We can’t imagine walking barefoot on the pavement in the scorching heat so how could we take our dogs out for walks in this heat? Many people are not aware of the damage they are doing to their dogs.
Buster the Boxer dog suffered burns to his paw pads following a walk in the summer sun and after this Blue Cross came issued a warning telling dog owner’s to perform a ‘pavement test’ before walking their pet.
Buster the Boxer was checked out and treated for the burns in Blue Cross’s Hammersmith animal hospital. He had to wear special boots to help relax his paws and now making a full recovery.
Tracey Parnell, Blue Cross Veterinary Nurse, said: “In this hot weather, dogs should only be walked first thing in the morning and last thing at night.”
“A simple test is to take your own shoes off and stand on the path. If you are unable to keep your feet on the path for five seconds, then it is not safe to walk your dog.”
“Buster’s owner was unaware about walking dogs on hot paths and is keen to let other dog owners know the dangers.”
Blue Cross also recommended to exercise dogs on the grass and sticking to walking pets in the mornings and evenings when it is cooler.
An incident happened days ago when an American Bulldog named Finlay almost died of heatstroke while he was out with his owner.
Theone-year-old was born with three legs and he became overheated when his owner Shona McLaren took him for a walk around a local park in Glasgow.
Shona recalled, “I always bring water for Finlay to drink and keep his walks short.”
“On this occasion, some children starting playing with him and he ran around for a few minutes. I saw him panting and was concerned that he might be getting too hot, so decided to take him home to cool down.”
Finlay was collapsed and taken to Glasgow East PDSA Pet Hospital and Doctors put him on a drip and underwent oxygen therapy. He has now made a full recovery.