Summer Heat Tips and Dog-Friendly Ice Cream from Wag!

Wag! is here to help keep your dog cool, calm, and collected this summer. The #1 on-demand dog walking and sitting service is celebrating this summer with free dog-friendly ice cream and dog heat safety tips for pet-owners at local dog parks in the New York City and Washington, DC areas. We’ve partnered with Wag! to help promote this amazing event and share some of the heat safety tips we learned.

Wag! dog-friendly ice cream carts have been stationed around the DC area since August 2nd and will continue until August 15th. Check out their full schedule here. We stopped by the cart at Shirlington Dog Park AND James Hunter Dog Park--Navy could simply not get enough doggy ice cream! She had so much fun running around with all of her friends and stealing their ice cream. Yes, by the end of our evening we think Navy snagged 3 ice cream cups from her friends (she refuses to apologize for her behavior).

Wag! Wants to keep your pets safe this summer. Dogs do not sweat like humans, so they can experience heatstroke more easily. Along with ice cream, Wag! passed out goodie bags and informational cards containing important dog heat safety tips. If your dog is outside in the summer heat, be sure to look out for these signs of heat stroke:

• Heavy panting, difficulty breathing, and excessive thirst

• Bright red tongue and mucous membranes, which turn grey as the shock sets in

• Thick saliva, drooling, vomiting, and/or diarrhea

• Unsteadiness, staggering, and lethargy

It is important to remember that by the time the signs of heat stroke are visible, it is often too late.

After reading WAG!’s informational card, we were also surprised to learn that your pet’s paws can be burned on the hot pavement in a matter of seconds. Wag! taught us a helpful tip to measure the heat of the ground by placing your palm against the pavement for 5 seconds. If the ground it too hot for your hand, it is too hot for your pup! For my beach dogs...this tip applies to hot sand as well!

Our friends at Wag! also educated us on the importance of giving your dog enough water in the hot weather. Dogs need to drink 8.5 to 17 ounces of water per ten pounds of body weight to ensure that they are properly hydrated. Another great way to help keep your pet hydrated and cool is to give your dog frozen chicken broth or ice cubes. For the Fourth of July, we made Navy some patriotic frozen fruit treats.

Thank you again to Wag! for educating pet owners on the importance of keeping your pet safe this summer. To our Washington, DC dogs, we hope that you are able to make it out to one of the dog parks to get your icy cold snack. If you are not able to, we will keep you updated on any future WAG! events!