Tips to Cool Off Your Dog in August
by Christy Caplan
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August 4, 2016 
Portland, Oregon has been hot the last few days so it’s time to talk about ways to keep your dog cool – from cooling vests to baby pools, let’s look at ways to keep your four legged friend from having heatstroke.
- Keep your dog indoors: This is key, it’s better for them to hang inside with a fan blowing than leaving them to fend for themselves outdoors this summer.
- Hydration: Make sure they have plenty of water bowls filled – you can even leave ice cubes in their dish before you leave the house!
- Find a Swamp Cooler Vest or a cooling mat for them to lay on – there are tons available at your local pet store; my favorite is RuffWear’s Swamp Cooler but there are tons of brands to explore
- Walk your dog early in the morning and when the sun is going down: these are the optimal times of the day when fido should be walked outside. Always place your palm on the ground to see how hot the pavement is – remember that your friend doesn’t have any flips on!
- Treats: Freeze treats and toys in a bucket of ice! – this is a great way to enrich your dog on a hot day! Or make fruit filled ice cubes! I love this post from Sugar the Golden Retriever: http://www.sugarthegoldenretriever.com/2013/05/enticing-your-dog-to-drink-more-water-with-fruity-ice-cubes/. I’m a big fan of Sugar’s – she’s a sweetie.
Homemade pet food recipes that other bloggers posted that I’m making this summer, you should too:
- Apples slices in Chicken Broth
- Banana and pumpkin kong filler
- Banana pup-pops and on her site
- Frozen blueberry and apple treats and on her site
- Check out these awesome frozen goodies
- Fruity Frozen treats!
- Ice Cream Sandwiches: OMD!
Also, visit my story on how to prevent heatstroke.
Awesome tips! It’s still really hot here. We hit 110 yesterday but we’re expecting some rain and cooler temperatures the next few days. I can’t wait for the reprieve and I know my animals will appreciate it!
Thank you so much! OMD! 110 — is super hot. I saw the crazy rain storm pics –and dogs swimming in the streets of Phoenix and thought of you. How’s your new place?
Our Dog Licks Ice Cream Sandwich Pups are very cool, plus they look cool LOL. It’s been very hot here so we have been keeping cool with Kilo the Pug.
Oh my gosh! I wrote this post awhile back and now I’m updating with your super cute recipe!
Very good tips, thank you! We definitely have to walk our dog at hours we would prefer not to here in So Cal.
Thank you! We do the same thing here when it’s super hot out – it’s super frustrating for sure as we need to break out puzzle toys mid-day when everyone start to lose their minds 🙂