool or a body of water for them to get their paws wet helps.
Brown-Bury says they can be wetted down, but to use cool water instead of cold.
She says that shade and rest and also extremely important.
