Heat wave: this is how you really help your dog or cat through the hot days

Shade and water are the basis, everyone knows that by now. But most people don’t know what your animal feeds during heat, and which “cooling” tricks are actually counterproductive.

By Stefan Veenstra DVM

As soon as the first heat wave is announced, the tips fly around your ears: drink plenty of water, don’t walk on the hot asphalt, go for a walk early or late in the day. All justified and important. But there’s one layer that’s almost never touched upon: what you feed your dog or cat on hot days can make just as much difference as where you let them walk. As a veterinarian with an integrative, orthomolecular view, in this article I combine the practical basis with a nutritional perspective from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), in which nutrition is classified according to cooling, neutral or warming properties.

Why dogs and cats are so sensitive to heat

We humans sweat all over our bodies and therefore cool down relatively efficiently. Dogs almost completely lack that ability: they can only sweat through the soles of their feet and have to rely on panting to dissipate heat. Cats wash themselves more often in the heat, the evaporation of saliva on the fur has a cooling effect, and they instinctively seek out the coolest place in the house. Rabbits find it even more difficult to cool down and are at risk even at relatively moderate temperatures.

The first thing a dog, cat or rabbit does to cool down is often very simple: lie completely flat on its side or stomach on a cool surface, in the shade of a bush or on tiles. By bringing as much body surface as possible into contact with a cooler surface, heat is dissipated via conduction. In nature, most animals simply show much less activity in heat. My cats spend about 23.5 hours a day lying on the coolest surface, and therefore get through extremely hot weather just fine.

But that makes pets structurally more vulnerable to heat than we are, and it explains why a temperature that feels “nice and warm” to us can already be stressful for them. A coat plays a double role in this: thermal imaging shows that a coat not only insulates against cold, but also against heat, it keeps the sun off the skin and slows down heat loss to the outside. So short shaving is not automatically the solution it seems, and there is no strong evidence that shaving actually lowers internal body temperature. Combing out regularly so that loose undercoat and tangles disappear and air can circulate is a safer choice for most dogs and cats.

The basics: what you should pay attention to anyway

These are the fundamentals. Not new, but essential, and worth repeating.

Risk groups: extra vigilance

Short-muzzled (brachycephalic) breeds such as the French Bulldog or Pug have much less ability to cool down through panting due to their restricted airways. Puppies and older animals regulate their temperature less well. Animals that are overweight or have a heart or lung condition are also at extra risk. For these groups, the following applies: be extra careful and build in extra margin.

Be careful with standing water

In warm weather, blue-green algae can develop quickly in stagnant water such as fens and ditches. The toxins released in this process can lead to serious gastrointestinal complaints, skin irritation and in the worst case liver damage. In addition, botulism can play a role, caused by bacteria that can multiply around dead fish or birds in the water. So don’t just let your dog drink or swim from unfamiliar, stagnant water in hot weather.

Less known, but just as relevant: dogs that enthusiastically swallow a lot of water while swimming or retrieving in water run a small but real risk of water intoxication. In the process, the electrolyte balance is disturbed because too much water is absorbed in relation to salt, which in rare cases can lead to an emergency situation. Also, a dog that suddenly jumps into cold water when warmed up and out of breath from running can experience a so-called cold shock: an involuntary panting flex and possible cardiac arrhythmias due to the abrupt change in temperature, especially risky in dogs with heart disease or in older animals. Therefore, build up swimming sessions slowly, let a heated animal calm down before it goes into the water, and alternate swimming with moments of rest.

The step that hardly anyone takes: food as cooling from the inside out

Within Traditional Chinese Medicine, food is not only judged on nutrients, but also on its energetic effect: cooling, neutral or warming. In the summer, you can consciously choose food that helps the body deal with the heat, instead of putting extra strain on it.

Cooling fruit and vegetables as a snack

Always give these vegetables in small amounts as a supplement (max 20% in dogs and 5% in cats), not as a substitute for a complete diet, and build up new products gradually.

Not every meat is equal

Animal proteins are also classified in TCM according to energetic effect. Duck and rabbit are seen as cooling to neutral meats, while lamb and venison are considered warming. For a dog or cat that is already sensitive to heat, temporarily opting for duck or rabbit instead of a “warmer” meat can be a logical, small adjustment during the summer period. From TCM, highly processed food, such as kibble that has been extruded at a high temperature, is considered energetically as warming and drying. In addition, kibble naturally contains only a few percent moisture, while wet food consists of about 75-80% water, which can cause dehydration symptoms in kibble faster.

Water, ice creams and hot tea: what really works?

Drinking plenty of water remains the basis on hot days. Keep in mind that a dog or cat needs relatively less extra water than you: we evaporate through our entire skin and lose relatively more moisture. A slight increase in water intake is normal, but extra liters usually are not.

A fun fact: in warm countries, hot tea is often drunk instead of ice-cold drinks. In humans, a hot drink increases sweat production slightly, and the evaporation of that extra sweat causes net heat loss. In dogs and cats, this sweat response is largely lacking, so this specific mechanism cannot be translated one-to-one to pets, and has not been scientifically investigated in them. What does remain intact is the TCM tradition of cooling herbs such as peppermint, hibiscus, cornflower and rosehip, which have been used in the summer for centuries on the basis of their energetic properties. It is precisely these herbs that we also offer in our summer blend tea.

How to apply this in practice

Recognizing heat stress: what to look out for

Despite all precautions, things can still go wrong. Recognizing in time makes all the difference.

If you recognize these signals, immediately take your animal to a cool, shady place and start active cooling immediately: pour or sponge cool tap water all over the body, paying extra attention to groin, armpits and neck, and add a fan to accelerate evaporation. In addition, offer small amounts of water. In a real heat stroke, fast and decisive cooling is more important than carefully using “lukewarm” water, waiting takes time that the body does not have. If in doubt, rapid deterioration or a body temperature that feels clearly too high, always contact your veterinarian immediately, and simply continue to cool down on the way.

Cats, rabbits and horses: something different

Cats and rabbits often show instinctive behavior to cool down: they become less mobile, seek out the coolest place in the house and cats wash themselves more often, whereby the evaporation of saliva has a cooling effect. That doesn’t mean they don’t need help. A cooling element that they can lie against for a while, sufficient water bowls throughout the house, and avoiding places that are too hot or too sunny remain important. Rabbits are especially cautious: they are even more sensitive to heat than dogs and cats and can get into trouble even at relatively mild temperatures.

Horses, unlike dogs, cats and rabbits, can sweat all over their skin and can therefore cool down relatively efficiently through evaporation. Horses will drink much more compared to dogs and cats to absorb the amount of sweat. Most of the advice above also applies to horses, and you may also get some wisdom from it yourself.

Just for comparison: the law also looks at heat

The fact that heat is no small thing for animals is also evident from the legislation on animal transport. The commercial transport of livestock and horses in the Netherlands is subject to a legal ban above 35°C, laid down in the Policy Rule on Animal Transport at High Temperatures. This limit is expected to be lowered to 30°C as of April 1, 2027. There is no comparable legal temperature limit for dogs and cats, but the underlying principle applies just as well. If you have an appointment with the vet on a hot day that is not urgent, consider whether moving is not better.

Finally

The basic tips for the heat wave are everywhere this season, and rightly so, because they save lives. But by consciously looking at what your animal eats, with cooling vegetables such as watermelon and cucumber, and choosing wet food over kibble on the hottest days, and then also with a temporary preference for duck or rabbit as a source of protein, you give just that little bit of extra support from within. Small, simple, and exactly the kind of integrative approach that makes the difference between “getting through” and actually getting through the summer comfortably.

This article is educational in nature and does not replace a veterinary consultation. If your dog or cat already has symptoms or suspects heat stress, always contact the vet immediately.