How to keep a dog cool in a British heatwave

British houses are built to keep heat in. That is wonderful in February and miserable in July, and it is the reason your dog has abandoned his bed for the coolest tile in the kitchen.

Dogs do not sweat the way we do. They lose heat mainly by panting, and a little through the pads of their feet. Panting works well until the air itself is warm and humid, at which point it stops working very well at all — which is why a muggy 26°C day in Britain can be harder on a dog than a dry 30°C somewhere else.

Here is what genuinely helps.

Move the walk, don't shorten it

The usual advice is to walk early and late, and it is right. Before 8am and after 8pm in high summer, the air has cooled and, more importantly, so has the ground.

Before you set off, do the seven-second test: press the back of your hand flat against the pavement and hold it there. If you cannot keep it there comfortably for seven seconds, it is too hot for paws. Tarmac holds heat for hours after the sun has moved off it, so a 7pm walk on a south-facing street can still burn.

Grass, woodland and shaded paths stay dramatically cooler than pavement. On a bad day, a short sniffing walk somewhere shady does more for a dog than a long one in the sun — sniffing is mentally tiring in a way that tires dogs out properly without raising their body temperature much.

Air moving beats air cold

Most of us don't have air conditioning. A fan positioned low, at dog height, is worth more than one pointed at the ceiling — hot air rises, and your dog lives in the bottom two feet of the room.

Open windows on opposite sides of the house to get a through-draught, and close curtains on whichever side the sun is on. A dark, slightly stuffy room is cooler by the afternoon than a bright airy one.

Water in more places than you think

Put out more bowls than usual, in more rooms, and top them up more often than feels necessary. Dogs drink opportunistically — they drink when water happens to be in front of them, not when they decide they are thirsty.

Cool water, not iced. Very cold water can make some dogs gulp, and a dog that gulps swallows air.

If your dog ignores a bowl but drinks enthusiastically from a puddle or a running tap, the movement is the appeal rather than the water. A circulating fountain solves that particular stubbornness, and it also keeps the water from going warm and flat by mid-afternoon.

Cooling mats, honestly

Gel cooling mats work by conducting heat away from whatever is lying on them. There is no electricity and no freezer involved — the gel simply sits below body temperature and the dog's warmth moves into it.

Two honest caveats, because they are the reason people leave disappointed reviews:

• They are not endlessly cool. After a stretch of a dog lying on one, the gel reaches roughly the dog's temperature and stops helping. Leave it empty for twenty minutes or so and it recovers on its own.
• The dog decides, not you. Put the mat somewhere shady and let him find it. Dogs thermoregulate by moving — on, off, tile, mat, back again. A dog getting off the mat is the system working, not the mat failing.

A mat in the one spot your dog already chooses in hot weather will be used. A mat in the spot you wish he would choose will not.

Which dogs need more care

Some dogs cope with heat much worse than others. Flat-faced breeds — bulldogs, pugs, French bulldogs, boxers — have compressed airways, so the panting that is supposed to cool them is far less efficient. Elderly dogs, puppies, overweight dogs, dogs with heart or airway conditions, and thick double-coated breeds all struggle more than average.

If your dog is in one of those groups, treat a warm British day with the caution you would give a hot one.

Two things not to do

Don't shave a double coat. It is counterintuitive, but the undercoat insulates against heat as well as cold, and it shields skin from sunburn. Brushing out the loose undercoat helps. Clipping it off usually doesn't.

Don't leave a dog in a parked car, with windows cracked, in shade, for five minutes, for any reason. A car interior on a mild day climbs faster than almost anyone expects.

When to stop and ring a vet

Heatstroke in dogs is a genuine emergency and it can progress quickly. Signs to take seriously include frantic or noisy panting that doesn't settle, heavy drooling, bright red or very pale gums, vomiting or diarrhoea, wobbliness or confusion, and collapse.

If you see those, move the dog somewhere cool and shaded, offer small amounts of water, start wetting him with cool — not ice-cold — water, and phone a vet straight away, including out of hours. Tell them you suspect heatstroke so they can prepare. Cooling on the way matters; waiting to see whether it passes does not.

None of this is veterinary advice, and nothing here replaces your own vet, who knows your dog. If you are unsure, ring them — practices would far rather take a question than an emergency.

---

Veylo stocks a self-cooling gel mat and a circulating water fountain, both of which come up in this article because they are the two things that make the most difference in a hot flat. Free delivery on every order, 30 days to change your mind.