Earlier this month, a veterinary clinic posted about an incident involving a dog and burned paws.The post warns people of the dangers of walking their furry family members out on hot pavement.
“A lot of pain and it has to be treated like a burn just with anybody else,” said Sharon Ray, executive director of the Gulf Coast Humane Society.
In this owners’ case he says he didn’t notice his injured pet until he turned and saw bloody paw prints.
The temperature outside right now is about 90 degrees, but according to a thermometer gun, the pavement is 114 degrees Fahrenheit, try walking in that for 20 minutes.
Ray says a general rule of thumb is if it’s too hot for your skin, it’s too hot for your pet.
“If you take the palm of your hand and you place it on to what you’re walking on, if you cannot hold it on there with weight for more than 5 seconds then your dog can’t either,” said Ray.
She says to watch your pet carefully for signs that they’ve suffered from concrete or asphalt burns.
“They will probably be licking it a lot more or they’re going to be maybe a little bit more sensitive,” said Ray. “If it’s a severe burn it certainly will blister just like we would.”
To avoid putting your pet through pain and possibly a vet visit, Ray says you can try to walk them on grass or terrain, or you can also buy them doggy boots or socks.
