Texas Heat! If It’s Hot to You, It’s Even Hotter for Your Dog

It's getting deeper into summer and this Texas heat can be dangerous, not just for us humans, but also for our 4-legged friends.

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Here is some helpful advice for the best times to take your dogs on a walk.

Texas Heat

The summer temps continue to rise and anybody who has spent time in Central Texas knows that the worse is still yet to come. Triple digit temps are pretty common this time of year and the heat has a way of forcing people to stay indoors and crank the AC.

KXAN reports that when the temps in Texas get high, the ground temps also raise, for instance, when it gets to 95 degrees outside, the ground temps can rise as high as 105 degrees. Concrete can get even hotter, as high as 125 degrees and asphalt can reach 140.

Now, imagine taking your dog on a walk in that heat. It can be painful and dangerous for your 4-legged friend.

Walking The Dog

Obviously walking the dog in the peak heat of the day is a bad idea. Early morning walks or late afternoon, early evening, walks, when the ground has had a chance to cool off, are better for your dog. Bare paws on hot concrete or asphalt can burn a dogs paws pretty quickly, in some cases in as little as one minute.

If a mid-afternoon walk is unavoidable, walk your pet in shady areas and in the grass as much as possible. Keep an eye out for signs of overheating. labored breathing, heavy drooling, and changes to the color of their tongue are all signs of heat stress.

Keeping your pet hydrated is also very important when exposed to hot days. Water is their way of cooling down so be sure take some water with you if you plan on being outside for any longer span of time than usual.