You might think the most important bit of dog health advice would be to let your furry loved on spend all day enjoying the outdoors. But you'd only be half-right. You know we must protect ourselves from the sun, but do you know that leading canine health experts now say that the most important dog health advice they can give is to protect your dog from the sun, too?
Like us humans, dogs need sunlight to help balance their body's levels of calcium with their metabolism. Yet too much ultraviolet radiation can irritate our dog's skin as it does our own, causing sunburn.
Pale and short-hair dogs are particularly prone to sunburn, usually on the nose, abdomen, groin, and inside of the legs. Being close to the ground, they not only are affected by the downward sunlight, but also by light reflecting up from pavement or hot sand. Some breeds, like Weimaraners and Boxers, are predisposed to cancer. Therefore, they must have extra protection from sunburns and UV rays to avoid skin cancer.
Think about the precautions that you take to prevent yourself from sunburn and UV exposure. You stay out of the sun at the peak hours, use sun block and cover up, don't you? Those same suggestions can work for your dog.
Our dogs give us hours of pleasure and years of unconditional love. In return, all we must do is love and keep them healthy. It's still good dog health advice to let your dog play outdoors. But spare your "best friend" the pain of sunburn and its consequences.
