With the arrival of the heat there are some precautions to take with your bigeye. Here are some tips for these hot days:
Starting with the walks, we advise you to prefer paths with shadows, so that your dog can shelter from the sun during the walk. The same applies if you take it to the beach, you should always take the umbrella with you. Avoid walking during the hottest hours of the day and be careful with the tar, as it can cause burns on the plantar pads because it is very hot.
Another precaution you should take is to never leave your pet in the car. Dogs do not have the ability to perspire like a human being (they can only do so at the level of plantar pads) and depend on their ability to pant to be able to decrease body temperature, with cats being even less adapted to this process. This compensation is not enough for the animal to lower its temperature when the external temperature reaches too high values, as it happens in a car (where the temperature easily reaches 40ºC, even when a little of the window is left open).
Water is essential at this time. It should always be available in abundance and it should be checked frequently that it is fresh and clean. You can put some ice cubes in your pet's water to make it easier to cool off.
Regarding food, because of the heat, your pet may be more capricious. Usually, at these times it becomes easier to feed it at the end of the day, when it is less hot. You can also choose to have small meals throughout the day (without increasing the recommended daily dose) or choose to also introduce moist foods, especially if your dog / cat does not consume a lot of water.
In dogs with very long hair a general shearing may be the solution to better withstand the heat.
Wetting your dog's paws with cold water can help to refresh him on very hot days.
Very young animals, elderly, with heart, respiratory, kidney problems, among others, or short-nosed dogs (called brachiocephalic), obese animals, animals with long hair or dark color, deserve special attention since they tend to warm up more quickly, dehydrate more easily or may have greater difficulty in controlling their body temperature.