Your Dog is Barefoot! Feel for Hot Pavement

Some of us are dedicated dog walkers. While we usually pay attention to the ambient temperature to plan for how long the walk will be and whether we need to carry water, I've found that few people take into consideration the temperature of the pavement.

Remember that your dog walks barefoot. Even though the dog's footpads are tougher than the soles of your feet, there is still a limit to what those poor feet can take. It is possible to burn your dog's feet on hot pavement as well as increase the dog's body temperature due to exposure to the heat of the pavement. Remember they are breathing that hot air close to the surface.

Before you embark on a walk, do a little experiment. Go barefoot, or reach down with your hand, and feel the surface you will be walking on. Compare this to a grassy surface next to it. If you can't stand being barefoot or holding your palm to the pavement for long, then don't walk your dog on it.

Different surfaces hold different amounts of heat. Grass and dirt are the least dangerous surfaces in terms of heat. Concrete is usually a little cooler than asphalt. Asphalt becomes almost boiling hot.

Another caution to remember is that your dog cannot control body temperature by perspiring. Dogs far more easily suffer from heat stroke than people. And even if they don't go completely into heat stroke, there are other physiological dangers from over heating. Make sure that you plan for this when you exercise your dog. Take plenty of water, ice packs or cold packs and keep your exercise very brief.

Short muzzled dogs, old dogs and overweight dogs are more prone to prolbems in the heat than fit and prime dogs, but they are all at risk. And all are at risk on hot pavement.