Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy spending time outdoors with your tail wagging best friend. While many of us love soaking up the sun, heading to the lake or beach, we do need to be mindful of ensuring our Greyhounds are safe from soaring temperatures and humidity and do not overheat when they join us. 

One of the best ways to do this is to follow my Greyhound summer safety tips below.

Overheating can result in a life-threatening medical condition called Heatstroke.  Heatstroke can be caused by prolonged exposure to hot or humid environments, and it typically occurs during the summer months.  

I know this all too well because in June of 2021 Sabrina was overcome with heatstroke despite my very best efforts to keep her safe. 

What Exactly is Heatstroke?

Heatstroke is a life-threatening medical condition that is caused by a marked elevation in body temperature after prolonged exposure to hot or humid temperatures, or strenuous exercise.

Dogs most commonly get Heatstroke when they are left alone in a hot car, left outside in hot and humid weather without shade, and when exercising in hot and humid conditions.  

In June of 2021 with little warning from both government officials and weather experts, where we live on the West Coast of Canada, we were hit with what was termed a historic Heat Bomb.  It had tragic consequences for wildlife, sea dwelling creatures, human beings and their beloved pets. The death toll was both heartbreaking and preventable.

With temperatures soaring into the high 38 degrees Celsius, I took Sabrina out for a morning walk as soon as the sun came up.  I limited her walk to 15 minutes on the shaded trail.  Sprayed water on her paws, placed a cool wet towel on her and gave her careful sips of water upon our return. 

Once in the house I put a cool towel on her again and settled her in front of a fan and set our air conditioning for 21.5 degrees Celsius. 

Sabrina’s mid-day break was replaced by time in the yard under a shady Maple tree. 

And, her last walk of the day was at night when it had cooled. 

Everything seemed fine when I kissed her on her sweet face and tucked her in with her pink piggy. And said goodnight Beanie!

my greyhound has heatstroke now what?

I woke up in the middle of the night to check on Sabrina and slid in her very loose stool and slammed into the door and broke my toe. I remember being quite confused and not knowing what had just happened. 

Then I heard soft whimpering, then heavy panting and I heard her pee on floor.

Despite my best efforts Sabrina had gotten Heatstroke.  It’s that easy and can happen so fast. 

I immediately took her outside and gave her a cool wash-down as she was covered in her own excrement and urine.  I let her wander around the yard and she had some fresh water. 

Poor Sabrina, she was so upset.  Greyhounds are such sensitive souls that I even think she was embarrassed.

Once back inside, I then set up a clean bed for her and covered her with a cool wet sheet.  I set up the fan in front of her and laid down beside her on the couch. 

My husband was tasked with cleaning up the bedroom.

The next day was again dangerously hot, but this time I had chosen to eliminate her early walk and she was confined under supervision to our yard.

Fortunately, her Heatstroke did not require medical attention and she recovered within less than 48 hours.   Sabrina was lucky!

Signs of possible heatstroke to watch out for  

Heavy panting, whining, drooling or very loose stool may be early signs that your dog is overheating.

If your dog continues to excessively pant and drool, or they begin to have difficulty breathing, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, confusion, seizures or collapse, then they should be taken to a veterinary hospital immediately as these are signs of Heatstroke which is now a serious life-threatening medical emergency for your dog.  

Who is most at risk for heatstroke?  

While some dogs are at higher risk, it's important to note that all dogs are susceptible to Heatstroke. Not just Greyhounds and Sighthounds. All dogs only have sweat glands on their paws so their primary method of dissipating heat to cool themselves is through panting.

Extra precaution should also be taken with overweight dogs, elderly dogs, those with underlying heart or breathing conditions, and those with dark colored coats since they are at a higher risk for Heatstroke. And those receiving life saving treatments for Cancer.

how to keep your greyhound safe during a heatwave

After that terrible experience with Sabrina getting Heatstroke, and wanting to avoid that for future summers I’ve gotten much stricter with her daily summer activities.

I’ve implemented these changes to keep her safe and cool during warmer weather.  I’ve written them as strategies for you to consider as they may help with your summer weather plan for your Greyhound: 

• While the most direct sunlight occurs around noon, the day will be the hottest from late morning to late afternoon, between 11:00am and 3:00pm. Plan for walks in the early morning or evening hours to avoid the hottest times of the day.  

• Strenuous exercise should be especially avoided during the hottest parts of the day, very humid days and during the early summer when your Greyhound may not yet be acclimated to the higher temperatures.  

• Even reducing the length of the walk may make it safer.

• Blacktop and pavement in general retain a lot of heat and can be much hotter than the temperatures around us. While the pads on our Greyhound’s paw are a lot tougher than our skin, they can still suffer burns from walking on hot pavement. If you cannot put your palm down on the pavement or stand barefoot on it for 10 seconds, then it is certainly way too hot for your Greyhound to walk on. 

• Purchase booties if you live somewhere where your Greyhound walks on pavement. I highly recommend Hunnyboots out of Australia.  The booties and the customer service are five star all the way.

• Staying in the shade, if you have to be out, will help avoid excessive heat from direct sunlight.  

• In extreme temperatures, high humidity or on days where there is a dramatic temperature change, it may be best to keep pets cool indoors, ideally with air conditioning or fans. 

• Always ensure there is cool clean water available.  It does not need to be ice cold or served in a bowl of ice. And while some say ice is ok for dogs, just be very careful and watch so they don’t end up breaking a tooth while chewing on it. And please monitor for possible choking.

• Be careful about offering water to your deep bellied Greyhound when you are out and about or when you return home as there is always the threat of Bloat. This applies at any time of the year but more so in summer if your Greyhound is drinking more water.

• Some Greyhounds may lap up lots of water while they play in their pool, run through the sprinkler, or chase the hose spray. Or your Greyhound may chug from their water bowl. Don't allow them to drink excessively (too much, too fast). Overconsumption of water can lead to water intoxication, where sodium levels in your Greyhound's body are depleted.

The symptoms of water intoxication include nausea, vomiting, bloating, dilated pupils, glazed eyes, excessive salivation, staggering, and lethargy. 

While this should go without saying – never ever leave your Greyhound in a car unattended. 

Cracking the windows is not an effective way to keep the car cool. For example, even if it is only 70 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the temperature inside of the car can increase by 40 degrees in an hour. This can happen even more quickly, since the majority of the temperature increase occurs during the first 15-30 minutes. While you may be tempted to leave them in a running, air-conditioned car, it is unsafe to leave any dog at any time unattended in running cars. 

Sun Protection and Sunscreen for our Greyhound

Since our Greyhounds can get sunburn and skin cancer just like us, you may want to consider using UV-blocking clothes and/or a sunscreen product recommended by your veterinarian or your Greyhound Adoption Centre when they're outdoors on warm sunny days.

As for sunscreen for your hound, this is especially important if they've got a thin or non-existent coat. I'm looking at all you baldy bum Greyhounds. Remember to apply sunscreen on the typically hairless or thin-coated areas (their belly, hips, tips of ears, and bridge of their nose).

Do not spray the sunscreen directly on or around their face. Spray it onto your hand first, then rub it onto their nose, ears, belly, or other low or no-fur areas.

include greyhound summer safety tips but have fun with your Greyhound

Here are some of the ways we keep cool and have fun in the heat.

• Sabrina loves water, anytime anywhere and she is always up for an early paddle at the dog beach.

• When we cannot head to the beach, she loves to jump in and out of her wading pool that I have set up for her on our patio. 

• Sabrina also loves to be chased with the hose or run through the sprinkler. She especially loves to run through sprinklers on our early morning walks.  She tells me it’s more fun because it feels naughty to run through someone else’s sprinkler.

• Cool yoga towels (or any lightweight towels) are kept in the fridge and placed on her tummy when she’s roaching.

• Pupcicles made from frozen unsweetened yogurt (if your hound can tolerate dairy) and if not, mashed up frozen carrots and bone broth are a great treat. You can also add a bit of Brewer’s Yeast for extra flavour and as a natural flea repellant. Or a bit of honey as a sweetener.

• Keeping Sabrina regularly groomed in the summer is important. She tends to get a little itchy from the heat, mosquitoes and fleas.  Great to have a flea comb on hand, which she loves being combed with.

Enjoy Sabrina’s favourite summertime pupsicle recipe

Don’t forget to Enjoy Your Summer with Your Greyhound as it will be winter before you can say Cantaloupe Pupsicles!

Here is a super tasty fun pupsicle recipe from The Dog Bakery that Sabrina absolutely loves.  Guaranteed to make your Greyhound’s teeth chitter.

The Cantaloupe Pupsicle is the easiest pupsicle to make. It is so simple that even if you have never entered the kitchen in your life, you will still be able to make it.

Simple Ingredients:

Approximately two cups of frozen cantaloupe (you can use frozen cantaloupe from the freezer section or freeze it fresh yourself)

Two tablespoons of unsweetened yogurt

Follow these easy Directions:

Remove seeds and skin from the cantaloupe.

Next, cut the fruit into big chunks, spread these chunks on a baking sheet or a large plate, and leave them to freeze in your freezer. Note: Cantaloupe pieces can take about two to three hours to freeze completely.

Take out about two cups of frozen cantaloupe pieces and put them in a blender. Add about two tablespoons of unsweetened yogurt to the blender and blend nicely.

You can either serve this cantaloupe and yogurt mix to your dog as ice cream or leave it in the freezer overnight in an ice cube tray or small cups to make a yummy and fun pupsicle.

You can also add a sweet potato chewy in the centre of the cup to add extra fun for your hound!

Enjoy!