A walk on a sunny summer day, even when the air temperature is moderate, can be a painful experience for your dog. The pads of his or her feet, one of the few exposed areas on most dog’s bodies, can burn quickly.
To help gauge whether the road or sidewalk is too hot for a walk, test the temperature with the palm of your hand. If your hand gets uncomfortably hot within 10 seconds, it’s too hot for your dog’s paws. Wait until things cool down or alter your route to avoid paved surfaces.
How Dogs Lose Heat and Keep Cool
Did you ever wondered why your dog lies on the cold, bare floor on hot days or next to the heater or fireplace on cold days? That’s how dogs, who are homeotherms, lose or gain warmth. They adjust their environment to maintain a constant temperature between 101 and 102ºF (38.3-39ºC). Many dogs also have thick coats to help maintain their core temperature. Yes, that coat keeps the heat away from the body, just as it keeps the cold from penetrating. They shed the soft fur close to the body as they don’t need it for warmth but the outer coat keeps the heat or cold at bay.
However, other than a few northern breeds who have thick fur around the bottoms of their footpads to prevent snow from getting close to the skin, most dogs don’t have that insulation on their feet. This makes their feet more susceptible to heat (and cold) damage.
How Hot Can Sidewalks and Roads Get?
Very few people can walk for any length of time without shoes or sandals, which put a barrier between them and sidewalks or roadways, when temperatures rise. There is a reason for this. Concrete sidewalks can reach temperatures ups to 145ºF (63ºC) and dark asphalt type surfaces have been recorded at temperatures as high as 158ºF (70ºC). These high temperatures only occur when there is direct sun on the paved surface but anything much higher than normal body temperature can be pretty uncomfortable.
What Other Factors Do You Need to be Aware of?
Your pet walks on all four feet, at least most of the time. This puts his/her body in close proximity to the hot surface, increasing overall heat absorption and the risk of heat stroke in addition to burned paws. You should also avoid walking your canine friend on hot surfaces immediately after swimming, as water softens the paws, making them more susceptible to burning.
Now this advice may seem counterintuitive but soaking dogs with water, especially heavy coated breeds, will not necessarily keep them cool. Getting wet after exposure to high heat may actually trap heat close to the body under that fur coat and, if the coat doesn’t dry fairly quickly you face the added risk of hot spots, areas of irritated and infected skin where the fur has stayed wet and matted.
What to do When Your Dog’s Feet Get Burned
While prevention is the best option, there may be situations where your pet is exposed to hot pavement long enough to get burned without your being aware. If your dog starts limping, refusing to walk, or stopping to lick and/or chew on his/her feet, check those pads. Look for blisters, redness, patches of tar stuck to the foot and/or darker than normal pad color.
If there is tar present, gently remove it with some oil (baby oil, vegetable oil, etc). Then rinse the pads thoroughly with cool water to reduce the burning and contact your veterinarian.
Best Ways to Enjoy Summer With Your Dog
There are some simple things you can do to minimize the risk of burning your dogs’ feet and keeping him/her comfortable in the summer.
• Schedule your walks for early in the morning before the sun is high overhead or in the late evening when things have cooled down again.
• Plan your walks for grassy and/or shady areas. Shaded routes will have the secondary benefit of reducing the risk of overheating.
• Don’t walk your dog on hot pavement immediately after a swim.
• Keep plenty of water handy.
References:
Keep pets safe in the heat. Humane Society of the United States. accessed 2014
Dogs and cats can usually deal with the heat but their owners must be careful. Washington Post. 2012