Keep cool this Summer! (Tips)

So, we mentioned in our last post that the weather here is starting to heat up, which means our girls need some ways to cool down! As promised, here's a list of the things we do, to keep our girls feeling fresh!

Food;
Keep their food light and where possible give them chilled/frozen foods, i.e 'pupsicles'.
You can make a pupsicle out of almost anything, mashed banana, a drop of honey and plain yoghurt for something sweet, or chicken pieces, salt free stock and carrot for savoury.
Turn your summer treat into a boredom buster by freezing foods within a toy, i.e a Kong :)

Doggy safe freezable foods include; Peanut butter, low fat yoghurt, low salt stocks, cream cheese, canned dog food, soaked kibble, chicken/meat pieces, various veggies, i.e carrots, sweet potato, peas etc and other commercial products, such as the Kong pastes or Fish4Dogs salmon mousse.

Always test your pooch with a tiny amount of peanut butter and/or honey before making the full treat, some dogs can have very mild allergies to these, however it is extremely unlikely, all 4 of ours are fine with them :)

Water;
Now more than ever your dog will need access to clean, cool water, but on those days where the tongues come out and panting is heavy, a couple of ice cubes in their water dish will do the trick. Make sure you rinse them first though, we don't want any tongues getting stuck!

Rest;
On hot days your dog(s) will probably rest a fair bit, so make sure they have plenty of 'cool spots'.
Make sure they always have access to shady areas, if necessary provide them a small child's tent to rest in.
If your dog is a sunbather, like Rafferty, dampen an old towel for them to lie on, make sure to keep the towel damp throughout the day, a spray bottle is ideal for this.

Fun;
Nothing beats playing with your dog on a sunny day, so feel free to incorporate some 'keep cool methods' into your fun! Sprinklers and shallow paddling pools make for great (supervised) fun!
There's a host of water friendly toys out there, from brand name retriever toys to the good old tennis ball :)
(Never pour ice water on your dog, or squirt them in the face, they'd like it about as much as you would!)

Other;
Hairless breeds and some white haired dogs may need a little sun cream on the tips of their ears etc.
Easy to overlook, but sunburn can be as bad for your pooch as it is for you :(
When the fun is over and it's time to relax, a small electric fan is great.
Just make sure your dog is dry and that the fan is kept of reach of inquisitive noses and paws!

Hope these tips we've picked up along the way help you have some fun in the sun, whilst staying cool!

Love & licks,
Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe & Lily.
xo

P.S Don't forget; Never ever leave your dog in the car. Thieves aside, your pup would be at very high risk of sunstroke at this time of year. Sunstroke can be extremely dangerous and have serious consequences. If you suspect your dog has sunstroke, please call/visit your vet immediately.
Summer also brings more insects, including bees and wasps, which can give your dog a severe allergic reaction if they sting your poor pup. Again, please contact your vet asap if you think your pup has been stung/bitten.
Now is a great time to give your pup their summer wormer and flea prevention treatment!
And last but not least, remember to watch for poisonous plants in the garden/home and have a safe Summer!

Food, Glorious food!

In light of our recent toy 'Haul', the girls have been going through their treats, so we decided to grab a few more things, ready for all the summer fun!

This time around we ordered;

 Dried duck fillets x2.

 A 6 pack of Salmon mousse.

And 2 Kong pastes.

1 Peanut Butter to replace the one we have, which is almost empty & 1 Chicken and Rice flavour.

Seeing as it's starting to get warm now, we've started breaking out our summer cooling methods :)

A good food based cool down in to stuff your dogs Kong/treat dispenser with paste, mousse, yoghurt or canned food (or a combination) and freeze it!

Voila, a pupsicle! ;) (see above)

We have a few cooling tricks up our sleeves, so we'll do another post soon, explaining a few options to keep your pooch comfortable in the heat.

So that's it for now, hopefully the girls will enjoy their lot :)

Love & licks,
Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe & Lily.
xo

As a side note, there seems to be a lot of confusion over what you can and cannot safely feed your dog...
Most people know the obvious unsafe foods, such as chocolate and onions, but did you know you should also not feed them raisins, grapes, mushrooms, avocado, pork i.e sausages/pork bones and cooked chicken bones?
Even more worryingly unknown, is that you shouldn't feed your dog products containing, or made of, rawhide!
Rawhide is terrible for dogs, as they can't properly digest it.
It's also wise to watch out for additives in kibble, like ascorbic acid and beet fibre.
'Human foods' such as pasta, milk and anything overly greasy/fatty should be kept to a bare minimum too.

Good food is the base of a happy, healthy dog :)