Too hot to trot!

Too Hot to Trot

Dancing dogs are super cute! What dog lover isn’t hypnotized by those social media influencer posts of a pup moving to the beat and prancing paws on the ground? As adorable as the dancing dogs are, ensuring they are not tap dancing across hot, summer asphalt is important to prevent burnt, painful and damaged paws.

Dog days of summer

Heat’s superpower is the transfer of it’s warmth to surfaces such as asphalt, pavement, metal, sand, motor vehicles and wood. The warmth can rise to dangerous temperatures and linger for hours. Shoes on hikes, flip flops in sand and maybe your Vans sneakers while running errands protect our human feet from the scorching footprints heat leaves in its path. Now, imagine that you are a dog on an extremely hot day and your dog mom or dad decided to take you for a walk.

Are you cringing in anticipation yet?

Who wants to walk around on blazing hot pavement? No one. And no one includes YOUR DOG!

How hot is TOO hot?

Temperatures are generally highest during the midday hours between 10 AM – 4 PM. Ground temperatures can sometimes exceed 140 degrees!

Below are some tips to help protect your pooch’s paws:

Walking on surfaces that do not absorb heat as easily, such as grass.
Early morning or late afternoon/evening walks beat the midday scorch.
Invest in a pair of dog booties or terrain shoes (hey, they can be pretty trendy!) Just be sure to remove them once inside, as dogs perspire through their paws. If you’re having a hard time keeping your pup in pumps, purchase some dog suspenders. Yes, that’s right, it’s a thing!

Remember, A good rule of thumb for dog owners is if you place your bare hand or foot on the ground and can’t keep it there for a full 10 seconds, then it is certainly too hot for your poor pooch’s four paws to be trotting on

Hot Paw Summer

Signs that your dog may be experiencing serious paw burns:

Red, flaky paws or are missing pieces
Chewing or licking on paws
Darker colored paw pads than usual
Limping

Additionally, your pup may jump on you to signal, “Hey! Need a little help down here!”

If these symptoms occur, your furbaby needs to be examined by a vet IMMEDIATELY! Once the superficial layer of a paw is excoriated, it leaves the base exposed to infection and severe pain. Your vet will help determine the best treatment plan. Treatments typically include antibiotics, pain medications, and possibly even wrapping the paws until fully healed.

Other Pawsitive Tips to Protect Your Pooch

Moisturize

Just like humans, your dog could use a little moisturizer from time to time. Paw pads are tricky because you want to keep them firm and strong but you also don’t want them to be rough and cracked. Applying a natural moisturizer daily to the paw pads to keep them hydrated and healthy, such as Paw Nectar or Paw Butter, will help keep paws healthy. Paw wax can be applied and act as a second protective layer to the integrity of the paw. Walking your dog on hard surfaces such as cement and pavement, when temperatures are cool, of course, can also keep paw pads strong and firm.

Paw Pad Grooming

Make sure paw pads are trimmed and free of matting. Maintaining paw fur growth can help increase traction on smooth surfaces and prevent injury.

Paw Power

We are our fur baby’s sole caretakers. We are responsible for all things dog, down to the very last toe nail. They depend on us for their care so our job as dog parents is to protect our pups through the purchase of some booties, paw balm, or cater our walks around what’s best for them! Keep the paws cool in the blistering heat because your dog deserves it! Raise em’ up fur kids, we got you 🙂

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