summer sun and paws..

hello   .. what with the summer here in the UK (obviously I know not to take her out during the day) but i was wondering what to look out for on her pads and how to know if they are a bit sore and what to do if she did get burnt.

Ooh good thread! I'm curious, too!

I take Moo out any time - always make sure I have water and she swims a lot. We will spend a day in the sun - she takes herself off to shade if needed. I don't think they really burn tbh - white staffs are recommended to use a sun cream - if you want do but otherwise carry on as usual x

Oh good question... So we're talking pads here rather than ears or anything.

A good indicator for my Flo is the colour of the pads themselves. Usually they are dark. As she has allergies, she will nibble her rear paws and the first sign that things aren't right is that her normal white pad fur turns kinda rusty colour.

If the surface she is walking on is too hot, she will move to a grass area to cool them off, but we are usually aware when this might be an issue. I think they kinda make it clear if the sun is too hot by moving to shade etc.

I always make sure that fresh cool water is on hand too.

oh my i didnt even think about her ears ! i even forget my kids ears with the suncream.. i was just thinking pads but mainly because of the roads and pavements here in the summer, sorry i didnt make that clear on my question .

To be honest I would be worried more about sun burnt ears or tum than hot feet. If its too hot under foot they will certainly let you know.

With ears and tum, you need to be aware just like you would with kids. My Flo is pretty good with getting too hot, but then she is an older girl   

ok thanks as she has a very hairless belly. Tia was very hot today and just layed in the sun so i did take her to her outdoor bed in the shade.. its like " mum im soo hot " but i did wonder if she knew shade would cool her down .

Great question , I think if your dog is limping , refusing to walk or excessively chewing feet then you may have a problem with burnt pads. If he / she experience these problems bathe feet with cool water , in very warm weather I'd walk dog on grassy areas avoiding Tarmac  .  But to be realistic weather in the Uk rarely gets to such extreme temperatures  that dogs burt pads would be a common problem. But it's always good to be vigilant 

I avoid walking Lula during the hottest part of the day but not a big problem in the UK. I do put sun cream on the cats ears and will do Lula if need be. I put ice cubes in her water to keep it nice and cold plus she loves eating ice cubes and she does get a ice lolly at times.

thanks guys and ice cubes what a good idea..

If its really hot (which is rare!) I do check the pavement before going for a walk but generally if you avoid the hotest part of the day for walks your OK. In the garden I don't really worry too much as Daisy will flit between the sun and the shade as she needs too