Are you curious to know how to keep dogs cool in hot weather of Malaysia? This article will surely help you out.
Malaysia is a tropical country with hot and humid weather. These conditions aren’t that suitable for dogs, as most of them have fur or thick coat. Hence, keeping your furry friends cool is a kind of challenge.
Because without required hydration and cooling, a dog can easily overheat or dehydrate on a sunny day. To avoid happening this to your beloved dog, you need to be extra cautious.
By identifying the symptoms of dehydration and overheating, you can prevent your dog from severe medical conditions. Below are the key signs of dehydration:
- Dry mouth, gums, nose
- Sunken eyes and lack of skin elasticity
- An overheated dog appears to be disorientated
- Fast panting and noisy breathing
Here, we have discussed the practical ways to keep your dog cool and hydrated. So let’s dive in!
7 Tips to Prevent your Dog from Overheating and Dehydration
Problems like overheating and dehydration are best prevented rather than cured. To assist you, here are the 7 tips for keeping your beloved dog cool in Malaysia’s hot weather.
1. Provide Enough Shade and Clean water
The first strategy against hot summer is to ensure the availability of fresh water and sufficient shade for your dog. This would help the pet to regulate its body temperature.
If the weather is too hot, you can add some ice cubes to the water. Besides, you also need to be careful when your dog is outside the home.
For instance, when going out for a walk with your dog, do remember to give it a break. Choose a shaded area for the dog to rest. To avoid dehydration, water should be easily accessible all the time.
2. Avoid Spraying Water onto a Dog
Spraying or pouring water directly onto a dog isn’t recommended. In fact, it would have an adverse effect other than cooling down your dog.
Because the water will add to the thickness of the fur. Wet fur prevents air from penetrating through it. The heat generated by the body can’t be exchanged with the air.
As a result, a large amount of heat starts to accumulate around the body. Nevertheless, if you want a quick solution for how to cool down a dog, you can use a swamp air cooler.
3. Don’t Shave your Dog
It may sound unbelievable, yet it is true. The fur or coat around a dog helps to keep it cool during summer, as it protects the body from heat. Hence, it isn’t advised to shave the fur of your dog.
If you do so, it will be an act of interfering with a natural cooling down mechanism. This might result in doing more harm than benefiting a dog. For instance, the thick coat or fur protects the skin of an animal from sunburn.
Apart from this, fur also serves as an insulator against heat. When the air passes through the fur, it cools down the body temperature.
On the contrary, it is imperative to groom your dog frequently. This involves brushing the dog to ensure better air circulation. Grooming also helps to keep the hair dry and prevents major skin issues.
4. Frozen Treats
Ice creams (Dog-friendly), popsicles, and frozen fruits can add some fun to your dog’s life and help it to beat the heat. In addition, it also provides you the opportunity to introduce some extra nutrients into your pet’s diet.
The best part is the making of such frozen desserts. You can just do it in a DIY style by freezing the desired fruits or liquids in the form of popsicles or ice cream. These are usually referred to as healthy snacks.
However, you need to serve these frozen treats in an easy-to-clean area of your home. For instance, you must choose an area without any carpet or rug.
5. Carefully Plan the Walks
Pets, especially dogs, love to go outside on a walk with their owners. This is essential for their growth and overall health. Hence, make sure to take your dog outside for a walk every day.
However, during summer, you need to be careful when taking your pet outside. The reason for this is the scorching heat. To avoid overheating or dehydrating your dog, choose a time when the weather isn’t that harsh.
Most probably, morning and evening are two of the best times during the summer when the temperature is bearable. Especially, morning tends to be cooler and more pleasant. Hence, if possible, bring your dog outside in the morning.
6. Swimming
If you ask how to keep dog cool in summer from expert veterinarians, their first answer will be most likely swimming. But you need to keep a few things in mind when taking your dog swimming. First, the body temperature of your dog should be normal before entering the water.
If the temperature of your dog is too high (after running or physical activity), let it cool down first. This is so, as an abrupt change in the body temperature of a dog can cause some health issues.
Furthermore, make sure to dry the fur of your dog after it comes out of the water. You can use a towel or air dryer for this purpose.
7. Try a Cooling Pad
Cooling pads are unique and innovative pieces of equipment that you can use to cool down your pets. These pads are constructed with a variety of materials including water, air, and gel.
One such cooling pad contains a gel that absorbs heat from the dog’s body when it is lying on it. Cooling pads with cold water are also available in the market.
Both gel and water-cooling pads help to redistribute the body heat and keep your dog cool. Another type of cooling pad cools down your dog by allowing the air to circulate through the body of the dog.
These pads are usually made of mesh material, which creates some space between the floor and your dog’s body. This allows the air to circulate beneath the dog and keep it cool.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, keeping your dog cool during the summer is critical. Hence, make sure to provide an environment where the temperature is controlled to some extent.
Besides, you also need to be more attentive during the hot summer days and keep an eye on the physical appearance and behavior of your dog.
By following the tips mentioned above, now you will have a better idea how to keep dogs cool in hot weather of Malaysia.
