Hot days are wonderful things if you are a human, but can often be quite intense and unpleasant for our dogs. How hot is too hot for your dog to handle, and what can you do to help?

Humans are born with a genius cooling system.

Sweat works through the process of evaporative cooling, evaporating off our skin and cooling us in the process. For our dogs, though, such a system is simply not available.

As a result, hot days are even more intense and unpleasant, and can quickly get too extreme.

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How hot is too hot for a dog, and what can you do to help your dog during summer?

If you let your dog bake in the sun, while it won't turn into a literal hotdog, much of its skin may indeed turn the color of tomato sauce. It's a danger, a risk not really worth taking, but one that must be taken nevertheless – after all, you can hardly deny your dog its daily walk throughout the entire duration of summer, can you?

Dogs also need to go outside on hot days. They want to relieve themselves, they want to pick up and sniff out scents, and of course they also need to get some exercise. You need to be careful, though, and make a decision as to whether it is safe or not for your doggo to head out into the world. Be vigilant and exercise some common sense.

In general, it is never a good idea to take your dog outside in the sun once the temperature surpasses 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Dogs are very sensitive and while this might not seem like a particularly high temperature – after all, in many areas of the world this is child's play – it can be seriously dangerous for our beloved canine companions.

Ultimately, anything approaching or beyond 86°F needs to be taken with caution, but once it gets beyond that and starts heading towards 104°F, you should not be taking your dog outside.

Your dog will feel the most comfortable outside when the temperature is around 68°F, so basically at the same temperature we feel relatively warm and comfortable. Of course, if you are going to be super active you should still be careful at around 70°F, but you likely won't have to worry or concern yourself with the risk and dangers of heat or sun stroke.

During certain parts of the day, temperatures will generally sit at around the level you want your dog to be outside for. Luckily, heat generally gets to its most intense at around midday, steadily increasing in the morning and generally waning towards the late afternoon. This midday period is the worst time to walk your dog, but also the time at which you will likely be at work and unable to do so anyway.

We recommend that you walk your dog in the early mornings or evenings during summer, to take in some of that warmth without endangering the health of your darling doggo.

When it is really hot outside, but you still need or want to take your dog with you, there are a number of absolute necessities that must never be forgotten or ignored.

Extreme heat can be incredibly dangerous for dogs, bringing on a range of risks that if left to their logical extreme can eventually result in the animal's death.

To reduce the risk of such a process occurring, there are a number of steps that you can take to help your dog through a particularly hot day. Let's take a look at a few suggestions.

While walking your dog is still necessary in summer, you can try to avoid serious physical activity on particularly hot days. Dogs can quickly overheat if they exert themselves at high temperatures, putting them at high risk of illness. As a result, you should avoid cycling or jogging together, fetching balls or sticks, and heavy-duty agility training during such periods.

Fluids are extremely important for dogs in summer, to keep their circulation stable and their hydration up. As a result, dog owners should always have enough water with them, preferably in a dog water bottle, so that they can give their dog little drinks throughout the walk and have a supply if things go south.

Dogs pant to cool off in summer and to increase their oxygen intake. As a result, they need to be able to breathe and pant easily and freely when out in the heat, to regulate their temperature and keep their oxygen levels up. To guarantee this, we would recommend avoiding tight-fitting collars and, instead, replacing them with airy chest harnesses.

Your dog's paws are extremely sensitive and, as a result, can get very painful if made to walk on hot asphalt or concrete. This can not only cause physical damage and harm to your dog, but a lot of pain and distress. To avoid this situation, try to stick to shaded paths or grass wherever possible, and keep the footpath walking to an absolute minimum where you can.

Dogs should be brushed regularly with a high-quality de-shedding dog brush, especially in summer. This removes loose hair from the undercoat, thereby allowing your dog's body heat to escape more easily. Some dog owners have their dogs clipped in summer and, in many cases, these summer hairstyles work a treat to keep them cooler.

In order to protect sensitive dog skin from the sun's rays, though, certain areas of the body should be covered with special sun cream for dogs, to avoid sunburn. This is extremely important on seriously hot and sunny days, and not a joke at all. Make sure your dog uses sunscreen, and you'll guarantee that it won't arrive back at home more pickled than a gurken.

Make sure to have the following parts of your dog's body protected from the sun:

• Nose
• Ears
• Belly
• Genitals
• Eyes
• Thighs
• Anywhere with thin skin

If your dog is suffering from the heat and starting to get to the point of danger or illness, it will exhibit a number of symptoms. As a result, we would recommend paying especial attention to your dog when taking it out in summer, and making sure that it is not displaying any worrying signs.

Here are the most common symptoms of excessive heat or sun exposure in dogs:

• Heavy panting
• Physical distress, collapsing, panic
• Seizures
• Vomiting
• Trembling
• Drooling
• Sweating
• Extreme salivating
• Sudden restlessness, confusion, a sense of weakness and disorientation
• Dry nose
• Dehydration

It's very important that a dog gets paid attention to when it is hot. Things can go from unpleasant to dangerous quickly, and you need to notice when things are going wrong.

Ultimately, if your dog is suffering from a severe heat-related illness like sunstroke, you should get it inside immediately and help it to cool down however you can. Keep it hydrated, make sure that its body temperature has not reached a dangerous place, and then allow it to rest and sleep it off.

You also need to contact your veterinarian immediately if this happens, to get advice or potentially organize a checkup. Severe sun exposure is very dangerous, and you need to remember that you are not a medical professional. Don't go off hunches or online articles, just go off your vet's advice and recommendations.

Heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses can be extremely dangerous for dogs and, as a result, need to be avoided like the plague. Be careful, keep your dog from overheating, and act with some common sense.