Summer is a chance for your pet to enjoy being outside, the chance of heavy rain or cold winds during the day is minimal, and light showers will dry up soon enough.
But summer brings a different set of challenges related to the heat. How can you make sure your pet is getting enough water while you’re not there to monitor them?
- Leave plenty of water out
This one is obvious, but leaving it off would seem a bit absurd. Make sure not just to leave a large quantity of water, but also water in a variety of places, in a number of bowls in case one tips over or gets used as a bird bath by an avian intruder. If possible, leave one bowl at least in an area that bird won’t be able to access, and make sure your pet knows where that is.
Make sure also that the bowls are cleaned and filled with fresh water every day and that they’re wide enough at the top to allow your pet to drink all the way to the bottom.
- Set up a doggy bath
Even if you have a pet other than a dog, consider filling a pet pool with a small amount of water and leaving it under shelter so it doesn’t warm up during the day. This is a good idea on days of plus 40 heat so that if it just gets too hot for your pet they have somewhere to go to cool themselves down. Hydration is in influenced not just by water intake, but also by water loss, and setting up a cooling station like this is a good way to reduce water loss through overheating.
- Have an indoor area
If possible, allow your pet access to the house, or a small room of it, in your absence on very hot days. Ideally this room will have tile floors which your pet can lie on to lower its body temperature, but if not just make sure it’s a dark and cool room. If you have a direct door between your garage and the backyard, it’s a great option to prop that door firmly open and let them in there. Leave a water bowl in the room and make sure not to set any alarms or anything accidentally. Also make sure that there are no items or products in the room within your pet’s reach that could pose a hazard to their health, and make sure there is no way the door could accidentally close and leave them trapped.
- Provide plenty of shade
In the absence of providing an indoor area, make sure there is plenty of shade available to your pets. Shade will prevent them from becoming sunburned or overheating, both of which will deplete their hydration levels rapidly.
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