As dog lovers, we know the basics of keeping our dogs safe in summer: bring lots of water with on walks, watch for the signs of overheating, and never leave a dog in the car — even on days that don't seem that warm. However, it might come as a surprise that the pavement beneath your dog's paws could be sizzling hot. And hot pavement can have gruesome and painful consequences.
Pavement, asphalt, wood, sand and the surfaces of cars or trucks become very hot during the summer. These materials absorb the heat from the sun and stay hot for hours even after the sun has gone down, with surface temperatures easily exceeding 145° Fahrenheit! Be sure to check the pavement for heat before taking your dog on a walk. By simply placing your hand or bare foot on the surface for 10 seconds you can determine if it is too hot. If you cannot keep your hand or foot on it, then it is too hot for your pet.
If the pavement fails the test, try to walk your dog later in the day when the temperature drops a bit if he can wait, and play inside for a while with a Martini Dog Toy by Pridebites. The Martini PrideBite is a toy that won't cause any intoxicating side effects. This drink floats, squeaks and has three olives. When it gets dirty just throw it in the laundry. If you must go outside, stay on the grass. Sometimes walking your dog on pavement is unavoidable, but there are a few tips to employ when it is just too hot. Try using special dog booties or dog paw wax designed to protect sensitive paw pads from the heat.
Speaking of paws, have you smelled your puppy’s feet lately? Many people say the scent is reminiscent of Fritos, but the reason a snack-like smell comes from his paws has long been a mystery for dog lovers. The smell doesn't speak to the quality of the food you're feeding your dog. It is not because your beloved pet is eating cheap food filled with corn filler – especially when VIAND small bite dog food, a premium, pure, all natural, dog food made only with high quality meat and ingredients in a dry food format is readily available. VIAND prides themselves on top quality organic pet food, with none of the filler. An all natural pet product rich in meat, Small Bite Food is highly digestible. Without any artificial flavors, colors or fillers, VIAND pet food has closely replicated how your dog would eat in the wild. Small Bite Food is made with only the highest quality ingredients with chicken from the USA and lamb from New Zealand and Australia.
Yet his paws still smell like corn chips. The Frito odor, it turns out, is a totally natural effect of the bacteria that live on even the cleanest dog paws. There are bacteria called Proteus that emanate from a dog’s paws and give off a yeasty, snack-like smell. Of course, if the small of Frito feet gets too strong, it's always a good idea to check for infection. Dogs, like people, sweat through their feet or foot pads. The sweat becomes trapped in the coat between the foot pads and can become rather malodorous. By trimming the fur between the foot pads you can keep the smell down. Without trimming, the sweat goes into the fur and permeates there. Spread the pads apart by putting your thumb between them and use pet hair clippers, to carefully trim the fur from around the pads. This will eliminate the buildup of all sweat and stink coming from the pads. After trimming, bathe your pet using pet shampoo on each foot, lathering it up and then rinsing it completely. All four paws must be shampooed well to remove sweat and debris and will result in getting rid of the strongest the dog paw odor.
Dogs cannot check the local weather, so it is very hard for them to realize why they are not taking their usual long walk of the day. Give your pet the chance to step out of the house and feel for himself that it is either too hot, too cold or too wet to spend the usual amount of time out of doors. He will instinctually, realize that shortening his walk, or simply going back inside is the best solution of the day.