WITH summer on the horizon and the warmer weather kicking in, it is important to consider how your canine friends will cope with the increase of temperature.

Dogs, just like humans, can suffer in hot weather resulting in conditions such as dehydration, exhaustion, sunburn and heatstroke.

So in order to ensure your canine friends enjoy the summer months and maintain optimum health, take a look at how to beat the heat for your canine friends!

Firstly it is important to consider the dogs themselves, how their bodies work and how they cool themselves down. Dogs are endothermic, which means they, like us, can absorb heat from their surroundings.

An average, healthy dog’s body temperature is around 38.6C and in order to cope in hot weather they need to maintain and regulate their body temperature within a safe range of this temperature.

In order to maintain a healthy temperature, instead of sweating, the dog pants. When panting the dog’s mouth is open, often with their tongue hanging out!

This action allows them to effectively breathe in sufficient air through the nose, and out through the mouth which leads to saliva and moisture on the tongue being evaporated which in turn cools the blood which is circulating around the body.

A short, or snub nosed dog will have to work even harder to achieve this process which is worth being aware of in order to protect their health.

Secondly dog owners are able to assist in reducing their dog’s temperature through management methods.

Panting provides owners with a warning system that the dog is too hot and it is time to act. This action may be providing shade for your dog or giving him a drink of cool water.

During the summer months it may be wise to limit the car journeys your dog undertakes and as we all know you should never leave your dog in a hot car without ventilation.

Remember dark coloured and dogs with long coats will suffer in the heat more than others, so although it can be fun to take your dog with you to socialise during the summer month, in particularly hot weather it may be kinder to leave certain breeds and types at home.

Finally it is also worth considering that dogs are enthusiastic by nature and often run and play in hot weather and sometimes appear not to know when to stop, particularly young puppies.

Dog owners need to take responsibility and supervise and limit physical activity where necessary.

So enjoy the summer safely with your dog and keep him cool to beat the heat!

A range of canine and equine supplements are available from Scientific Nutritional Products.

The ethos of the company is refreshing, manufacturing high specification dog supplements without compromise, selling directly to customers through their website www.horsesup plementsdirect.co.uk in order to make their products exceptional value for money.

For more information call freephone 0800 0327774 or 01377 254900.

Peter Fishpool Scientific Nutritional Products