Vet says add 60p ingredient to dog’s water bowl during hot weather
A TV vet has offered the public some advice on how to care for their dogs in hot weather. The UK has been hit with heatwave conditions this summer, with temperatures peaking at 37.7C this year.
Experts fear the mercury could rise again later this summer, with conditions consistently exceeding 30C in some parts of the country. With this in mind, ITV’s Dr Scott Miller talked about some of the things pet owners, especially dog owners, can do to help them cope with the heat this summer.
Speaking on ITV, he explained that a 60p tip he first found on Instagram was talked about by a Gaia who posted under the name DAFY (Dog Advice For You).
Dr Miller said: “The poor animals are struggling, it’s so hot for them it’s just they’re not used to it… This first story is all about trying to spend 60p to keep your dog cool.
“It’s a nutritionist called Gaia, and she’s developed a technique that basically tries to encourage your pet to drink more water. It’s not a hard thing to understand how this works. Basically you take a small teaspoon of sardine juice and then throw it directly into the dog’s water bowl, or mix it with the water bottle and pour it into the bowl.”
“And it’s a great way to encourage your dog to drink a little more water. With evaporative cooling, because they’re cooling down by panting, you need them to drink more because they’re losing so much moisture right now. I see a lot of dehydrated pets coming into the practice, especially older animals, who are really struggling in this heat.”
Dr Miller also talked about the version of the hack he used to help his dog Mango. She said: “So hydration is very important and how I work it with Mango, mine is a little bit different, I make little ice cubes and I put those ice cubes in chicken broth… a little electrolyte, a little flavor, let them drink it, happy days.”
This isn’t the only tip dog owners are given to help their dogs cope with hot conditions. Earlier this year, before the first heatwave of the summer arrived, the Express reported that Vets Now had introduced a seven-second pavement test owners could do before taking their dogs for a walk.
They said: “Dogs’ paws can be as sensitive as people’s feet. This means they are just as likely to be burned as their owners when walking on a hot surface. “Veterinarians in the US, where paw burns are common in many areas due to high summer temperatures, have developed a test to check when it is safe to walk dogs on pavements.
“Their advice to owners is to put the back of their hand on the surface for seven seconds. If they struggle to hold on, it’s too hot to walk a dog.”
