25/05/2026
This is a great infographic from Mannford Animal Clinic to help you to notice if your pet is struggling in the heat this bank holiday weekend and how to help if they are! I would add - please notice how the dog in the image is exhibiting what's called a 'ladle tongue' - when the tongue is pretty much all the way out and curved to increase surface area in an attempt to lose more heat. In the next image, Sally is panting in the heat but is not exhibiting the 'ladle tongue' of being particularly over heated.
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Another way that you can check if your dog is in need of water and cooling is if you gently gather up some of their skin between your fingers and then release it - does it snap back (hydrated) or take a while to return to flat?
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Important note - if applying cold, wet towels or 'cooling coats' as this infographic suggests, please ensure that they remain cool and do not heat up from your dog's body heat and then just serve as another layer. 👍
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Also, crucially, please only walk your dog very briefly in this weather if required, on grass and/or in shade with water available at all times - research indicates that heatstroke kills 50-100 UK dogs every year (Beard et al. 2024) - there are alternatives to walking and it's not worth the risk!
(You can check out previous posts of mine for more information on dangerous levels of heat and further advice!)
, Emily
