We often tend to take our pups on walks after a good days work so they can get some good exercise. But what we don't realize is the daytime heat has been absorbed into the concrete, pavement and sand creating a "frying pan" effect. Dog's pads are generally tough but when exposed to extreme heat can become vulnerable to severe burns and make a vet visit mandatory.
In most cases, this could have been avoided had they followed some simple safety advice.
Follow the "Seven-Second Rule" and your four-legged family member should be safe. Dog's paws can be just as sensitive as human feet in so that when we walk on hot surfaces our feet get burned too. Unfortunately, pad burns in the US are more common than you think.
Vets now recommend dog parents to place the back of their hand on the surface for seven seconds. If you struggle to keep it down, it's too hot for your pup too.
You may be asking are ALL surfaces hot for dogs? Different pavements retain heat differently during the day. A study was done in one university experiment that compared three surfaces at two different times of the day; 10am and 2pm and the results were shocking!
- Track/Packed gravel:
10am temperature - 37° Celsius / 98.6° Fahrenheit
2pm temperature - 55° Celsius / 131° Fahrenheit
2. Asphalt:
10am temperature - 36° Celsius / 96.8° Fahrenheit
2pm temperature - 54° Celsius / 129° Fahrenheit
3. Concrete:
10am temperature - 28° Celsius / 82.4° Fahrenheit
2pm temperature - 41° Celsius / 105.8° Fahrenheit
So you see the various temperature changes throughout the day become quite extreme on these surfaces. Natural grasses were ranked the coolest of surfaces in the experiment as well.
It is suggested by the majority of vets that walking and exercising your dog before 8am or after 8pm to avoid pad discomfort and pain is the best solution. Your dog will thank you.
