While our dogs may love basking in the sunshine with us, veterinarians say this time of year means we should take extra precautions to prevent them from heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
“I go hiking with her, she has her own little backpack, so I take her backpacking as well,” said Bozeman resident Chase Dugas.
Dugas takes his dog Jester everywhere, including the Gallatin regional park.
Dugas soaks up the sun while Jester cools off in the pond.
But of course, there’s not always going to be a convenient spot for Jester to cool off on every adventure the two take.
“I always make sure to bring a lot of water and a bag of food,” said Dugas. “I have a collapsible bowl, so we have good times.”
Dr. Jacob at Cottonwood Veterinary Clinic in Bozeman says those good times out in the sun can take a turn if you aren’t careful.
"Their body temperature can get up to 106-107 degrees and it can cause some permanent damage,” said Dr. Jacob. “We haven’t seen a case like that in years but when they’re bad, they’re really bad.”
He’s talking about heat stroke—something that can happen to your dog if you don’t take proper care.
“Fifteen minutes left alone in a hot car is enough to do a lot of damage to them,” said Dr. Jacob.
He says dogs can’t sweat and the only way they can dissipate heat is through panting. But luckily there are plenty of things you can do to make your dog more comfortable this summer.
“They can get haircuts and they have bandanas like they have for people with the gel inside them,” said Dr. Jacob.
He also recommends cooling your dog off with water, of course.
You can put rubbing alcohol on the dog if you expect they’re too warm,” said Dr. Jacob. “It evaporates more quickly and pulls more heat out.
And while it’s this hot outside, Dugas says he and Jester are sticking where the water is.
“She definitely loves the water,” said Dugas.
