With the red weather warning approaching I thought it may be useful to post about some ways in which we can help keep our pets cool.

Horses

Most healthy horses will cope ok in the heat, especially if there is shade and a constant supply of fresh water provided, but there are definitely things we can do to make them more comfortable. First, I would like to talk about the myth of scraping your horse after hosing. I know when I was growing up, I often heard (and believed) that by not scraping our horses off, the water insulates the horses and causes them to overheat. This is fake news! During my MSc I came across many research papers by the amazing David Marlin. He kindly produces many useful articles from his own research such as Hot weather advice - Keep your horse safe in hot weather - Dr David Marlin.

If you have checked it out (which you should – it’s important for learning the signs of heat stroke and the importance of RAPID cooling) you can see that hosing our horses down and leaving the water to evaporate on its own is an effective way to keep our uncomfortable horses cool. If your yard is anything like mine with very limited (if any) shade and wooden stables which are like an oven in the heat, hosing off a couple of times a day may help your horse feel a little more comfortable and allow you to monitor them for any signs of heat stress in the process.

Treat your horse whilst helping keep them cool and hydrated by making them ice pops as can be seen on How to Make Horse Ice Lollies - The Horse Exchange.

This goes without saying that we should always provide fresh water, but it’s also important we provide our horses with access to salt licks especially during hotter weather. And as always, try and keep riding to the cooler parts of the day!

Dogs

So that’s horses, what about dogs? Well we all know caution needs to be taken when it comes to walking our dogs in the heat. Care should be taken for Brachycephalic, obese, long haired, and unwell dogs. Try either getting out of bed early (I struggle too!) or leaving it to the late evening when the temperature is cooler. Also, tarmac can become very hot very quick which can burn the pads on dogs paws so always check by placing the back of your hand on the ground for at least 5 seconds. Never leave any dog in the car even if you are just “popping out”.

So how can we keep them cool? Again, that great David Marlin has provided us with some useful information (based on research) for dogs too! Managing dogs in HOT weather - Dr David Marlin. I read myself on a post the other day that “it is dangerous to hose off our dogs with cold water”, again this is a myth, dogs will benefit from a nice cool off with the hose or enjoy a nice dip in the paddling pool. However, I can tell you now how much my dog would hate both, so we stick to keeping him cool in the house by providing him with a shaded room where windows are shut during the day, blinds are pulled, and the floor is tiled which gives him somewhere cool to lie. You can also buy some handy toys that can be kept in the freezer too!

The same can be said for cats (but maybe not try and hose them down, they won’t be so appreciative!).

Some helpful information for spotting the signs of heatstroke and what to do can be found on Heatstroke in dogs - PDSA.

Little pets

Now we can’t forget about our little pets can we? I always ensure my Quail are placed in the shade, fresh water constantly available, and I provide them with a nice bottle filled with ice that can be refilled and placed in the freezer each night to provide them with a nice cool area to rest against. You can even buy cooling mats for your hutches!

Always check on your animals, and make sure there is a constant supply of clean fresh water 😊. These handy links and tips can help prevent an expensive trip to the vets and help save lives as prevention and avoidance is key!