The pavement test
Put the back of your hand flat on the pavement and hold it there for seven seconds. If you cannot, the surface is too hot for paws. It is recommended by VIER PFOTEN and the VGT among others, and it is a rule of thumb rather than a measurement, and it reliably prevents burnt pads.
How fast that happens is what people underestimate. At an air temperature of 25 degrees, dark tarmac already passes 50; at 30 degrees of air it heads towards 60 — figures published by VIER PFOTEN and the Austrian VGT. On top of that, tarmac holds the heat for hours. A path that was harmless at ten in the morning can still be too hot at seven in the evening, long after the air has turned pleasant. Grass, woodland floor and gravel are the better call on days like that.
Hours worth going out
On hot days the main walks belong early in the morning and after sunset. Around midday a short trip to relieve themselves is enough, in shade and on a cool surface. Play and training move entirely into the cooler hours, because excitement plus heat is the riskiest combination there is.
Water, shade, breaks
- Carry water for the dog on longer outings; a collapsible bowl is enough.
- Choose routes with shade and water rather than open fields.
- Take breaks before your dog asks for them. Panting is effort, not rest.
- A wet coat cools. A stream on the way is worth more than any shortcut.
- The dog never waits in the car. Not briefly, not with a window open.
Recognising heatstroke
Heatstroke develops fast and counts as an emergency. These signs mean acting immediately:
- relentless panting that does not ease, tongue hanging far out
- glassy eyes, deep red gums, thick sticky saliva
- staggering, weakness, stopping and refusing to go on
- vomiting or diarrhoea
- later on, collapse, seizures, loss of consciousness
What happens first in an emergency
Out of the sun, offer water without forcing it, and cool the dog with water: paws and legs first, then the belly and the inside of the thighs. What matters is that cooling starts and that it starts at once.
Then go to a practice or an emergency clinic regardless, even if the dog seems to improve on the way. Organ damage after heatstroke often shows up only later. On how cold the water should be, veterinary advice has shifted over recent years, so ask your own practice what they recommend before you ever need it.
Which dogs it reaches first
Flat-faced breeds — Pugs, French and English Bulldogs, Boxers — overheat considerably faster, simply because panting gives them less surface to work with. Overweight dogs, older dogs, puppies and dogs with thick dark coats follow close behind. For all of them: earlier, shorter, slower. On the worst days, scent games in a cool room replace the walk entirely.
Sources
- VIER PFOTEN — Hot tarmac: a danger to dogs’ paws (the seven-second test, surface temperatures)
- VGT — Hot tarmac: a danger to dogs’ paws (warning signs, first aid for burns)