If you want your good boy to have a good summer, make sure he catches balls instead of rays. Dogs can be burned just as people, warn veterinarians, and sometimes it becomes an emergency.
“Especially during the really hot summer months we see an increase in pets that come in with sunburn,” says Veronica Villanueva, medical director at VEG Anaheim Hills, who offers veterinary care for emergencies. “We think of people with skin who gets sunburn, and then with our pets we think:” Oh, they have fur, they like to be outside. “” Most owners of pets “are not aware of the potential risks of sunburn and the seriousness with which they can experience them.”
We asked veterinarians exactly how to say whether your dog is burned, what he should do about it and how you can prevent future sun damage.
Drawing sunscreen in dogs
The fur of a dog offers some built-in protection against UV rays. But all varieties are susceptible to sunburn – and the lighter or thinner the fur, the greater the risk. Short -haired varieties such as pit bulls, dalmatians, boxers, wind dogs and pugs are especially susceptible to burned, as well as hairless fangs such as the American hairless terrier and Chinese crested dog.
Cliff Redford, owner and director of Wellington Veterinary Hospital in Ontario, often sees sunscreen in dogs that were shaved – either as a result of an operation, because their fur matte or for another reason. “It is as if someone gets a haircut, and suddenly the back of their neck is burned because they went from a mul” to a much shorter “, not given that the change meant more exposure to the sun.
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Certain spots on a dog are most likely burned: the bridge of the nose, the abdomen and groin (a danger of sunbathing upside down), and anywhere without much fur, such as the area around the lips. “The largest I see is the tip of the ears,” says Villanueva. “They can be burned very badly because the ears don’t get good blood flow, they don’t have much hair and it’s a thin piece of skin.”
Sunburn looks almost the same, whether you have two or four legs. When UV radiation of the sun damages the top layer of skin cells, it causes redness, heat and pain. If it is on the milder side, the skin of your dog becomes pink; The redder it gets, the worse the burn. Over time, the combustion can become dry and flaky, and you may see your dog scratching or chewing, because it can be itching, says Villanueva.
In the meantime, more serious burns will usually be darker red, and they can develop blisters or start to seep – both signs you need to bring your dog to the vet. “If you see the skin getting dark red or purple, and they are listless and not wanting to get up, or let a fever run, they are signs of severe sunburn,” says Villanueva. “If they show signs of severe pain” – such as screaming when you stroke them or comb them – “We want them to be seen immediately.”
Burns who need emergency care tend to really hurt. “Imagine getting a burn,” she says. “It’s an open wound, and it’s very painful. It’s like a ulcer, so we want to know that they don’t touch them in those areas.”
Treatment options
If your dog has a mild sunburn, you can usually handle the treatment at home. Apply a cold, damp cloth to the affected area or rub on a thin layer of pure aloe. “Look at the ingredient label and make sure it just has aloe, and nothing you don’t recognize,” says Colleen Guilfoyle, a veterinarian with Best Friends Animal Society.
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When Villanueva treats dogs with severe sunburn, she usually starts assessing the affected area and then start with painkillers. If there is a lot of pus, she and her team clean the wound and can disinfect it well, and they can apply current ointments to reduce inflammation. Some dogs need IV antibiotics. Sunscreen also increases the risk of dehydration, which in itself can be serious. “If we can visibly see that they have dried out, we might have to make them on IV -liquids hospital to help them hydrate and get them some electrolytes,” she says.
Even in severe cases, sunburn usually heals within a week or two. Sometimes dogs have to wear a T-shirt or an Elizabethan collar (better known as the dreaded cone cone) to ensure that they do not lick their burns, Villanueva adds.
How you can protect your dog
Just like in humans, sunburn can lead to skin cancer in dogs. About half of the cases of melanoma that Redford treats every year are related to burns. “Every time there is cellular damage, even if it does not cause a burn that takes you to the vet’s clinic, there is a miniscule but no zero risk that melanoma can occur,” he says, although most diagnoses are caused by recurring burns.
Early detection of skin cancer makes a big difference, so pay attention to drawing such as unusual nodules or bumps, slowly healing ulcers or changes in the appearance of birthmarks. “If you catch it early, it has an extremely high healing percentage,” says Redford. He once dealt with a 14-year-old Beagle who had a tumor the size of a golf ball on the edge of his lip. “We have successfully removed everything,” he says. “He just has a small facelift.”
Nevertheless, it is essential to make a priority of the prevention of sunburn. Here are the steps to take:
Bring your dog inside
Redford recommends limiting the time of your dog outside – at least in direct sunlight – the hottest part of the day, which is usually around 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Apply sunscreen to your dog
Every time you lubricate sunscreen on yourself, you also put a brand -safe brand on your dog. That’s right: dogs sunscreen exists and is available at most pet stores. (Do not use human sunblock, warns Redford: many varieties include ingredients such as zinc oxide and salicyates that can be toxic to dogs.) The dog version is made with ingredients such as titanium dioxide, benzophenon, octinoxate and aminobenzoure, which offers protection from skin. It must be applied to high-risk spots without any fur, such as the bridge of the nose, ends of the ears, the groin area, the abdomen and skin around the dog’s lips, as well as super thin hair, where you can easily see the skin, says Redford.
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Doggy sunscreen comes in balms, lotions and sprays, and the American Kennel Club advise Apply 20 minutes before your dog goes out. “I prefer the lotion, especially because people know how to apply it – it is a similar consistency such as what you and I would use, so there is a little better control over determining how much you have put,” says Redford. He has found that sunscreen usually does not disturb his four -footed customers. “Unless you have a Diva dog, they generally think it’s not a problem,” he says.
“What I recommend is, apply it and then distract them for 5 minutes- play with them, grab a toy, feed them to feed.” In this way, he says, the sunscreen can be absorbed into the skin without your dog trying to lick it off. Most products are designed so that they don’t have to be washed away at the end of the day, but if you want to remove it, just walk a damp towel over the areas where you have applied the sunscreen.
Dress your dog for the sun
Not all dogs tolerate clothing, but for those who do that, UV protective clothing can help. The hairstyle of your dog is also important: summer is not the time to try out a hairless or super shaved look, even if you think it keeps your pet cool. “It is so important to work with your trimmer and say:” I want them to get a shorter clip, but I don’t want to see the skin, “says Villanueva.” You want it to be short, but not too short, especially on the face. “
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Also keep in mind that damage can occur quickly: if a dog is more than half an hour to an hour outside in direct sunlight without the correct hiding place, “you run the risk of serious burns, especially in those really soft areas,” says Villanueva. That is why consciousness is so essential. “This sunburn can lead to serious health risks, including skin cancer,” she says. “Be proactive in protecting your pets against sun exposure so that they can stay healthy and safe.”
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