If you like to go for a run — or gentle stroll — with your dog about lunchtime in the middle of summer, veterinarians are urging you to think again.
The message from central Queensland veterinarian Jocelyn Birch Baker is if it's too hot for you to go walking with bare feet, it's too hot for your dog.
"We don't notice how hot the ground is because we're always wearing shoes," Dr Birch Baker said.
"I've seen dogs standing on the back of utes, just picking their paws up and down, and you think, 'Poor sausage'. It's like a cat on a hot tin roof."
She said quite often, owners didn't realise the injury to their beloved pet and did "not know that they're lying down because their paws are so sore".
It can happen easily, and the time it takes for an injury to occur depends on the dog and the type of padding they have on their feet — as the Rockhampton-based veterinarian discovered.
Her border collie, Billie Jean, has white pigment on her feet, so she burns quite easily — and is of a breed that doesn't know how to slow down.
An afternoon of running around the concrete edge of a swimming pool resulted in all four paws being badly burned.
"She just wouldn't stand up the next day, so that was very distressing," Dr Birch Baker said.
What are the signs of burnt paws?
While Billie Jean's injury was obvious, Dr Birch Baker said signs were subtle, and owners could put it down to lameness or a shoulder injury.
"Imagine blistering at the ends of your fingers," she said.
"You can't touch anything, and it's really painful, whether it's one, two or four paws."
Dr Birch Baker says the treatment for blistered and peeling paws is to wet wrap them, support their paws with padding and "lots and lots of painkillers".
"In a day or two, you'll find they start moving around, and they start healing," she said.
"But it takes weeks to replace all that padding."
Handy tips to avoid the burn
Prevention is better than cure, so Dr Birch Baker has simple steps pet owners can take to ensure their buddy doesn't end up with four bandaged feet.
She recommends first using the touch test.
Dr Birch Baker said owners should put their hands on the surface for a few minutes before heading out for a walk or putting the dog on the back of a ute.
If it were too hot to keep their hand there, it would be too hot for the dog.
Dr Birch Baker said it was better for the dogs to walk on grass rather than cement or bitumen, with an early morning or late afternoon preferable for the activity.
Know your dog
Katina Kilpatrick, former president of Capricorn Animal Aid in Rockhampton, has practical tips when it comes to travelling.
With utes ubiquitous in regional Australia, she suggests throwing down a blanket in the tray, or if travelling long distances, having a crate with available water.
"I do see some lucky creatures that are sitting in back seats of cars," Ms Kilpatrick said.
"So ... just putting a blanket on the back seat and having the harness through so that they're safe,"
Heat stress can be dangerous
But it isn't just a matter of protecting their paws. Heat stress is a big issue, particularly during periods of hot weather.
Ms Kilpatrick said it was important to ensure the dog had enough shade and water and to check on them at least twice a day.
And put ice cubes in their drinking water.
"It's probably wise to have multiple water sources in the backyard and multiple areas where a dog can find shade at any time of the day," Ms Kilpatrick said.
Dr Birch Baker said owners needed to keep an eye on their dogs, particularly the brachycephalic breeds — bulldogs and pugs, for example.
"They have great difficulty breathing on a good day, so be very aware of them in this heat. They must be in air conditioning," she said.
"The only way dogs can dissipate heat is a little bit through their feet, but mostly through their breathing — and this is where these brachycephalic breeds get caught out."
She said the tissue around their mouth and tongue would become quite red because the dog was using those areas to get oxygen and cooler air.
Dr Birch Baker urged owners to call their vet if their dog appeared to be in heat stress.
