Summer is officially here and we're ready to spend some time outdoors enjoying the sun with our pets! It is a great time to spend outside with our furry friends but higher temperatures can be dangerous in certain situations. Pets do not sweat the same way humans do and can easily become overheated. Here are some summer tips to keep your pets cool and safe during this sunny season:

1. Always provide plenty of H20

Many pets every year suffer from dehydration during the hot summer months. It is important to always carry around water and provide them a drink as much as possible. Dogs get much thirstier than humans do when it gets hot. Some signs of dehydration include excessive drooling, wobbly legs, heavy panting and dry gums. Always provide fresh, clean water inside your home and bring water with you when traveling with your pet. Switching to fresh pet food also provides the great benefit of extra hydration due to the extra moisture it contains.

2. Never leave your pet in the car

Pets love traveling with their humans whenever possible but lots of owners have to leave them inside their cars when going inside stores. When the weather heats up, the temperature inside of cars heats up very quickly. Leaving pets inside a vehicle for a few minutes can be very dangerous. It can take less than 10 minutes to develop heat stroke in cats and dogs when left inside of a very hot car. It is also illegal in many states to leave pets inside your vehicle due to the dangerous conditions they may be exposed to so please leave your pets at home or take them with you when exiting the car.

3. Do not shave your pet

We all love a cute haircut on our pets and most people would think that shaving our pet's hair can help them stay cooler during summer months. But a pet's coat naturally helps them keep cool when the temperature rises outside. Trimming your pet's hair is fine but please refrain from shaving their entire coats. At least an inch of hair can help protect them from sunburns when outside.

4. Keep their paws cool

When taking your pet's outside during a sunny day, try to keep your pet off of hot surfaces like asphalt and cement. Their paws are sensitive to extreme heat so stick to the shady side of the street. Hot surfaces can burn their paws and also increase their body temperatures which may lead to overheating.

5. Lather on the sunscreen

Did you know pets can suffer from sunburns too? Especially light colored coats and shorter hair breeds. Sunburns hurt and can even lead to skin cancer. If your planning a fun day out in the sun with your pet, apply sunscreen every couple hours on bellies, ears, nose and other parts of our pet with the least hair. Use only pet-friendly sunscreens.