A TV vet has offered the public some advice on how to look after their dogs during the hot weather. The UK has been on the receiving end of heatwave conditions this summer, with temperatures peaking at a sweltering 37.7C this year.
Experts fear the mercury could soar again later this summer with conditions consistently pushing past 30C in some parts of the country. With that in mind, ITV’s Dr Scott Miller has spoken about some things pet owners, especially dog owners, can do this summer to help them cope with the heat.
Speaking on ITV, he first spoke about a 60p tip that he had found on Instagram being talked about by one Gaia who posts under the handle DAFY (Dog Advice For You).
Dr Miller said: “Poor animals they are struggling, it’s just so hot for them, just because they’re not used to it…This first story is all about trying to just spend 60p to keep your dog cool.
“This is a nutritionist called Gaia who’s come through with a technique which is basically to try and encourage your pet to drink more water. How this works, not a difficult thing to understand. She’s basically getting a little teaspoon of sardine water and then she just pops it straight into the dog’s water bowl, or if you mix it in with their water bottle and then pour it into the bowl.
“And it’s a great way to encourage your dog to then drink that little bit more. Because they cool by evaporative cooling, by panting, you need them to drink more because they’re losing so much moisture at the moment. I’m seeing a lot of dehydrated pets coming into the practice, particularly older animals, they’re really struggling in this heat.”
Dr Miller also spoke about his version of the hack which he uses to help his dog Mango. He said: “So hydration is key and how I make this work with Mango, mine’s a slightly different take, I make little ice cubes and those ice cubes are put in chicken stock…bit of electrolytes, bit of taste, get’s them to drink, happy days.”
This isn’t the only tip handed out to dog owners to help their pooches cope with the hot conditions. Earlier this year, before the first summer heatwave hit, the Express reported that Vets Now opened up on a seven second pavement test owners could do before they took their dog for a walk.
They said: “Dogs’ paws can be just as sensitive as humans’ feet. That means they’re equally as likely to get burnt walking on a hot surface as their owner would be. Vets in the US, where paw burns are common in many areas due to high summer temperatures, came up with a test to check when it’s safe to walk dogs on a pavement.
“Their advice is for owners to place the back of their hand on the surface for seven seconds. If they struggle to hold it down, it’s too hot to walk a dog.”